Dubai is the second-largest city in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi is the biggest) but it's the most development-crazy, with comparisons to Las Vegas and early 20th-century New York. Here are some of the most stunning projects underway in the Middle East's most curious catechism to capitalism.
Enormous wealth in Dubai spurs growth of an ambitious skyline composed of the world's largest man-made creations. [By Rob Beschizza - wired.com]
Gallery:
Burj Dubai
The world's largest skyscraper takes shape. Though barely half way into construction, it's leapfrogging the world's largest building by the day. When work started on this gallery, it was the world's eleventh tallest building. On the day it was filed, it was the eighth tallest, at 1,332 feet. When completed, it is expected to stand 2,691 feet — about half the height of
Frank Lloyd Wright's imagined Illinois Spire, which it resembles.
The illustrious Al Burj can't last long without some competition, and the developers of Dubai's Marina (more on that later) plan to erect a tower just as tall. Though still in the planning stages, officials promise it will be at least 2,296 feet tall. The truth is they're playing the waiting game, to see just how high the Burj Dubai gets: The rendered picture here envisages a kilometer-high building, which one imagines would contain mainly elevators.
Image: Courtesy of Al Nakheel Propertie
Dubai Waterfront
A network of artificial islands, canals and other developments complement the already-completed Palm Islands, and line the rest of Dubai's undeveloped coastline, which it will extend by more than 800 kilometers. This will be the largest man-made construction project. Ever.
Image: Courtesy of Al Nakheel Properties
A picture that shows it from above:
Dubai Marina
It's not so much the marina itself that stuns as the sheer number of skyscrapers being thrown up around it: 200 of them, some poking their way over 300 meters into the sky, turning the cluster into a veritable forest of super-tall skyscrapers.
Image: Courtesy of Emaar
The Marina Torch
One of the skyscrapers under construction at Dubai Marina, the Marina Torch is envisaged as a kind of centerpiece amid the spires. This humongous tower will have 80 floors and hundreds of apartments.
Image: © Khatib & Alami
23 Marina
At 395 meters, 23 Marina is set to be one of the tallest residential buildings in the world.
Image: © ETA Star Properties
The Princess Tower
Along with 23 Marina, the Princess Tower will be the world's tallest residential building. No. 23 will be 395 meters tall, and the Princess will top out at 414 meters, only 30 shy of the Empire State Building. The commute to the lobby will take as long as the one to work.
Infinity Tower
Echoing a Moebius strip of steel and glass, the Infinity Tower will be the world's tallest building with a 90-degree architectural twist when completed in 2009 -- until Santiago Calatrava's 600-meter Chicago Spire is completed a year later.
Image: © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Falcon City of Wonders
Much of Dubai's explosive growth overwhelms with its sheer majesty, but even scale cannot hide the breathtaking cheesiness of the $1.5 billion Falcon City of Wonders, a vast development featuring replicas of the seven wonders of the world and various modern counterparts. The result will make the Vegas Strip look like the paragon of architectural good taste, with many of its wonders exceeding the originals in size, including an immense replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Image: © Falcon City of Wonders
Dubai Land
This theme park, said to be the "vision" of Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will be twice the size of Disneyland when completed. Among its many attractions is the Ski Dome, a steel-framed glass igloo featuring 6,000 tons of snow.
Image: © Dubai Land
Mall of Arabia
The Mall of Arabia will house the world's largest Starbucks in its center court.
Image: © Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group
Comments
the sacrilege: a mall modeled on the hanging gardens; and what's with the dinos?
---
There will in fact be 109 animatronic dinosaurs at the mall. I think they're doing it because they can.
Seriously, they're building a dino museum adjacent to the mall--in fact, it's going to be set up by London's Natural History Museum, so might well offer an inspiring and educational break in between shopping for Prada and slurping starbucks.
Rose Rotana Suites
This 330-meter-tall hotel will surpass the Burj Al Arab, which is "only" 321 meters, as the world's tallest hotel. Though far from ready to take guests, primary construction is complete and it will soon officially take the crown. Las Vegas, however, is getting ready to build a 575-meter-tall hotel on The Strip. The Las Vegas Tower will surpass even New York's Freedom Tower.
Jumeirah Lake Towers
With more than 70 residential towers surrounding the eponymous fake lake (including one, the Almas Tower, constructed on its own island in the center), the Jumeirah Lake Towers could become home to more people than the entire population of Lubbock, Texas.
*** Believe it or not, that hot-air balloon isn't really a hot-air balloon; it's actually another condo tethered to the artificial but wholly realistic sky that is being constructed over the entire city to allow the wealthy residents to escape from environmental problems.
The Index
A so-called "mixed-use" skyscraper, meaning it will be home to both businesses and apartments. The Index has a cool name but rather lackluster design. That said, it will briefly become the world's tallest residential apartment if finished on schedule, until 23 Marina is completed a year later.
Image: © Union Properties
Al Yaquob Tower
A skyscraper in the shape of a single, enormous clock tower. Now, who wouldn't want to own the penthouse on that one? Imagine looking out over an ocean of tall buildings from behind the hands of a clock that puts Big Ben to shame, even as it shamelessly copies it and lines it in a neon horror show of light.
Favorites
Digg
Del.icio.us
Furl
Magnolia
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo MyWeb
Linear Mode
