Buildings in Dubai

It must be every architects dream to be commissioned to design a building for Dubai. The Sheik is satisfied with nothing short of iconic landmarks. The two pictures above and below are of the Burj Al Arab (everyone calls it "The Burj"), and though from an earlier trip, they can't be excluded whenever a collection of buildings of the city are put together. The ultimate Iconic building, the Burj has become a symbol of the Emirate. Built on a man made island its been the subject of documentaries and admiration the world over. The cost of the project was staggering and its said that even if full everyday for the next 50 years, it still won't cover the cost of construction. I thought that the Ritz in Moscow was the most expensive hotel in the world but I stand corrected. Billing itself as the only "7" star hotel in the world, its rates are not for the faint of heart.

Check it out here. The rest of my pictures are from Sheik Zayed road where I stayed on this trip. The road is remarkable as it was in many ways the modern beginning of Dubai. Sheik Zayed "decreed" that it be built and it formed the nucleus of the vision that he had for the city. In a place with no shortage of sandy space, its an odd strip of skyscrapers which if you approach by air at night looks like a blazing artery around which everything revolves. (Think traffic jams at 2 am!) In my mind the "Emirates Towers" are the most impressive of the bunch and were the first of many innovative buildings to spring up. Amongst the glass and steel are reminders of the past, but these buildings are fast disappearing.
I took these pictures during a 20 minute walk this afternoon and anyone who's been to Dubai will recognise at least some of the buildings.This brings us to "The Big Guy" as I call it in my head. The Burj Dubai (as I said in yesterday's post) will upon completion be the tallest building in the world and every time I come to Dubai I make a point of checking out its progress. It'll form the center piece in a huge development known as "Downtown Burj Dubai"

The building itself will house "The Armani Hotel" (yes the designer Armani) as well as office and residential space.

I've always wondered what it must be like sitting in one of the cranes at the top. Today I saw one of them in action. Slabs of concrete being hoisted thousands of feet in the air......Kind of gives you a "yikes!" feeling doesn't it?

I won't go on about it now but if you want to get the story in its full "propaganda glory" go here

That's it for today.

I'm waiting to get on an Air India "hell" flight to Delhi and by the looks of things waiting is what I'll continue to do.

I'm upside down at the moment as my sleep patterns are all out of whack.
I've been tossing and turning the last couple of nights and as a consequence really dragging my ass. Tight chest, and heartburn don't help much either, but as I said yesterday (or was it the day before?) this is the home stretch!

Next post from India.

Love to all

T