June 28, 2012 – (Above) A former Marina City resident, currently traveling in Dubai, was surprised to see this familiar building.

This is Donna Towers, under construction in a United Arab Emirates desert – two cylindrical towers on a more rectilinear base. The complex will offer luxury apartments and offices. The Italian architectural firm of Giuseppe Santulli designed it and construction started in 2006.

They are a little behind schedule but once built, each 557-foot tower will sport a large spire. (See photo below. Click on images to view larger versions.)

Jan Klerks recently moved back to the Netherlands. He is a director at the Dutch Council on Tall Buildings and chairman of Rotterdam Skyscraper Foundation and runs the hugely popular architecture blog skyscrapercity.com.

 Website: Donna Towers