Dubai Advances Construction on Palm Jebel Ali

The world’s largest palm-shaped island moves back into active development

Author

Yagmur Baydır
February 26, 2026

Dear PA reader,

In New York, the long-awaited 2 World Trade Center is finally moving forward as a sleek 55-story global headquarters for American Express. Dubai’s Palm Jebel Ali island is coming back into focus, hinting at the city’s enduring appetite for megadevelopments even as planners balance ecology and urban scale. Cielo Tower uses rotation to reduce heat gain in a dense urban setting, while the Antarctic Discovery Building supports scientific research in extreme conditions.

In Armenia, Dutch firm MVRDV has begun construction on the EU–TUMO Convergence Center in Yerevan’s Tumanyan Park, a cantilevered education and innovation hub. Snøhetta’s Qasr Al Hokm Metro Station in Riyadh anchors two major lines under a vast reflective canopy that cools the desert climate and brings daylight into the transit atrium. Meanwhile at London’s Heathrow Terminal 2, Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY has wrapped a fuselage-like Louis Vuitton store and café in a continuous, aerodynamic aluminum envelope.

🚀 If you are looking to learn about computational design, PAACADEMY offers everything you need under one Full-Access membership. Be sure to check it out!

Foster + Partners Designs 55-Story 2 World Trade Center for American Express

Dubai Advances Construction on Palm Jebel Ali, the World’s Largest Palm-Shaped Island

MVRDV Begins Construction on EU TUMO Convergence Center in Armenia

Kengo Kuma’s “Vortex of Words” Wins Competition for New Municipal Library in Poland

3D-Printed Wall Systems

This workshop focuses on the design of bespoke, production-ready interior wall systems. Participants will investigate how a simple 2D concept can be translated into a fully articulated 3D textured surface through algorithmic logic. The workshop is scheduled for April 18 & 19, 2026.

AI-Powered Interior Design in Architecture

This workshop is designed to provide custom & professional workflows for applying AI across different interior design stages. Participants will learn to accelerate the process from early concept and mood development to actual design variations, material exploration, and high-quality visualizations. The workshop is scheduled for March 14 & 15, 2026.

Cielo Tower in Nagpur by Sanjay Puri Architects

Inside the Antarctic Discovery Building, a Low-Carbon Hub for Polar Science

Louis Vuitton Heathrow Terminal 2 Design by Marc Fornes

Snøhetta Designs Qasr AlHokm Metro Station in Riyadh’s Historic Center