Developments in Dubai: Difference between revisions
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Although it features the usual amenities for a mall (a fourteen-screen movie theater, a gaming arena, a typical variety of stores, and a soon-to-be-completed dramatic theater), its biggest claim to fame is the Middle East's first indoor ski slope, '''Ski Dubai'''. With the ski area, one of the largest in the world, the Mall of the Emirates seeks to differentiate itself from the dozen or so other newly completed malls in Dubai and the surrounding emirates. |
Although it features the usual amenities for a mall (a fourteen-screen movie theater, a gaming arena, a typical variety of stores, and a soon-to-be-completed dramatic theater), its biggest claim to fame is the Middle East's first indoor ski slope, '''Ski Dubai'''. With the ski area, one of the largest in the world, the Mall of the Emirates seeks to differentiate itself from the dozen or so other newly completed malls in Dubai and the surrounding emirates. |
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===Dubai Internet City=== |
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Revision as of 04:23, 29 September 2008
The Dubai government's decision to diversify from a trade-based but oil-reliant economy to one that is service- and tourism-oriented has made real estate and other developments more valuable, resulting in the property boom from 2004–2006. Construction on a large scale has turned Dubai into one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.
Completed Developments
Burj Al Arab
The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, "Tower of the Arabs") is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built by Said Khalil. It was designed by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel.[1] The Rose Tower, also in Dubai, has topped Burj Al Arab's height with its completion in 2007, but has not yet opened as a hotel. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919 ft) out from the beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the shape of the sail of an Arabian boat dhow.
Mall of the Emirates
The Mall of the Emirates is a shopping mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is currently owned by Majid Al Futtaim (MAF Holding). It is currently the largest shopping mall in the Middle East. Mall of the Emirates contains approximately 2,400,000 square feet (220,000 m2) of shops and the entire mall forms a total of approximately 6.5 million square feet. In a global perspective, the World's largest shopping mall, the South China Mall in Dongguan, China, contains approximately 7,100,000 square feet (660,000 m2) of shopping space in a complex that totals approximately 9,600,000 square feet (890,000 m2)[2].
Although it features the usual amenities for a mall (a fourteen-screen movie theater, a gaming arena, a typical variety of stores, and a soon-to-be-completed dramatic theater), its biggest claim to fame is the Middle East's first indoor ski slope, Ski Dubai. With the ski area, one of the largest in the world, the Mall of the Emirates seeks to differentiate itself from the dozen or so other newly completed malls in Dubai and the surrounding emirates.
Dubai Internet City
Dubai Media City
Dubia Knowledge Village
Developments under Construction
The World
The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands in the shape of a world map currently being built off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The World is one of a series of artificial island projects in Dubai, along with the Palm Islands, and like the other islands The World is being built primarily using sand dredged from the sea. The World is the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.
Oqyana, The World
OQYANA is an archipelago of artificial islands which make up the Australasian continent of The World development, off the coast of Dubai. The original plans were to have 14 islands (15 including the island occupying the position of Melanesia), which where assigned to the positions of Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. The islands were purchased by The Investment Dar (a company based in Kuwait) and EFAD Holdings in late 2006. The name OQYANA is Arabic for Oceania. The islands were selected as they are one of the closest group of islands from Dubai, and also have the best view of the city, which is approximately 4km (2.5mi) away.[3]
Arabian Ranches
Arabian Ranches is a residential project located on Emirates Road in Dubai. The project consists of different kinds of villas and townhouses.
The project includes a Golf Course (The Desert Course), Polo Ground & Riding Club and Community/Shopping Center and it is developed by Emaar Properties, and the properties are sold freehold.
Dubai Marina
Dubai Marina is a district in the heart of what has recently become known as 'new Dubai', in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located at 25°4′52.86″N 55°8′38.67″E / 25.0813500°N 55.1440750°E on Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and the American University in Dubai. The first phase of this project has been completed.
The marina is entirely man-made and has been developed by the real estate development firm Emaar Properties of the United Arab Emirates. Upon completion, it is claimed to be the world's largest man-made marina. The current largest man-made marina in the world is Marina del Rey in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
Business Bay
Business Bay is a central business district under construction in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The project features numerous skyscrapers located in an area where the Dubai Creek has been dredged and extended. The Business Bay will have upwards of 230 buildings, attracting commercial and residential developments.
Business Bay extends from Ras Al Khor to Sheikh Zayed Road. It is located for international trade as one end of the development touches Sheikh Zayed Road with its office towers housing international firms and the financial institutions of the Dubai International Financial Center. International hotels such as the Emirates Towers and Shangri-La are also on Sheikh Zayed Road. On the Creek side, Business Bay is next to the Dubai Festival Center and is in close proximity to Dubai International Airport.
Dubai Metro
The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network currently under construction in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. The network will have two third rail collection system powered lines that will both run underground in the city center and on elevated viaducts elsewhere on double tracks. The first phase of the network is being built by Dubai Rapid Link (DURL) Consortium which comprises Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation and the Turkish company Yapi Merkezi. The Dubai Metro will be operated by the Dubai Road and Transport Authority.[4] The Dubai Metro system will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world. Completion of the first section of the system is projected for 2009. Work has officially commenced on the construction of the rail.[5] Plans for the Dubai Metro began under the directive of Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who expected Dubai's other projects to attract 15 million visitors by 2010. This combined with Dubai's rapidly growing population expected to reach 3 million by 2017 and severe traffic congestion necessitated the building of an urban rail system to provide additional capacity to public transportation, relieve motor traffic, and provide infrastructure for additional development.
Dubailand
Dubailand part of Dubai Holding, is an entertainment complex under development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Construction of Dubailand has been divided into four phases. Work is currently been carried out on phase one. The first of four phases comprising the development of Dubailand will be completed in early 2008 since the developers decided to extend the park by 50% subsequently bumping up its completion date. Completion of the final phase is targeted for some time between 2015 and 2018 and is expected to be larger than Walt Disney World Resort. A few of the Dubailand facilities like the Dubai Autodrome and The Global Village are already operational.
Dubailand will include six zones (or worlds) under the banners of:
- Attractions & Experience World 13 km² (5.2 mile²), which will include theme parks, The Global Village, Kids City, Giants World, Universal Studios Dubai, Water Parks, and Dubai Snowdome (an indoor ski resort).
- Retail and Entertainment World 4 km² (1.6 mile²), which will include a Flea Market, World Trade Park, Auction World, and Factory Outlets.
- Themed Leisure and Vacation World 29 km² (11.2 mile²), which will include Women's World, Destination Dubai, Desert Kingdom, and Andalusian Resort and Spa.
- Eco-Tourism World 75 km² (28.9 mile²), which will include Desert Safari, Sand Dune Hotel, Desert Camps, and Dubai Heritage Vision.
- Sports and Outdoor World 19 km² (7.4 mile²), which will include Dubai Sports City, Dubai Golf City, Emerat Sports World, Plantation Equestrian and Polo Club and the Dubai Autodrome.
- Downtown 1.8 km² (0.7 mile²), which will include the City of Arabia (Mall of Arabia, which will be the world's largest shopping mall), City Walk, The Great Dubai Wheel (a 185 m Ferris wheel), and Virtual Game World.
Bawadi, Dubailand
Bawadi is a project announced by the government of the United Arab Emirates and other investors on the 1st of May 2006. The Bawadi master plan calls for a 10-km long boulevard in Dubai which will have 51 hotels and more than 60,000 rooms. One of the projects of this investment is the hotel resort Asia-Asia Hotel which will be the largest hotel in the world with more than 6,500 rooms. The development will have hotels along the strip that consist of Asian, Universal, The Americas, Middle Eastern, African, and European themes. Examples include the Wild Wild West Hotel for an American theme.
City of Arabia, Dubailand
The City of Arabia is a small city within the walls of Dubailand. It will include one of the world's largest shopping centres, 34 commercial and residential towers, a dinosaur theme park, and a canal surrounded by residential and retail Middle Eastern-themed buildings.
Mall of Arabia
Mall of Arabia will be a huge shopping mall to be built as part of City of Arabia in the Dubailand theme park premises in Dubai. It was announced by the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group and it will include leisure and entertainment facilities, a theatre stage, and feature an ancient Middle Eastern exterior. Its Phase 1 has a Gross Leasable Area of 4,000,000 sq ft (370,000 m2)., however, when all phases are completed, it will a final Gross Leasable Area of 10,000,000 sq ft (930,000 m2)., becoming the largest mall in the world.
Dubai Sports City, Dubailand
The Dubai Sports City is an entire sports city currently being constructed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The city will consist of apartment buildings as well as several sports facilities. The first structures are due to open in late 2007. The main sports structure will be the 60,000 seat, multi-purpose outdoor stadium. This stadium will be used for athletics, football, and rugby union. Other venues include a 25,000 seat cricket ground, a 10,000 seat indoor arena, a 5,000 seat field hockey stadium, and an 18-hole golf course designed by Ernie Els.
Dubai Autodrome, Dubailand
The Dubai Autodrome is an FIA sanctioned 5.39 km motorsports circuit located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The venue hosted the December 2005 A1 Grand Prix and has been proposed as a Formula One venue.
Burj Dubai
The Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي for "Dubai Tower") is a supertall skyscraper currently under construction in the "New Downtown" of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Projected to be completed and occupied in 2009, the building is part of a huge development located at the "First Interchange" (aka "Defense round-about") along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) of Chicago is the lead architect, structural engineer and mechanical engineer of the Burj. George Efstathiou of SOM is the Managing Partner on the project, while Adrian Smith, formerly of SOM, was the Design Partner. Third Party Peer Review has been performed by CBM Engineers Inc. On completion, it will likely be the tallest structure in the world of any kind by a wide margin.
Several other mega-projects in various states of planning and construction may vie for the title of "tallest structure". One of Burj Dubai's main competitors is planned for a location only 50 km (31 miles) from the Burj Dubai site. Al Burj ("The Tower"), is being developed by Nakheel Properties which is also keeping its final height tightly under wraps. meed.com recently reported that this tower's projected height is around 1,200 m (3,937 ft) with at least 200 floors.
The Burj Dubai has been designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development that will include 30,000 homes, nine hotels such as the Burj Dubai Lake Hotel & Serviced Apartments, 2.5 hectares (6 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12 hectare man-made Burj Dubai Lake. The complete 500-acre (2.0 km2) development will cost about US$20 billion. Once completed, the tower will cover a total of two million m² (22 million ft²) of development.
The silvery glass-sheathed concrete building will restore the title of Earth's tallest structure to the Middle East — a title not held by the region since Lincoln Cathedral upset the four millennial reign of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza in 1311 AD.
Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall is an enormous mall being built at 25°11′59.67″N 55°16′32.96″E / 25.1999083°N 55.2758222°E in Dubai, UAE, by Emaar properties, as part of the 'New Dubai' project. This mall claims to be the largest mall in the world when completed. It will cover a total area of more than 12 million ft² [6], with 10 - 15 individual smaller malls built inside it, consisting of 9 million ft² of shopping retail space (comprising of a total of more than 1000 stores). Featured attractions include the world's largest gold souk, the 850,000 sq ft (79,000 m2) Fashion Island; one of the world's largest aquariums; an Olympic-sized ice skating rink; Oasis Fountain Waterfall; WaterFront Atrium; a view of the (soon to be completed) world's tallest building, Burj Dubai. The mall has already won five awards. It won two awards at the Retail Future Project Awards at MAPIC, Cannes, in 2004, for Best Retail Development Scheme (Large), Best Use of Lighting in a Retail Environment.[7] And the Dubai Mall brochure has won three awards at the Summit Creative Awards 2005, in Portland, Oregon; Gold award for Best Art Direction / Graphic Design, Silver award for Best 4-colour B2B Brochure, and Judges Special Recognition award.[7]
Dubai World Central
At the heart of Dubai World Central is the Dubai World Central International Airport, the world's largest passenger and cargo hub, ten times larger than Dubai International Airport and Dubai Cargo Village combined. World Central is the world's first truly integrated logistics platform, with all transport modes, logistics and value added services, including manufacturing and assembly, in a single bonded and Free Zone environment. Dubai World Central (not just the international airport) will have a total of 100,000 parking slots for automobile vehicles for both its employees, Dubai residents, tourists, and other users. This will give the air facility the distinction of having the largest parking facility in the world. The former title belonged to West Edmonton Mall's 20,000 parking slot parking lot.
Dubai World Central International Airport
Dubai World Central International Airport (IATA: JXB, ICAO: Unknown) is a colossal new airport under construction near Jebel Ali, south of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. It will be the main part of Dubai World Central, a planned residential, commercial and logistics complex. Upon completion it will be the fourth largest air facility in land area (physical size). Only three other air facilities are larger than Dubai World Central: King Fahd International Airport, Damman, Saudi Arabia, which is larger than the country of Bahrain, at 780 square kilometers; Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, Montreal, Canada, at 392 square kilometers; and King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at 225 square kilometers.
Due to the massive physical scale of the masterplan, others would come to claim that Dubai World Central would be the most ambitious airport project ever envisioned. The latest estimates by the government of Dubai peg the price tag at US$ 82 billion. This aerotropolis would be a whopping US$ 62 billion more expensive than the next most expensive airport project Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok International Airport Core Project--which cost the Hong Kong government around US$ 20 billion (in 1997 dollars). This would also make it the most expensive single project in the world, ever (with the possible exceptions of the Dubai Waterfront, The Palm Deira, and New Songdo Intelligent City).
Palm Islands
The Palm Islands 25°06′28″N 55°08′15″E / 25.10778°N 55.13750°E will be the three largest artificial islands in the world. The islands are The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and The Palm Deira. They were commissioned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as a way to increase Dubai's tourism. Each island will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centers and will add 520 km of beaches to the city. They are being constructed by Nakheel Properties.
Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah consists of a 'trunk', 'crown', and a surrounding 'crescent' island that will forms an 11 kilometer-long breakwater. The island itself is 5 kilometers by 5 kilometers. It will add 78 kilometers to the Dubai coastline. The first phase of development created 4,000 residences. Residents began moving into the Palm Jumeirah properties by the end of 2006, five years after land reclamation began, according to project developer Nakheel Properties. This signaled the end of phase one of construction, which included approximately 1,400 villas on 11 of the fronds of the island and roughly 2,500 shoreline apartments in 20 buildings on the east side of the trunk.[citation needed]
Palm Jebel Ali
The Palm, Jebel Ali began construction in October 2002 and is expected to be completed in mid 2008.[8] Once it has been completed it will be encircled by the Dubai Waterfront project. The project, which will be 50 percent larger than the Palm Jumeirah, will include six marinas, a water theme park, 'Sea Village', Busch Gardens, homes built on stilts above the water, and boardwalks that circle the "fronds" of the "palm"
Palm Deira
The Palm Deira was announced for development on October 2004 and completion is expected in 2015, when it will become the largest of the three Palm Islands with 41 fronds.[9][8]. Projections indicate that construction will consume over a billion cubic meters of rock and sand. According to the company Ten Real Estate, "The Palm Deira will cover 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) in length and 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) in width and have an area of 80 square kilometers (861 million square feet). It will consist of residential property, marinas, shopping malls, sports facilities, and clubs. The residential area will be located on the fronds and will contain 8,000 two-story town houses in three distinct styles - Premier Villas, Grand Villas and Vista Town Homes"[9]
Hydropolis
The Hydropolis Underwater Hotel and Resort is a planned hotel which will be the world's first underwater luxury resort. When completed, it will be situated 66 feet (20 m) below the surface of the Persian Gulf, off Jumeira Beach.
The Universe (Dubai)
The Universe is a set of islands that will be built off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They will form a cluster of islands in the shape of the solar system. The Universe will have 3,000 hectares of land and will take 15 to 20 years to build. Nakheel, the same company building the Palm Islands and The World, will develop The Universe. The Universe will be located between the Palm Jumeirah, The World, the Jumeirah coast and the Palm Deira. The project, which was announced in January 2008, is still in the planning stages. It will be dredged by Van Oord, the same company used for The World, and the Palm Islands.
Jumeirah Lake Towers
Falconcity
Dubai Festival City
Proposed Developments
Al Burj
Al Burj is a supertall skyscraper proposed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by developer Al Nakheel. If completed it will become one of the world's tallest skyscrapers and form the centrepiece of the Dubai Waterfront, the world's largest man-made waterfront which is also being developed by Al Nakheel. Although ground levelling and land reclamation has begun on the Dubai Waterfront, construction of the tower itself has not yet started. However, Nakheel is in talks with several potential contractors which include South Korean Samsung Group who is also building the Burj Dubai, Japanese Shimizu Corporation and Australian Grocon.
An article posted on Construction UAE and MEED.com [10] on March 16, 2007 indicates that construction on the tower is slated to begin later this year and that the final height of the tower will be 1,200 meters (3,937 ft), reduced from an initial height of 1,600 meters or just under one mile (1.6 km). This height would make the Al Burj tower considerably taller than its main rival across town, the Burj Dubai, which has been variously reported as reaching a final anticipated height at completion in 2009 of between 808 meters and 1,011 meters. It should be noted that the current holder of the world's tallest building title is the Taipei 101 tower, at a height of 508 meters to the top of its spire. Al Burj and Burj Dubai would both be considerably taller than any man made structure currently in existence. More remarkably, Al Burj would be over three times the height (to the top inhabited floor) of the iconic Empire State Building.
Trump International Hotel & Tower, Dubai
The Trump International Hotel & Tower is a proposed skyscraper hotel to be built at the trunk of the The Palm Jumeirah. It will be a 48 story mixed-use hotel and residential building with an estimated cost of U.S. $600 million. The hotel is expected to be a 300 room five-star hotel. Some of the amenities include are expected to be exclusive access to a private beach and yacht club with tennis courts, gymnasium and fitness centre, stylized pools and gardens.
Pentominium
The Pentominium is a supertall skyscraper, currently approved for construction in Dubai. It was designed by architects Aedas and will receive funding from Trident International Holdings. When completed, the building will stand at 516 m(1,693 ft) tall, with 120 overground floors.
Dubai Waterfront
The Dubai Waterfront is proposed to become the largest waterfront and largest man-made development in the world. [11] The project is a conglomeration of canals and artificial islands; it will occupy the last remaining Persian Gulf coastline of Dubai, the most populous emirate of the United Arab Emirates. It will consist of a series of zones with mixed use including commercial, residential, resort, and amenity areas. [11] The vision of the project is "to create a world-class destination for residents, visitors and businesses in the world's fastest growing city". [11]
Human rights and labour
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Migrants, particularly migrant workers, make up a majority (approximately 80%) of the resident population of the UAE, and account for 90% of its workforce.[12] They lack rights associated with citizenship and face a variety of restrictions on their rights as workers. It is common practice for employers in the UAE to retain employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract to prevent expatriate employees from changing jobs. This is an illegal practice, but it is almost never investigated, let alone punished by the government. On termination of an employment contract, certain categories of expatriates are banned from obtaining a work permit in the country for six months to a year.
References
- ^ "World's Tallest Hotels". Emporis. 2006-06-01. Retrieved 2006-06-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ World's largest shopping malls compared, 20 January 2006, American Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University, retrieved April 25, 2006
- ^ Oqyana - Asia Travel Tips
- ^ Dubai Road and Transport Authority, UAE
- ^ Work begins on Dubai Metro project, Khaleej Times on March 22, 2006, retrieved March 22, 2006.
- ^ The Dubai Mall brochure collects three awards at Summit Creative Awards 2005, AME Info, May 24, 2005, retrieved March 12, 2006.
- ^ a b The Dubai Mall, Emaar, retrieved March 12, 2006
- ^ a b "The Palm Jebel Ali (Palm Islands, Dubai) - Property Development". The Emirates Network: Ten Real Estate. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ a b "The Palm Deira (Palm Islands, Dubai) - Property Development". The Emirates Network: Ten Real Estate. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ Waterfront Tower to be World's Tallest Landmark, Waterfront Tower to be World's Tallest Landmark, retrieved 2007-03-27
- ^ a b c "Project Overview". Dubai Waterfront. Retrieved 04 August.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Essential Background: Overview of human rights issues in United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Human Rights Watch, 31-12-2005)
