Places · United Arab Emirates · Dubai
Façade & building consultants in Dubai.
From coral-stone wind-tower houses on the Creek to the 828m Burj Khalifa, Dubai has built one of the world's great skylines in little more than 50 years. McKay Turner Consulting provides façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, façade fire risk reviews, design reviews and expert witness work in Dubai.
DUBAI 25.2047° N, 55.2708° E
A short history
A pearling town on the Creek that became a global city
Dubai grew from a small fishing and pearling settlement on the Creek. Oil, trade and a free-port strategy turned it into a city of towers within two generations.
- c. 1787
Al Fahidi Fort
The fort is built of coral stone and gypsum. It is Dubai's oldest surviving building and became the Dubai Museum in 1971.
- 1833
A new settlement
The Al Bu Falasah, a branch of the Bani Yas, settle in Dubai under Maktoum bin Butti.
- c. 1900
Wind-tower houses
Merchants from Bastak in Iran build coral-stone houses with wind towers beside the Creek, now the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
- 1966
Oil
Oil is found offshore at the Fateh field, paying for new roads, ports and buildings.
- 1971
The UAE
Dubai becomes one of the six founding emirates of the United Arab Emirates on 2 December, with Abu Dhabi as the capital.
- 1979
Trade Centre
Queen Elizabeth II opens John Harris's 39-storey Dubai World Trade Centre, then the tallest building in the region. Jebel Ali Port is set up the same year.
- 2010
Burj Khalifa
The 828m tower opens on 4 January as the world's tallest building.
- 2026
Rail and metro
Tunnelling starts on the Metro Blue Line in May, and the Etihad Rail station in Dubai opens in September.
Architecture
What makes Dubai's buildings distinctive
Dubai's traditional buildings were designed to stay cool without power. Its modern skyline, built in a few decades, is dominated by glass curtain walls, metal cladding and stone-clad podiums.
Key styles
Traditional Gulf
Coral-stone houses with gypsum plaster and barjeel wind towers, as in Al Fahidi. Walls could be up to about 76cm thick.
Early modern
The Dubai World Trade Centre (1979) by British architect John Harris, the first of the city's towers.
Landmark towers
Burj Al Arab (1999), 321m tall on its own island, and the 355m Emirates Office Tower.
High-rise districts
Glass and aluminium-clad towers in Dubai Marina, JLT and Downtown, such as the 352m Marina Torch (2011).
Supertall
Burj Khalifa, at 828m the world's tallest building since it opened in 2010.
Contemporary
The Museum of the Future (2022), clad in 1,024 stainless-steel and glass panels carrying Arabic calligraphy.
The city's material palette
Did you know?
A barjeel wind tower catches the breeze and draws hot air out, keeping rooms up to about 7°C cooler than outside.
Each of the 1,024 façade panels on the Museum of the Future was made using robots and computer algorithms.
After a series of high-rise cladding fires, the 2017 UAE Fire and Life Safety Code required tested, fire-rated cladding systems on new buildings.
Typical building types
What Dubai is built of today
Dubai's building stock is young, tall and growing fast. About 36,000 new homes were completed in 2025, and about 55,600 are forecast for 2026, the most since 2008.
Commercial offices
Glass towers and business parks, many with unitised curtain walls.
Where: DIFC, Business Bay, Sheikh Zayed Road
High-rise residential
Towers from the 2000s boom onwards, some still with older aluminium composite cladding.
Where: Dubai Marina, JLT, Downtown
Hotels & resorts
Landmark hotels and beach resorts exposed to sun, salt and wind.
Where: Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah, Downtown
Villas & townhouses
Gated communities of rendered blockwork villas.
Where: Emirates Hills, Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills
Retail & mixed use
Large shopping podiums, often with towers above.
Where: Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Deira
Heritage
Coral-stone and gypsum buildings that need specialist repair.
Where: Al Fahidi, Al Shindagha, Deira
Industrial & logistics
Warehouses and plants with metal cladding and large roofs.
Where: Jebel Ali, JAFZA, Dubai South
Culture & leisure
Museums and venues with complex, bespoke façades.
Where: Museum of the Future, Expo City, Dubai Opera
Current construction trends
Where Dubai is building now
New transport links, a giant airport expansion and record home completions are reshaping the city.
Metro Blue Line
A 30km line with 14 stations, 15.5km of it underground. Tunnelling began in May 2026, and the line is due to open on 9 September 2029.
Al Maktoum International
An airport expansion planned for 260 million passengers a year, with more than 400 gates. The first phase is due to open in 2032.
Burj Azizi
A tower on Sheikh Zayed Road, with its height approved, that would become the world's second-tallest building.
New homes
About 55,600 homes are forecast to complete in 2026, the most since 2008, after about 36,000 in 2025.
Dubai 2040
The Urban Master Plan expects the population to reach 5.8 million by 2040, across five main urban centres.
Safer façades
Since the 2017 Fire and Life Safety Code, new buildings need tested, fire-rated cladding. Existing towers do not have to replace older cladding, so owners need clear advice on the risk.
How we help in Dubai
Every era of building has its own risks
We match our inspections and advice to the age and construction of your building.
Traditional coral stone and gypsumto 1960s
Eroding coral stone, failed gypsum and lime renders, salt damage and decayed timber.
Early concrete and blockwork buildingsc.1970–1995
Spalling concrete, reinforcement corroded by salt and heat, and failing sealants.
Towers with curtain walls and metal claddingc.1995–2017
Combustible-core aluminium composite panels, missing cavity barriers, leaking seals and failed gaskets.
New buildtoday
Design and specification gaps, façade system testing, workmanship, and movement in extreme heat.
HYLO, London: every elevation of a 29-storey tower inspected close up from the BMU in three days, with a location-referenced façade report.
Read the HYLO case study →FAQs
Façade services in Dubai
Do you work in Dubai?
Yes. As well as working across the UK and Ireland, we take on international instructions, including in Dubai. A Director-level consultant leads every instruction from the first conversation to the final report.
Can you review towers with aluminium composite cladding?
Yes. Our façade fire risk reviews and intrusive investigations confirm what cladding, insulation and cavity barriers are on the building, set out the risk with reference to the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code, and help owners plan any remediation.
How quickly can you respond to an enquiry?
We aim to respond to new enquiries within one working day, and we plan site visits and access around your programme.
Which other services do you offer in Dubai?
Technical due diligence for buyers, lenders and investors, façade design reviews, and expert witness work in façade disputes.
Work with us
Own or manage a building in Dubai?
We provide façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, façade fire risk reviews, design reviews and expert witness work in Dubai and across the UAE.
Photographs: David Rodrigo and Nick Fewings on Unsplash.