Did you realize that one of Dubai's most recognizable landmarks stands on its own artificial island? The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, which stands 1,053 feet tall (just short of the Empire State Building), is supported by 250 submerged columns held together by sand. The island was constructed for the 1996 Olympics but has been a popular tourist destination since.
Dubai has more than 500 skyscrapers with more being built. The tallest building in the world is now under construction and will be over 1400 feet high when it is completed. It will be taller than the Sycamore Building in New York City which is currently the tallest structure in North America at 1337 feet tall.
The entire city of Dubai is built on a network of man-made islands. In fact, according to some sources, Dubai is positioned between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. This means that nearly half of the city is made up of water!
They call their method of building sites "islands" because they use dirt taken from the surrounding area and dump it onto the ocean floor. The islands are then connected by bridges or tunnels, creating a single community where people can work, play, and do business all within minutes of each other.
The construction is composed of a steel frame exterior wrapped around a concrete tower, with a white Teflon covered fibreglass sail. The Burj Al Arab is located on an artificial island 280 meters (918.6 feet) away from Jumeirah Beach. This makes it immune to tidal changes and storm surges.
The main structure of the hotel is made of reinforced concrete with a core of steel beams and columns. The building has three floors, with the top floor used for luxury suites. The roof is made of aluminum panels that can be opened up or closed off depending on weather conditions.
The hotel's shape is that of a sail under wind pressure. The idea comes from a book by Leonardo da Vinci called "The Science of Flight". Da Vinci imagined a flying machine based on these principles. Today, the sail pattern of the Burj Al Arab serves as a landmark for sea travelers and provides shelter from storms.
The hotel was built by the Emirate of Dubai who also own it. It was designed by British architect Fayed Berkely Mackenzie and constructed by the Gulf Construction Company at a cost of $150 million ($300 million today). It was opened in January 1991.
You may wonder why everyone doesn't build their hotels like this. The reason is land costs money, and this type of design requires a large amount of space.
They are in charge of the Burj Al Arab, which is located 280 meters off Jumeirah Beach on artificial land that was built in 1994. Other artificial islands of greater size and logistical complexity have followed in the footsteps of the Burj, with varied degrees of success. Artificial islands in Dubai are built using sea dredgers. The islands' surfaces are made of crushed rock that's mixed with sand from elsewhere on the island to make it more like the soil found on a real beach.
The islands were needed because there's very little land in Dubai, and even this small amount is often used for other purposes (such as housing). Building these islands was not only a practical decision, but also a political one. The rulers of Dubai wanted to show the world that they could build what others could only dream of - a truly unique city where you can do anything from surfing to scuba diving by simply walking out your door. And perhaps most importantly for them, the islands helped attract tourists to Dubai. Though it has been criticized for its effect on the environment, there's no question that building these islands was a good idea at the time it was done.
Today, the main island on which the Burj Al Arab stands is called Duwaihi. It has an area of about 10 hectares (25 acres), and is split into two parts: a commercial district and a residential neighborhood. The entire island is surrounded by a wall made of stone and cement for security reasons.
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