When one thinks of a vacation in Dubai, the first images that might to come to mind are sun and sand. Now add snow.
Ski Dubai is claimed to be one of the largest indoor ski resorts in the world, with 22,500-square metres of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, which is one of the largest malls in the world.
An extremely efficient insulation system is the key to maintain the temperature of -1 degrees Celsius during the day and -6 degrees during the night when the snow is produced.
Ski Dubai is part of the Majid Al Futtaim Group of Companies, a leader for Shopping Malls in the region. Ski Dubai has 5 runs of varying difficulties, the longest being 400m.
Some other facts
- 22,500m² covered with real snow all year round – (equivalent to 3 football fields).
- 85 metres high (approximately 25 stories) and 80 metres wide.
- Full capacity of 1500 guests.
- 5 runs.
Dubai is experiencing a construction boom, with new buildings going up at a pace that rivals China’s development. Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has set a national goal of attracting 15 million tourists in 2010. Interestingly, that’s the same year that Dubai’s known oil reserves will most likely be tapped out, according to The Economist. Here’s a look at one of the 10 wonders of the quickly changing cityscape. Many promise to be the world’s largest, tallest, or first-of-their-kind projects.
Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي “Dubai Tower”) is a skyscraper under construction in the Business Bay district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, despite being incomplete. Construction began on September 21, 2004 and is expected to be completed and ready for occupation in September 2009.
The building is part of the 2 km2 (0.8 sq mi) development called “Downtown Dubai”, at the “First Interchange” (aka “Defence Roundabout”) along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street. The tower’s architect is Adrian Smith who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006. The architecture and engineering firm SOM is in charge of the project. The primary builders are Samsung Engineering & Construction and Besix along with Arabtec. Turner Construction Company was chosen as the construction manager.
The total budget for the Burj Dubai project is about US$4.1 billion and for the entire new ‘Downtown Dubai’, US$20 billion. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the CEO of Emaar Properties, speaking at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 8th World Congress, said that the price of office space at Burj Dubai had reached $4,000 per sq ft (over $43,000 per sq m) and that the Armani Residences, also in Burj Dubai, were selling for $3,500 per sq ft (over $37,500 per sq m).
