Future iconic landmarks in the Middle East

The Middle East is growing at a phenomenal pace and so too are the number of projects that we believe will be considered iconic upon their completion. Super-high skyscrapers are cropping up with increasing frequency across the region; so much so that we had to keep a few giants off of our list. For example, Burj al Alam, a 108-storey skyscraper under construction in Dubai was not deemed iconic – despite the fact that it would be one of the tallest buildings in the world - simply because so many taller buildings are on the drawing board in the Gulf.

Similarly, a number of buildings with eye-catching architecture failed to crack our list because there are so many other ground-breaking buildings being developed in the region. Examples include the Opus, a mixed-use structure in Dubai that will appear to have a large void at its centre, and The Pad, also set for Dubai, which has a design based on Apple’s MP3 player and will mimic the iPod by sitting at an angle of six degrees. With so many developments to choose from, selecting our future iconic landmarks was not easy. However, as with our list of existing iconic landmarks, we believe these future projects (which we have listed alphabetically) will stand the test of time. Of course it’s possible some will never be built, and undoubtedly the artistic impressions presented here will change in many instances. And for sure many will not be delivered until well after the planned completion date. But as Dubai has shown, crazy sounding mega projects can be built.

Abraj Al Bait Towers, Saudi Arabia

The Abraj Al Bait Towers is a mixed-use complex under construction in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The tallest tower in the complex will stand as the highest building in Saudi Arabia upon completion and one of the tallest buildings in the world, with a planned height of 577m (1,893 ft). If all seven towers are grouped together as one building, the structure would have the largest floor area of any structure in the world, with 15.6 million square feet of floor space. The towers will also be notable for their location, as they will be across the street from the entrance to the Masjid al Haram, which houses the Kabaa, the holiest site in Islam and the building towards which all Muslims face during prayer. As a result, the towers will have a large prayer room capable of holding nearly 4,000 worshippers. The entire project is estimated to be completed in 2009.

Al Burj, Dubai, UAE

Also known as the ‘Tall Tower’, the Al Burj (literally ‘the Tower’) skyscraper is being developed by Nakheel, which has kept the tower’s height a closely guarded secret. However, design plans supposedly show the tower to be more than 1km tall, at 1,050 metres, which would be higher than its rival, Burj Dubai. Nakheel says the tower will be officially unveiled sometime during mid-2008, when more precise detail about its expected location in the Waterfront project location in the emirate and planned completion date will also be announced.

Arabian Canal, Dubai, UAE

The Arabian Canal in Dubai is a Dhs40bn ($11bn) project that will create a 75km man-made waterway, flowing inland from Dubai Waterfront, passing to the east of the new Al Maktoum International Airport before heading back to the coast, exiting at the Marina. Up to 150 metres wide and six metres deep, it will be able to accommodate boats up to 40 metres long. Trial excavations have already begun to better understand the geology, particularly because in places it will have to be dug to a depth of 70m to keep the canal at sea level (it will maintain its six metres water depth in these areas, so the banks will be landscaped). The project will involve the excavation of one billion cubic metres of material. The canal will support billions of dollars of real estate, house some 1.5 million people and leisure projects that will be constructed on both sides of the water. Work is expected to start this year, and excavation will take three to five years, with all real estate work taking 10-15 years.

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