EMAAR announces parking facilities at The Dubai Mall for five million visitors in first year

Sixteen thousand bays plus over-ground parking by lakeside slots will help accommodate the estimated five million visitors in the first year of trading.

Landscaped courtyards are planned for the edge of the parking structures and will present a pleasant start to the Mall experience.

The Dubai Mall, which is slated for completion in 2006, will be located close to Sheikh Zayed Road, one of Dubai's major thoroughfares, and is highly accessible, given its numerous entrances, access and drop-off points for pedestrians and vehicles.

Commenting on the urban planning involved, Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Executive Director of EMAAR Properties Retail and Leasing Department, said: "Much of the success of a shopping mall depends on its accessibility, and we have provided for this in the planning of The Dubai Mall. We are allowing for generous carpark areas and service zones. Multiple grand entrance drop-offs, which simulate efficient airport drop-offs, will be provided along Doha Road and will allow a high volume of traffic to arrive and depart without creating bottlenecks along the roads. It is our aim to make this a pleasurable shopping experience from the moment of arrival."

Centralised carpark locations will minimise walking distances to the mall's shopping zones. Organised in three carpark zones surrounding the main mall building, all carparks will offer direct entry into each and every retail level, allowing visitors to park directly at the floor they intend to visit. Escalators and lifts will also connect the different parking levels to provide utmost convenience.

The service road through the lower ground floor of the mall will be well landscaped creating a pleasant drive-through for visitors to the Hyper Mart, the Furniture Mall and all the carparks located at the lower levels.

As such, the landscaping of the entire mall is inter-woven into both the interior and exterior of the mall including the carparks on the edges of the mall, the Grand Drive and the Waterfront Promenade.

Each parking level is connected by light wells with planting screens that accentuate the carpark floors adding light and greenery to each floor, making it brighter, safer and more pleasant for visitors using the carpark. Parking guidance systems will be in place from the main roads leading to the mall right up to each parking level to enable drivers to be fully assisted in finding a parking space.

The Dubai Mall is an integral part of the Burj Dubai project and will provide spectacular views of the world's tallest tower and the surrounding skyline.