The Nasser Rashid Lootah Building, better known as Dubai's iconic Toyota Building, is set to be demolished, bringing an end to one of the city's most recognisable landmarks.
The 15-storey building, which has stood near Sheikh Zayed Road since 1974, is currently being vacated after authorities raised concerns over overcrowding caused by illegally partitioned apartments, according to a report by Khaleej Times.
A spokesperson from the building's real estate department said some apartments had been divided into multiple rooms, with as many as 15 people living in a single unit.
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"The authorities concerned asked the building management to evict these overcrowded apartments. Currently, 70 per cent of the building has been evicted," Mahmood from the real estate division of the building's management company, Nasser Rashid Lootah Group, told Khaleej Times.
Ahmed, a grocery store employee who had lived in the building for five years before moving out last week, said residents initially believed the eviction drive was limited to illegally partitioned flats.
"First the people who were staying in partitioned rooms were asked to move out," he said. "So we first thought it was a crackdown on the partitioned rooms. But soon the company accommodation lodgers like us were also asked to shift."
Dubai Municipality has been cracking down on illegally partitioned apartments, which can pose significant safety risks. Such alterations can increase the risk of fires and make evacuation during emergencies more difficult, the municipality had previously said.
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Dubai's Iconic Toyota Building
Built in 1974, the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building was among Dubai's early residential high-rises. The roughly 65-metre-tall structure became widely known as the Toyota Building after a large red Toyota sign was installed on its rooftop in 1981.
The sign remained a defining feature of Dubai's skyline for decades before being removed in 2018 following the expiry of the advertising contract. It returned in June 2022 after public nostalgia for the landmark.
With most tenants now moved out, the eventual demolition of the building will mark the end of a familiar feature of Dubai's changing skyline.
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