is there anything they won't make???

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/11/30/10086170.html

Quote :

"Rotating tower to be solar-powered By Robert Ditcham, Staff Reporter Dubai: Dubai's latest mind-boggling project will be yet another global first - a fully rotating tower powered by the sun. Project engineers say the Dh400 million Time Residences tower in the City of Arabia master development will turn through 360 degrees, its rotation mechanism driven by stored solar energy. The project, which will put 200 apartments onto the market, is another addition to Dubai's list of world exclusives which will include the world's tallest tower, biggest mall and largest man-made island - even a collection of dozens of man-made islands dubbed The World. In July, Dubai-based High Rise Real estate launched the Rotating Tower, a Dh175 million project in Jumeirah Village South featuring four rotating penthouses and a rotating villa with its own car lift. Dubai Property Ring, developer of the 30-floor Time Residences, says it has gone one step better by launching a fully rotating structure. "We didn't want to build just another building or tower, we wanted to create something unique - a precious place to live - a genuine contender to be one of the great buildings in the world," said Tav Singh, director of Dubai Property Ring, the Dubai arm of UK-based property investors UK Property Group. Singh said the company plans to build 23 more rotating towers in each of the world's time zones with finance provided by investors linked to the company. The Time Residences tower will include one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as duplexes and penthouses. Singh said unit prices have not been released, but sales are expected to start in March 2007. Buyers' payments will be held in an account managed by Dubai Property Ring and Colliers International, master agents for the project. The project is the company's first foray into property development, forcing it to take on the services of established names in their respective fields. The tower was designed by UK architecture firm, Glenn Howells Architects (the company behind the Birmingham Rotunda in the UK) and Palmer and Turner, the master developers of City of Arabia. "A distinctive time line runs down the building that meets 12 o'clock markings on the ground and the podium, allowing observers to use the building as a fully functioning time piece - it's unique, it's ambitious and it's an honour to be involved from the start," said James Abbott, senior architect at Palmer and Turner. Dubai's Kulkarni QS will manage the project, while the task of rotating an 80,000 tonne tower through 360 degrees over a seven day period has been handed to Nick Cooper, managing director of Bennett Associates, the British engineer who designed the drill machine that bored the English Channel Tunnel. Cooper said state of the art bearing systems at several points in the tower will allow a power plant to rotate the base of the tower at 5mm per second using only 21 electic kettles' worth of solar power. Construction is expected to start in June next year with projected completion in the first quarter of 2009. The project will also be showcased at this year's Cityscape from December 4-6 at the Colliers International stand."

12/28/2006 5:49:10 AM

this is cooler

http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/25/is-this-the-ipad/

12/28/2006 6:46:14 AM

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20061226/underwater-luxury-hotel/

12/28/2006 8:34:46 AM

^ now that is fucking crazy, partly because it looks like a giant dildo, and partly because I would never ever want to stay in a fucking underwater hotel.

12/28/2006 8:41:34 AM

If you build it, they will come.

12/28/2006 9:38:54 AM

how about instead of using solar energy to rotate the building, they use it for something useful. like, you know, powering apartments and facilities inside the building.

12/28/2006 9:52:14 AM

that underwater hotel screams "blow me up terrorists."

12/28/2006 10:23:58 AM

How about they build an industry besides just tourism?

Trying to build the "next best thing" isn't economically viable in the long run.

12/28/2006 12:36:17 PM

^^^

Quote :

"using only 21 electic kettles' worth of solar power. "

You wouldn't power many apartments like that.

12/28/2006 12:43:01 PM

^^ Lots of great artistic achievements haven't been economically viable.

12/28/2006 12:50:41 PM

Quote :

"21 electic kettles' worth"

tourism is literally all they will have in a few dozen years...

12/28/2006 1:01:35 PM

^thats exactly what I was thinking.

12/28/2006 1:08:09 PM

at least they are planning ahead for when oil is not longer a stable source of income and lots of the economies of countries around them collapse

12/28/2006 1:59:26 PM

exactly, get high levels of foreign investment will also result in them being relatively protected from the resulting instability..

12/28/2006 2:24:25 PM

Quote :

"How about they build an industry besides just tourism? Trying to build the "next best thing" isn't economically viable in the long run. "

Funny, vegas seems to do pretty well with it

12/28/2006 3:29:31 PM

Quote :

"How about they build an industry besides just tourism? Trying to build the "next best thing" isn't economically viable in the long run."

its funny you say that, since oil aside, they are vastly becoming the new 'hong kong.' and lets take a look at the rest of the middle east. Pretty much all other countries in the middle east depend on their oil. the UAE is taking a huge step in the right direction and using their oil income to create other opportunities. Oman isn't too far behind, they at least have made a step in the right direction too. I still think that the best place I have ever lived is Abu Dhabi. Best 10 years of my life.

12/28/2006 5:22:59 PM

Dear World,

You know how you've been paying out the ass for your gas? Well, we have too much money now and we need to spend it on crazy shit like this.

Love,
Dubai

P.S. Stay frosty!

12/28/2006 6:27:55 PM

^^For once, I almost completely agree with Mark. UAE is doing shit right.

[Edited on December 28, 2006 at 6:53 PM. Reason : c]

12/28/2006 6:53:02 PM

i dont want to vacation anywhere without alcohol

12/28/2006 7:02:04 PM

^ UAE is full of alcohol you ignorant alkie.

Quote :

"Oman isn't too far behind"

Oman is very far behind, when it comes to these glitzy tourist traps and artificial islands, etc.

As far as development goes, here is the ranking:

1 - UAE
a) Dubai
b) Abu Dhabi
c) Sharjah

2 - Qatar

3 - Bahrain

4 - Kuwait

5 - Saudi Arabia

12/28/2006 7:12:45 PM

^Oman caters to a different crowd. Oman doesn't want just the average tourist looking for 'bargan' hotel stays and packaged trips. They are focusing their attention to the rich/super rich who would rather vacation some where with absolute luxury and pampering and have a almost exclusive feel to it. This is all new though, I remember back in the day when i went to Muskat, Oman. Shit was very very nice but there were not a whole lot of tourists.

12/28/2006 8:11:08 PM

http://www.emiratespalace.com/en/main.htm

now thats a hotel that puts all other hotels to shame. I think the cheapest room is around $12,000/night.

Note: That hotel is built on a 100% man-made island. Back when i lived there that was just open sea.

12/28/2006 8:13:55 PM

double n00b posted note.

[Edited on December 28, 2006 at 8:16 PM. Reason : fda]

12/28/2006 8:15:52 PM

I'm dubai-ous.

12/28/2006 8:43:21 PM

I just have trouble believing that all of this fancy shit is going to be worth the expense. Seems to me like they're either throwing their money away trying to build cool things, or they're backing the wrong horse as far as "post-oil income sources" go.

[Edited on December 28, 2006 at 9:39 PM. Reason : that said, it all is pretty cool]

12/28/2006 9:39:22 PM

they are actually making money off of most of these projects btw....

12/29/2006 11:31:16 AM

i can't help but think of Sphere when i look at that underwater resort...

12/29/2006 2:53:24 PM

start putting casinos in the hotels

12/29/2006 2:54:52 PM

^^ what an awful movie

12/29/2006 3:02:15 PM

Quote :

"they are actually making money off of most of these projects btw...."

I'm sure they are right now, I'm just not sure that it'll last, or that the market for super crazy resorts can support all these new projects.

12/29/2006 4:23:29 PM

well when that happens, take vegas off the map...although UAE >>>>>> Vegas. take away gambling and you'll go bored out of your mind in vegas, at least in the UAE there is a shit ton of things to do that don't involve a black jack table or slot machine.

12/29/2006 4:25:01 PM

Like?

12/29/2006 4:33:18 PM

it seems pretty cool

12/29/2006 4:38:41 PM

Dubai is building a financial center with Western-style regulation, they will succeed.

^^^^ they are not making money off of these projects right now. They will in the future, but their cash outflows are far exceeding their inflows at this point

12/29/2006 9:22:23 PM

^^^All kinds of racing, high speed boat racing, Cart racing, fishing, all the gambling of course, there's a ton of stuff you can do.

And you can stay in that place for ~1500 in a regular suite per night Mark

12/29/2006 10:03:40 PM

Quote :

"partly because it looks like a giant dildo"

haha, here is something that looks like a futuristic dildo or maybe a used up condom! [to be built in PARIS]



but here is the cool thing:

Quote :

"Its twin structure will combine a rectangular base with a soaring, organic-shaped tower, capped by a field of wind turbines. He added the building would be "a prototype for a green building" with a wind farm generating its own heating and a "double skin" of steel and glass to a self-cooling mechanism for the hotter months. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6191132.stm

12/30/2006 8:14:53 PM

tons of crazy shit going on over there....
http://dubai.isnuts.googlepages.com.nyud.net:8090/

1/5/2007 11:58:37 PM

Seriously, have you seen the Palm Island project?

http://faculty.uaeu.ac.ae/myagoub/Remote2/palm_island_sept9_2003_dg.jpg

Going to be divided into dozens of residential lots.

there's going to be 3 of these.

^ I couldn't get that page to load.

I see it now, yeah I have seen most of that stuff, at least the stulff on the first page.
Dubailand and the Dubai Sports City seem like a stretch.

How many people would go to Dubailand? Disney World makes all it's money by having a whole nation full of moderately wealthy people who occasionally want to go do Disney World. And What leagues are around in the UAE to use this sports city thing?



[Edited on January 6, 2007 at 12:22 AM. Reason : ]

1/6/2007 12:14:56 AM

only 6% of Dubai's GDP is from oil

1/6/2007 1:43:44 AM

the palm is older than jesus, jesus!

http://realestate.theemiratesnetwork.com/developments/ (must see)


The World

The World Islands are a collection of man-made islands shaped into the continents of the world. It will consist of over 250 to 300 small private artifical islands divided into four categories - private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands. Each island will range from 250,000 to 900,000 square feet in size, with 50 to 100 metres of water between each island. It will cover a total area of 9 kilometers (5.4 miles) in length and 6 kilometers (3.6 miles) in width, surrounded by an oval shaped breakwater. The only means of transportation between the islands will be by marine transport.

The World Islands will be located 4 kilometers off the shore of Jumeirah, close to the Palm Jumeirah, between Burj Al Arab and Port Rashid. Each island will be sold to selected private developers and are expected to have pricing beginning at AED 25 million (US$ 6.85 million), for the AED 6.6 billion (US$ 1.8 billion) project.





The Palm

The Palm Islands, also referred to as The Palm Dubai and The Palms, are the three largest man-made islands in the world, which are being built on the coast of the emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its concept was announced in May 2002 and the three resort islands are expected to maintain Dubai's position as a premium tourist destination. The Palm Islands is also the self-declared 'Eighth Wonder of the World'.

Each of the islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira) are being built in the shape of a date palm tree and consist of a trunk, a crown with fronds, and are surrounded by a crescent island that acts as a breakwater. The islands will support luxury hotels, freehold residential villas, unqiue water homes, shoreline apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities, health spas, cinemas and various diving sites.












Burj Dubai

Burj Dubai is set to be the world's tallest building and the centerpiece of the Gulf regions most prestigious urban development, entitled Downtown Dubai. The Arabic meaning for the word Burj is 'tower', which gives Burj Dubai a meaning of 'Dubai Tower' or 'Tower of Dubai'. Its exact height hasn't been disclosed but it has been confirmed that it will be over 700 meters tall and its design was influenced by the six petal desert flower.





Dubai Waterfront

Dubai Waterfront is a stunning new development comprised of canals and islands containing luxury hotels and homes. Its 70 kilometer (42 miles) Arabian Canal runs through the desert, while its arc shaped man-made islands produce a shelter around the Palm Jebel Ali. The harbour provides sea access for trade and entertainment, while its surroundings are divided into a series of commercial, residential, resort and amenity areas.

Dubai Waterfront will extend Dubai coastal line by 820 kilometers (492 miles), which is 12 times the current length of Dubai's coastline, and will cover an area of over 81 million squared meters (266 million squared feet). It is intended to be the world's largest beachfront development and the largest man-made development. It will be larger than Manhattan or Beirut and is being built to be Dubai's premium luxury district. The development will feature over 100 different waterfront developments and over 150 planned communities. The various key development areas of Dubai Waterfront can be seen the aerial map below.





Falcon City of Wonders

Falcon City of Wonders, also known as FalconCity, is a 100 acre (405 thousand square meter) development being built within Dubailand. The AED 5.5 billion (US$ 1.5 billion) project will be a multi-faceted residential, tourist, entertianment and recreational destination that will contain residential apartments, villas, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, health clubs and spas, schools and parks.

Falcon City of Wonders will be a unique tourist attraction, as it will capture the spirit of ancient civilizations and contain architectural marvels of the world, combined with modern facilites. It will be a city shaped like a falcon and contain life-size replicas of seven wonders of the world - the Great Pyramid in Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, Taj Mahal, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China.

The Great Pyramid in Giza will contain residential flats, offices and retail outlets and the Babylonian Gardens will comprise luxury apartments, restaurants and coffee shops. The Light House of Alexandria will consist of hotels and retail outlets and the Taj Mahal will comprise hotels and restaurants. Luxury apartments and retail outlets will be the main features of the Eiffel Tower, while the Great Wall of China will encircle the Pharaohs Theme Park located within the fun city. The residential villas (The Villas) will constitute the wings of the falcon and will come as detached, semi-detached and townhouse villas.

1/6/2007 4:39:51 AM

Tsunami bait.

1/6/2007 10:24:11 AM

Quote :

"And What leagues are around in the UAE to use this sports city thing?"

There has always been a sports city in Abu Dhabi. I used to go there all the time. There are tons of leagues that can use it. Football (soccer to you) is huge over there...well anywhere but in the USA.

Also the palms is a big disaster. They forgot to put in an exit ramp for the islands. You can drive onto it on a one way street to get to your residence, but you can't get out because they forgot to build an exit route.

Also when i lived there they were trying to bulid a 'disneyland' in Abu Dhabi on a man made island. needless to say the project got canceled after they built the island lol. Something like that would still work over there, there are tons of rich people and its tourism is quite high.

[Edited on January 6, 2007 at 11:29 AM. Reason : fda]

1/6/2007 11:27:36 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070115/ap_on_sc/emirates_ecological_nightmare

1/16/2007 10:38:52 AM

^Second place is first loser. My fellow americans, it's time we step up and reclaim our rightful place in the world. I just set my A/C on 50F and have enough kerosene heaters here to bring the ambient temp back up to 80F.

1/16/2007 10:57:48 AM

Quote :

" "

Frank Lloyd Wright, 1956

1/16/2007 11:01:00 AM

we have some business partners going to Dubai at the end of the month for this big medical device show

1/16/2007 11:03:22 AM

Dubai allows alcohol in restaurants and bars that are connected to hotels. However, what they dont have is gambling.

Here is an interesting series on Dubai that slate.com actually put out last week. -->http://www.slate.com/id/2156989/entry/2157043/

1/16/2007 11:04:00 AM

I'm not sure those islands are such a great investment with global warming and all.

1/16/2007 11:04:44 AM

I also maintain an eternal flame in my backyard fed entirely by old tires and used batteries.

1/16/2007 11:13:40 AM

Dubai would just build a big dam across the persian gulf and control the sea level that way

1/16/2007 11:13:56 AM