Future iconic landmarks in the Middle East - Page 2

Burj Mubarak al-Kabir, Kuwait

Part of the Madinat al-Hareer ‘City of Silk’ in Kuwait, the Burj Mubarak al-Kabir skyscraper will be one of the tallest towers in the world upon completion. The ambitious City of Silk development is a 250 square kilometre urban area in Subiya, just opposite Kuwait City. Kuwait's Municipal Council has approved drawing sketches of the development, but there has been no indication when construction will begin. The entire development is expected to take around 25 years to build and cost an estimated $86bn. The Burj Mubarak al-Kabir will stand at 1,001m tall, almost twice the height of Taipei 101 (currently the tallest building in the world that is in use, although now smaller than the Burj Dubai), which is 509 metres tall, and have some 230 floors.

Doha Convention Centre and Tower, Qatar

The Doha Convention Centre and Tower is a 105-story, 500m glass tower being built on the Corniche by Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment and Development Company at a cost of $1.2bn. The mixed-use tower, which will reach 105 storeys, will be home to a hotel with 300 guest rooms, 80 serviced apartments, and 300 residential apartments. The Convention Centre, adjacent to the tower, will provide 100,000 square metres of convention space.

Dubailand, Dubai, UAE

Dubailand is a $64bn mega entertainment and residential complex being built on a three billion square foot site in Dubai. The development will be twice the size of Disney World, and include 45 mega projects and 200 sub-projects. Dubailand's attractions will include Universal Studios Dubai, Paramount Studios Theme Park, Aqua Dunya Water Park, Dubai Snowdome, Dubai Sports City, Sahara Kingdom Theme Park, Tiger Woods Dubai, Dubai Autodrome, Formula One Theme Park, Dubai Golf City, and Global Village. The development will also include Falcon City of Wonders, a vast villa project with its own Eiffel Tower (planned to be taller than the real thing) and other reproductions of global landmarks. Bawadi is a massive strip of hotels that will serve Dubailand and double the amount of hotel rooms in Dubai. The hotels on the strip will have Asian, Universal, American, Middle Eastern, African, and European themes. One of the hotels in Bawadi (pictured), the Asia-Asia Hotel, will be the largest hotel in the world with more than 6,500 rooms.

Dubai Waterfront, Dubai, UAE

The largest waterfront and largest man-made development in the world. Located on the western shores of Dubai, the Waterfront is a conglomeration of canals and artificial islands that will transform 1.4 billion square feet of empty desert and sea into an international community for an estimated population of 1.5 million people that is twice the size of Hong Kong Island. The six artificial islands, shaped in an arc, will produce a shelter around one side of The Palm Jebel Ali, one of the three Palm Islands. The Waterfront is 300 hectares bigger than Palm Deira, the biggest of the three palms. The project will also feature a 75km Arabian Canal that will run from the coast into the desert and a major harbor. The Waterfront will add 70km to Dubai's coastline.

Lighthouse Tower, Dubai, UAE

The Lighthouse Tower is a commercial skyscraper being constructed in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The building is projected to rise to 400m (1,312 feet) and have 66 floors. It will have three large 225kw wind turbines in order to generate electricity and it will be clad in 4,000 solar panels to generate additional electricity. The tower will have a slender design that will make it stand out, especially at night, when the external lighting will serve like a lighthouse.

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