Burj Al Arab

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For other uses, see Burj (disambiguation).
For the Egyptian city, see Borg El Arab.

Burj Al arab

Location Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Developer Jumeirah

Architect Tom Wright of Atkins

Rooms 202[1]

Total floor area 111,500 m2 (1,200,000 sq ft)

Floors 60

Total height 321 m (1,053 ft)

 Website burj-al-arab.com

The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: ‫برج العرب‬,"Arab Tower", also known as "Arab Sail") is a five-star
hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the fourth tallest hotel
in the world. 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
whose shape mimics the sail of a ship.

Contents
[hide]
• 1 Site
• 2 Construction
• 3 Features
○ 3.1 Rooms and suites
○ 3.2 Restaurants
• 4 Reviews by architecture critics
• 5 See also
• 6 Footnotes
• 7 References
• 8 External links

[edit] Site
The beachfront area where the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was
previously called Chicago Beach[2]. The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land
offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel[3]. The locale's name had its origins
in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company which at one time welded giant floating oil storage
tankers on the site[2].
The old name persisted after the old Hotel was demolished in 1997. Dubai Chicago Beach
Hotel remained as the Public Project Name for the construction phase of the Burj Al Arab
Hotel until Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new name[4].
[edit] 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[5] 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."[6]
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.[7]
[edit] Features
Lobby
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 forty-metre (130 ft) long concrete piles into the sand.[8]
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, while it took fewer than three years to construct the building itself. The
building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 cu yd) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.[8]
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.
[edit] Rooms and suites
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 m2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m2 (8,400 sq ft).[9]
Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great
influence. Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns.
[edit] Restaurants
Al Muntaha

Al Mahara

Burj al arab and 360 degree club

One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha (Arabic for "Highest" or "Ultimate"), is located 200 m
(660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever
that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed to 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.[citation needed]
Another restaurant, the Al Mahara ("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 cm (7.1 in) thick.[citation needed]
[edit] 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."[10] The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel’s decor. "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 negative critiques for 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."[10] 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".[10]
[edit] See also
• Tourism in Dubai
• Spinnaker Tower
• List of 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
• Apeiron Island Hotel
[edit] Footnotes
1. ^ "Stay at Burj Al Arab". Jumeirah. http://www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and-
Resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Burj-Al-Arab/Suites/Staying-with-Us1/. Retrieved 4 January
2010.
2. ^ a b Krane, Jim City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism, page 103, St. Martin's
Press (September 15, 2009)
3. ^ http://www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com/pages/galleries/chicagohotel.shtm
4. ^ http://www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com/pages/places/chicagohotel.shtm
5. ^ "Burj Al Arab". Galinsky. http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/burjalarab/index.htm.
Retrieved 2008-06-08.
6. ^ "Dubai's Dream Palace - Burj Al-Arab Hotel". Megastructures. No. 70.
7. ^ "Murray & Roberts". Murray & Roberts. 2006-06-21. http://www.murrob.com/. Retrieved
2007-01-24.
8. ^ a b "Burj Al Arab". EgyptEng.com engineering directory. 2000. Archived from the original
on 2007-01-17.
http://web.archive.org/web/20070117194511/http://www.egypteng.com/projectm/burj.asp.
Retrieved 2007-01-24.
9. ^ Damluji, Salma Samar, The Architecture of the U.A.E.. Reading, UK: 2006.
10.^ a b c [The Architecture of the U.A.E..]

[edit] References
• Rose, Steve. "Sand and Freedom", The Guardian, November 28, 2005, retrieved
October 27, 2006.
• National Geographic Television. National Geographic: Megastructures, retrieved
October 27, 2006.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Burj Al Arab

Official sites
• Dubai's Official Information Website
• Burj Al Arab official website
 • Atkins, the designers and engineers behind Burj Al Arab
• Tom Wright Burj al Arab architect's official website
Video and photographs
• Burj el Arab - Pictures and information about Burj el Arab
• Video tour inside Burj Al Arab
• Photographs and details at DubaiHotel.ws
Maps and satellite images
• Google Earth 3D model of Burj Al Arab
• Google Maps satellite view of Burj Al Arab
• Three dimensional model of Burj Al Arab (without plugin; in English, Spanish,
German)
The helipad
• Tennis on the Burj's helipad
• Andre Agassi and Roger Federer play a friendly game on the roof

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Almas Tower · Burj Khalifa · Emirates Office Tower · Rose Tower · Burj Al Arab ·
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O Emirates Crown · Millennium Tower · 21st Century Tower · Al Kazim Towers · Dubai
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The Index · HHHR Tower · Ocean Heights · Ahmed Abdul Rahim Al Attar Tower ·
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Vision Tower · Al Tayer Tower · The Citadel · Al Salam Tecom Tower · Armada
d
Towers · Lake Shore Tower 1 · Tamweel Tower
o
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See also: Future Dubai skyscrapers and List of tallest buildings in Dubai

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Landmarks and attractions in Dubai

Al Bastakiya · Al Fahidi Fort · Bait Al Wakeel · Burj Al Arab · Burj Khalifa · Dubai
Chamber of Commerce and Industry · Deira Clocktower · Deira Twin Towers · Dubai Gold
Souk · Dubai Hyatt Regency · Dubai Spice Souk · Dubai World Trade Centre · Emirates
Towers · Etisalat Tower 1 · Fish Roundabout · The Gate · Jumeirah Beach Hotel · Naif
Square · National Bank of Dubai · Saeed Al Maktoum House · Ski Dubai · Wild Wadi

Coordinates: 25°08′31.11″N 55°11′10.13″E / 25.141975°N 55.1861472°E / 25.141975; 55.1861472

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Al_Arab"
Categories: Skyscrapers in Dubai | Hotels in Dubai | Artificial islands | Skyscrapers between
300 and 349 meters | Skyscraper hotels | 1999 architecture
Hidden categories: Articles containing Arabic language text | All articles with unsourced
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