The world’s tallest building officially opened on January 4 2010. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is an incredible 828 metres tall.
Here are some pictures of the opening ceremony and more:
A preview publication for Cityscape Dubai contains an interesting interview with the one of the key players behind the City of Arabia project in Dubai.
Alex Vacha, Deputy Director for Projects, stated the following concerning the state of the development:
• Mall of Arabia – Piling works are now complete. 89 percent of the gross leasable area of phase one of the mall is leased and committed.
• Wadi Walk – Shoring works and bulk excavation complete.
• Elite Towers – Construction work on Wadi Tower, I&M Tower, and Metro Tower has begun.
• Restless Planet – 70 of the 110 animatronic dinosaurs being made in Japan by Kokoro are finished.
• Completion – The project will have a phased opening, commencing at the end of 2010.
The City of Arabia is a mixed-use development at Dubailand. Key components are:
• Mall of Arabia – Expected to be the world’s largest shopping mall once complete.
• Restless Planet – Theme park, earth science museum, and planetarium.
• Wadi Walk – Waterway lined with apartments, cafes, and shops.
• Elite Towers – 34 commercial and residential towers.
When the developers, the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group announced the project in 2005, they claimed the Mall of Arabia and other components would be finished by 2008.
City of Arabia Dubai
Wadi Walk at the City of Arabia, Dubailand
Emirates Business 24|7 published an interesting interview today with Ah Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), concerning the Jumeirah Lake Towers development.
Key points arising were:
• All 87 towers should be completed by 2011/early 2012. 35 towers have received building completion certificates. The number is expected to reach 50 by the end of 2009.
• The development has been transferred from the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre to Nakheel.
• The 4 lakes (Almas East and West, Elucio and Allure) will be renamed. Excavation work on two of the lakes is almost complete.
Driving around Downtown Burj Dubai and Business Bay.
Promotional video for Wadi Walk at the City of Arabia, Dubailand.
This video shows the Dubai Marina. It was shot from The Point, an apartment tower at the southern end of the marina.
It gives a good idea of the sheer scale of the development (with over 200 towers it’s the largest man-made marina in the world).
The boats in the video are docked at the Dubai Marina Yacht Club (DMYC). The low-rise semi-circular building is the clubhouse. In addition to members-only facilities there’s also a number of restaurants open to the general public.
This video shows the interior of one of the apartments at the Discovery Gardens in Dubai.
Discovery Gardens is a development by Nakheel, located close to the Ibn Battuta Mall and consisting of 26,000 studios and apartments.
Sale and rental prices are comparatively cheap by Dubai standards.
Promotional video made by Dubai-based property developers Nakheel.
Developments by Nakheel include the Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Deira, the World, Waterfront, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, Ibn Battuta Mall, Discovery Gardens, International City, The Gardens, Al Furjan, Dragon Mart, Dubai Promenade, Mina Rashid, and The Universe.
This video shows the fountains at Downtown Burj Dubai being tested in preparation for full operation later this year.
The Dubai Fountain at the Burj Dubai Lake is 275 metres long, and boasts powerful nozzles that can shoot jets of water to heights of more than 150 metres.
Once fully operational, more than 6000 lights and 25 colour projectors will provide a breathtaking lighting show.
The Burj Dubai Lake lies at the centre of Emaar’s massive Downtown Burj Dubai project, surrounded by the Dubai Mall, Souk Al Bahar, Burj Dubai, and the Address hotel.
This video shows some of the apartments at the Discovery Gardens development in Dubai.
It was shot in August 2007 before any of the apartments were complete. The first apartments were handed over to owners by developers Nakheel in February 2008.