In pictures: 17 of the most amazing buildings in Dubai

Dubai is home to plenty of dazzling towers and sky scrapers. Perhaps you've driven past some of them or just seen them in photos. Here's a little more background on some of the most famous buildings in Dubai.

O14 A.K.A THE SWISS CHEESE BUILDING: The O14 building is a 22-floor business tower located in Business Bay. It is affectionately known among Dubai residents as the Swiss Cheese tower. It’s located in Business Bay and wrapped in a 40cm thick Exoskeleton with a total of 1,300 holes.

There is a 1-meter space between the facade and the windows allowing hot air to rise and cool air to come in from below. According to the Business Bay community website, it was designed with an open concept to maximize the perception of space.

THE OPUS BY ZAHA HADID: the Opus is located in the Burj Khalifa district adjacent to Downtown Dubai and Business Bay on the Dubai Water Canal. It’s home to the new ME Dubai hotel.

The design was presented by Zaha Hadid in 2007 and is the only hotel in which she created both its architecture and interiors. It spans 84,300 square metres (907,400 square feet) and was designed as two separate towers that blend into a singular whole, taking the form of a cube.

THE MAZE TOWER: The Maze Tower, located on Sheikh Zayed Road is the world's first vertical maze. The intricate lines of the balconies on the front and rear facades form real and separate puzzles which were painstakingly created by the acclaimed maze designer Adrian Fisher.

THE ADDRESS SKY VIEW HOTEL: The Address Sky View located in the heart of Downtown Dubai is a recent addition to the Dubai Skyline. The two towers are conjoined at the summit by a floating Sky Bridge. The 260 metre tall skyscraper boasts a minimalistic design and is home to 169 rooms, each offering great views of the city with floor to ceiling windows. It was designed by the same architects responsible for the Burj Khalifa. The 220 meter high Sky Bridge is home to a huge 70 meter long striking infinity pool that overlooks Burj Khalifa.

THE SOLAR INNOVATION CENTRE AT MBR SOLAR PARK: This unique building is the Innovation Centre located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The Centre is a clean technology innovation hub to promote a sustainable energy future. With this innovation centre, Dubai aims to raise awareness about sustainability and support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

THE CAYAN TOWER: previously known as Infinity Tower, the Cayan Tower is a 75-storey residential tower that twists in a smooth curve by 90 degrees to give every apartment a view of the sea or marina. The swirl shape challenges conventional architecture. Designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill, otherwise known for projects such as Burj Khalifa, Trump Tower in Chicago, Jin Mao in Shanghai among many others.

THE DUSIT THANI: This Sheikh Zayed Road hotel was completed in 2001 making it a classic in the Dubai Skyline. The unique 5-star hotel has 174 guest rooms and suites, 147 fully furnished one- and two-bedroom-serviced apartments and 84 unfurnished ones.

The two legs of the tower are connected at the 86 meter level. There is also an open-air swimming pool located on the roof.

AL YAQOUB TOWER AKA THE BIG BEN OF DUBAI: The Al Yaqoub Tower is located on Sheikh Zayed road, is a 328 m tall tower that was completed in 2013. It has 69 floors and is a building privately owned by Daro Saifuddin Yaquob, a real estate developer. The building functions as a 224-room hotel and was inspired by Big Ben in London, however, the difference is that there isn’t a clock face is present on Al Yaqoub Tower.

MUSEUM OF THE FUTURE ON SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD: Dubai’s Museum of the Future is currently still under development and is located on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Construction began in June 2016 and it is being developed by Meraas Holding.

The uniquely shaped building has window designs in the form of Arabic calligraphy, based on the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed’s quotes.

THE EMIRATES NBD BUILDING IN DEIRA: The National Bank of Dubai building is located Deira by the creek. The building is part of the old downtown of Dubai. At 125 metres high, the NBD building is the tallest building in Deira and was the fifth-tallest building in Dubai when it was built in 1998.

The shape of the building was inspired by the curved shape of the hulls of the traditional dhows that docked in the Dubai Creek.

THE ALMAS TOWER IN JLT: Almas Tower is located at Jumeirah Lake Towers, an emerging free zone. It was briefly one of the tallest towers in the city for just a few months. It is home to 35 high-speed elevators. There is also an Almas Conference Center covering around 800 square meters.

THE DUBAI SILICON OASIS HEADQUARTERS: This Dubai Silicon Oasis Headquarters is a 16-storey office building in Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai. The project was completed by 2007. Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority is a government-owned free zone that houses technology-based companies. It is considered to be the only technology park in the region.

THE GATE BUILDING IN DIFC: Inspired by the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, the Gate Building is the headquarters of the Dubai International Financial Centre. The building is an iconic element of the area. The office building has 15 floors and is located near Emirates Towers and the World Trade Centre.

ETIHAD MUSEUM IN JUMEIRAH: Located in Jumeirah on Dubai’s waterfront, the Etihad Museum is shaped like a scroll of parchment paper. The museum was built around the historic Union House where the nation’s Constitution was signed in 1971. Recognizable by its unique scroll-like form that mimics the parchment paper of the Constitution, the building features bronze metal text citing the nation’s founding philosophy. It has seven columns built into the museum to resemble the pens used to sign the original declaration.

DUBAI FRAME IN ZABEEL: The Dubai Frame is a landmark in Zabeel Park. It holds the records as the largest frame in the world. The unique building is made out of glass, steel, aluminium, and reinforced concrete. It is positioned in such a way that representative landmarks of modern Dubai can be seen on one side, while from the other side, visitors can also view older parts of the city. It ‘frames’ views of Old and New Dubai, while serving as a metaphorical bridge connecting the emirate’s rich past with its present

PARAMOUNT TOWER: The Paramount Tower Hotel & Residences Dubai is a single 64-story mixed hotel and residential skyscraper located in Downtown Dubai. Construction began in 2016 and it should be completed in 2021.

BURJ KHALIFA: Described as a ‘Vertical City’ and ‘A Living Wonder,’ the Burj Khalifa, developed by Emaar Properties, is the world’s tallest building at 828 metres high. The 200 plus storey Burj has 160 habitable levels, more than any building in the world. The Burj Khalifa elevator speed moves at 10 meters per second, making their elevators some of the fastest in the world. The Burj Khalifa elevator time to reach the 124th floor is one minute. he Burj Khalifa is home to 900 residential apartments, including studios and one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments.