The Future of Dubai

the future

dubai already has some of the best entertainment venues; hotels, and most impressive man made structures on the planet, yet there are still a lot more ambitious plans for the future. here is just a selection of what can be expected in the next few years:

dubai land

describing itself as the ultimate entertainment and leisure destination, dubai land aims to become the world’s top tourism destination.  given the enormity of the project and the range of leisure activities on offer, it may well succeed! covering some three billion square feet, and estimated to cost in the region of $20 billion, it's planned to be made up of 45 mega projects and 200 sub-projects, and it will be twice the size of the current largest resort, disney world. dubai land aims to open to the public in 2008.
some of the attractions include:

• snowdome- a $1 billion ski-dome project that will host a wide variety of snow based activities, aiming to provide a complete winter experience for its visitors. it will feature only real snow, containing around 6000 tons of it. it will also include hotels, residential apartments, shopping and food outlets. it will stand 75 meters tall, with an entrance characterised by two giant ice columns. the facilities available will comprise of an ice rink, snow castle, mountain run, toboggan run, rotating ski slope, snow play area, and warm and cold spas.
• sports city- a 500 million square foot sports and lifestyle venue, set to be located next to the dubai aerodrome.

it will consist of multi purpose indoor, and outdoor stadiums, and dedicated cricket and hockey stadiums. the stadium complexes will be the most modern and advanced in the middle east. another of the key facilities will be a signature 18-hole golf course designed by ernie els.

to accompany the other facilities will be a number of academies featuring some of the biggest names sports. manchester united will have a soccer school based here, along with david lloyd tennis academy, butch harmon school of golf, and the icc have now moved their cricket headquarters here from london.  sports city will surely be the global home of all things sport.

hydropolis

aiming to be the world’s 1st luxury underwater hotel, hydropolis will contain 220 suites, 20 meters below the surface of the persian gulf, sitting on the sea floor. when built it will cover 27 acres, and be made up of a land station section., linked by a transparent 515 meter train tunnel, to the jelly fished shaped underwater hotel .the land station is a wave shaped facility, that stands out of the water where guests are welcomed and via which they can enter the underwater complex. the upper levels will contain a variety of facilities, such as a marine biological research laboratory, a cosmetic surgery clinic, conference facilities and restaurants.

the hotel will contain suites shaped like bubbles, comprising of clear glass for the suite walls. it will also feature translucent domes that will contain a ball room, and a concert hall. a large petal-like roof will be able to retract, allowing the facility to stage open sky events.  hydropolis is sure to be a totally unique and futuristic destination that will be known around the globe.

burj dubai

drawing its inspiration from the structure of a hymenocallis flower, it will be the world’s tallest building and tallest man made structure upon completion and is set to become a breathtaking symbol of dubai’s prosperity and ingenuity. the tower will look different from each angle, and will be situated on a man made lake, which will wrap around the base of the tower. the interior will be designed by giorgio armani, who will also open his first hotel in the lower sections of the tower. set to be around 800 meters tall with the final height remaining unknown, the $8 billion project will contain over 700 private apartments, as well as a wide array of facilities and restaurants. the burj dubai is part of the down town dubai project, which will cover 500 acres, and include residential buildings and the world’s largest shopping mall amongst other things.

dubai waterfront

set to be the largest waterfront and man made development in the world, it will be based on the last remaining part of the persian gulf coastline in dubai. it is situated next to the palm jebel ali, and will wrap around the palm in an arc formation. it will extend dubai’s shoreline by 12 times its current length, another 820 kilometres. in total it will be around 440 square kilometres, several times the size of manhattan, and will house over 400,000 people. it will be made up of canals and artificial islands, and will feature both commercial and residential areas, along with entertainment and leisure facilities.  this is an ambitious project that, coupled with the other projects currently under construction, will expand the size of the city.