Hi, Sunil here to talk about the construction in Dubai

If you have followed Dubai throughout its development, you must know that it was at one point a “construction happy” place.

In fact, I don’t think construction will ever end, though no longer as rapid as it used to be between 2003 to 2008.

Regardless, Dubai is known around the world for some of its largest scale, prestigious, expensive and beautiful construction projects.

Construction in Dubai is never ending and ever changing.

That is what makes this section difficult to write. Dubai is a dynamic city that is always on the move, whether good or bad economic times.

This section is meant to highlight some of the bigger and most recognized construction projects in Dubai.

It is by no means a comprehensive list, rather a list of just some of the bigger names, some of which you may recognize.

You can click on each one to read more about the project.

Burj Dubai

The tallest residential building in the world at the time it was built. This building houses offices, residences as well as entertainment facilities.

It also has the Armani housing brand within it. This building is built in the heart of Dubai, also known as the “Downtown”.

Burj al Arab

The unofficial symbol of Dubai. In 2007 this was the world’s only 7 star hotel. Many argue that this should be one of the world’s seven wonders, but the Also the biggest and the tallest of its kind when it was built (an off land hotel, standing on a man made island). Built with solid gold inside, some of these rooms can run up to $20,000 per night.

Dubai World

Truly a masterpiece. It is a group of man made islands that together represent the world map when looked at from above. This looks absolutely beautiful from a helicopter or a hot air balloon tour. Each island represents the shape of a country, so essentially an investor can invest in a country of their own. I still can’t believe Dubai pulled this one off as I write this section.

The Palm Islands Dubai

A similar project to the Dubai World. Three large man made islands were in the plans (at the time the biggest project of its kind), the Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira. Each gigantic island is the shape of a palm leave. The island houses million dollar and up villas and offers luxurious waterfront living. The stem of leave connects the island to the main land.

Hydropolis Hotel

The world’s first underwater hotel at the time it was planned. A plan for an electric water taxi was also in the works that would take guests from mainland to the island housing the entrance to the hotel. Can you imagine all that water pressure on to the building? I cannot! But I cannot wait to dine in the underground restaurant and watch the beautiful marine life through the windows!

Dubailand

Disney comes to the desert. This is or was the biggest theme park in the world at the time it was being planned. It is supposed to house the seven wonders of the world, except much bigger. Can anything get bigger than the great wall of China?

This project is supposed to include several recreational and leisure facilities in addition to the theme park. Estimate area covered is over 3 billion square feet at an estimated cost of over 230 billion Dirhams or roughly $63 billion US Dollars.

Dubai Metro

Guess what? The biggest metro system in the world at the time it was under planning and commencement. This is Dubai’s response to the ever growing traffic congestion, pollution and population increase. The tracks are located both overhead and underground depending on where you are in the city.

Mall of Emirates

The largest mall outside North America at the time it was built. Marble floors everywhere, spotless, big name brands and a ton of tourist shopping activity bringing foreign money into Dubai.

Ski Dubai

Ice in the desert. Yes you heard right. There is nothing Dubai cannot pull off. So just because you are in the middle of the desert, it doesn’t mean that you cannot ski. Ski Dubai is a man made ski resort facility located inside the Mall of Emirates and the first of its kind when built.

Dubai Mall

So the Mall of Emirates was not enough as the biggest mall OUTSIDE North America. Dubai came right back and built the Dubai Mall, the biggest mall in the WORLD, at least when it was planned and commenced. It was planned to be the largest retail hub in the world, with individual stores the size of proper malls elsewhere. Imagine hundreds of smaller malls within a gigantic mall? Enough said.



This section on the construction in Dubai does not include the tax free zones set up by the Dubai government to accommodate specific types of businesses.

For example, the Dubai Internet City, Media City, Sports City, etc. are not included in this discussion. Those are separate beasts in their own regard.

You can read about some of them in the most popular areas in Dubai section.