The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب ,"Tower of the Arabs", also known as "Arab Sail") is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,050 ft), it is the second tallest building in the world used exclusively as a hotel. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat.
Construction
Construction of Burj Al Arab began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright said "The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country."
The architect and engineering consultant for the project was Atkins, the United Kingdom's largest multidisciplinary consultancy. The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts. The hotel cost US$650 million to build.
Features
Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 40 m (130 ft) long concrete piles into the sand.
Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, but less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m 3 (2,500,000 cu ft) of concrete and 9,000 tonnes of steel.
Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.
Burj Al Arab is the world's second tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use). The structure of the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang North Korea, is 9 m (30 ft) taller than the '"Burj Al Arab'", and the Rose Tower, also in Dubai, topped Burj Al Arab's height at 333 m (1,090 ft), becoming the world's tallest hotel.
Rooms and prices
The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-storey floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m 2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m 2 (8,400 sq ft). It is one of the most expensive hotels in the world. The cost of staying in a suite begins at US$1,000 per night; the Royal Suite is the most expensive, starting at US$28,000 per night.
Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White Tuscan columns and a spiral staircase covered in marble with a wrought-iron gold leaf railing show influence from classicism and art nouveau. Spa-like bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns on the floors and walls, with Arabian-influenced geometries, which are also found elsewhere in the building.
Restaurants
One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha (Arabic meaning "Highest" or "Ultimate"), is located 200 metres (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 metres (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator. The main chef there, Edah Semaj Leachim, was awarded Chef of the Year 2006 and also owns the restaurant, in accordance with the Burj Al Arab hotel.
Another restaurant, the Al Mahara (Arabic meaning "The Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 litres (35,000 cu ft) of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 centimetres (7.1 in) thick. The restaurant was also voted among the top ten best restaurants of the world by Condé Nast Traveler .
Reviews by architecture critics
The Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as well as praise, described as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be." The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel’s extreme opulence. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance." Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab … The result is a baroque effect". Sam Wollaston writing in The Guardian described the hotel as "...fabulous, hideous, and the very pinnacle of tackiness - like Vegas after a serious, no-expense-spared, sheik-over".
See also
- Tourism in Dubai
- Spinnaker Tower
- List of 5-star hotels in Dubai
- List of tallest buildings in Dubai
- List of tallest hotels in the world
- List of skyscrapers
- List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
Footnotes
- ^ Guest Service
- ^ "World's Tallest Hotels". Emporis. March 2008 . http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/ty/ho/ . Retrieved 2008-03-23 .
- ^ "Burj Al Arab". Galinsky . http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/burjalarab/index.htm . Retrieved 2008-06-08 .
- ^ "Dubai's Dream Palace - Burj al-Arab Hotel". Megastructures . No. 70.
- ^ "Murray & Roberts". Murray & Roberts. 2006-06-21 . http://www.murrob.com/ . Retrieved 2006-06-21 .
- ^ "Burj Al Arab". Forbes Traveler. 2006 . http://www.forbestraveler.com/hotel/100/10590 . Retrieved 2007-01-24 .
- ^ a b "Burj Al Arab". EgyptEng.com engineering directory. 2000 . http://egypteng.com/projectm/burj.asp . Retrieved 2007-01-24 .
- ^ The opening of the Rose Tower was originally scheduled to take place in April 2008, but has still not opened as of late May 2008.
- ^ "Rotana to bring 10,000 more rooms under management". Gulf News . 2007-11-22 . http:
The Korea Herald : The Nation's No.1 English Newspaper
By Hwang Aesol Dubai-based international hotel chain Jumeriah Group is planning to build the first seven-star hotel and a luxury service residence in Gwanghawmun, Seoul ...
Dubai's seven-star hotel - Luxury- msnbc.com
Don't be surprised if they know your name. The staff at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai do their homework. They also take service very seriously — at a buffet lunch there three ...
Burj Al Arab
Jumeirah staying exclusively ... Arrive in absolute awe, stay individually inspired. In it's relatively short tenure on the Dubai coastline this legendary and symbolic hotel has ...
Dubai's Seven Star Hotel - ForbesTraveler.com
Dubai's Seven Star Hotel in Pictures ... The Burj is very much a giant sail; its exoskeleton is comprised of a woven, Teflon-coated fiberglass cloth.
Dubai's Seven Star Hotel - ForbesTraveler.com
Forbes traveler lists the highly notable features of the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai.
Five Star Dubai Hotels
Of the seven Emirates that form the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is the most popular destination of them all. ... with exemplary service can be found in these five star Dubai hotels ...
Seven Stars Holidays | Seven Star Hotels Service provider
Welcome to Seven Start Hotels. The world most luxurious hotels. It seems that five star hotels are no longer the ... Dubai Resorts | Dubai Seven Star Hotel : Copyrights © 2009 ...
HowStuffWorks "How the Dubai Seven-Star Hotel Works"
The Dubai seven-star hotel is the most luxurious hotel in the world. Learn about the Dubai seven-star hotel and look inside the Dubai hotel.
Four Star Dubai Hotels
Offering exceptional value for money with luxurious comfort, four star Dubai hotels are ... Dubai is the second largest and most populated of the seven emirates that make up ...
Dubai - Burj al Arab Seven Star Hotel on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Dubai - Burj al Arab Seven Star Hotel. The famous seven star Hotel in Dubai, shaped like a dhow sail, Burj al Arab (app. 300m high, Jumeira, Dubai) taken by mr-mojo-risin.net