Burj al Arab
The Burj al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب al - ʿ Arab Burj, German: " Tower of the Arabs " ) is one of the most luxurious and expensive hotels in the world. With a height of 321 meters, it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world and a symbol of the Emirati city of Dubai. Due to the sail-like cubature and its exposed location of this building is distinctive.
Operator of the hotel is the Jumeirah Group, the converse also the neighboring Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Emirates Towers, as well as, among others, the Bab al Shams in Dubai. The group also has other facilities in London and New York.
Design and construction
It was designed by Tom Wright, an employee of Atkins Middle East. Express wish of the owners to create an architectural icon, which is a feature that makes Dubai was. The design has the shape of the sail of a modern yacht and is intended to symbolize the past as Seehandelszentrum and the future orientation of Dubai.
For the realization of the construction company Murray & Roberts and Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises formed a joint venture. The construction began in 1994; Initially, around two years were needed to create the artificial island load determines the actual building lasted until 1999.
The hotel is slightly lower than the Eiffel Tower (324 meters) and only 60 meters shorter than the Empire State Building to the roof ( 381 meters ) up to the top with a height of 321.25 meters, but 122 meters lower than this total (443, 3 meters). His support stakes go up to 45 meters below the seabed in order to ensure a secure foundation. For the actual building of 70,000 cubic meters of concrete, 43,000 square feet of glass, 9,000 tons of steel, 13,000 cubic meters of Carrara marble, 12,000 cubic meters of Brazilian granite, 32,000 cubic meters of Italian mosaic and 8,000 square meters of gold leaf were used.
Originally it was planned to build the hotel directly on the coast and not on an artificial island in front of it, but this plan was rejected because the building would cast a large shadow on the beach.
The island itself is protected at their 1:1,33 sloped embankments by a hollow revetment against breaking ocean waves with heights up to 8.8 m. In this case, the flow-through hollow structure of regularly laid concrete hollow cubes with an edge length of 1.3 meters and a single mass of about 2 tons.
The design of the tower in the form of a sail is attached to the 28th floor to the land side heliport (210 meters) and the protruding 200 meters in height on the lake side restaurant complements.
An arched white membrane surface of GRP includes the airspace of the V-shaped floor plan from the land side. This 14,000 -square-meter, 200 -meter high and 50 meter wide area was a particular challenge for the engineers. The inner and outer membranes are used for thermal insulation, it is also used as a projection surface for light at night games.
In order for the guests to this architecturally unique hotel is not disturbed by wind-induced vibrations, the steel structure was equipped with vibration absorbers. It is full floating, electronically controlled oscillating masses, which were integrated into the building structure and dampen even the smallest vibrations of the building. This is low-frequency vibrations that can cause discomfort in humans, eliminated.
The owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai since 2006 and Minister of Defense of the United Arab Emirates, is said to have issued from experts estimated 1.5 billion U.S. dollars for this project. Exact details were never officially released.
The opening was celebrated on 1 December 1999.
Equipment
The Burj al Arab is often referred to by the press as 7 -star hotel. Officially, it carries only five stars, because it ends the previous classifications. However, the equipment is much more generous than would be required for five star, and until the opening of the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi 2005, the Burj al Arab was mainly considered most luxurious hotel in the world: The 202 rooms are exclusively suites ranging between 169 square meters and 780 square meters. The "small" suites ( 169 square feet) consist of two floors. In the bottom there is a living room with a dining table for four people, a bar and an office corner in the checkin is performed with the Butler. A staircase leads to the upper floor with dressing room and bedroom where a king - size bed is, and a luxurious bathroom with Jacuzzi is located.
For all guests there ( different models ), BMW or helicopter with driver available for the transfer of Rolls- Royce.
During the hot summer months, there are usually special prices, since a large part of the usual guests absent. The eight -site restaurants and bars are distinguished by their individual styles: To enter the ground floor, the Al Mahara, a three-minute submarine ride is simulated for the visitors in the elevator there. The interior of the Al Mahara is dominated by a giant sea aquarium to the tables are arranged. The Al Muntaha projects in 200 meters out on the lake side of the building and offers views over the Arabian Gulf and The Palm, Jumeirah. Another two floors above is located on the land side a platform that is used as a helipad and served for a promotional tour as a tennis court. For the decoration of the interiors 8,000 m² of gold leaf were used. In the lobby are located adjacent soft carpets getufften several fountains and cascades. To get from the front desk in the lobby itself one uses escalators. These lead to two three -meter high aquarium along, in which there are coral reefs.
In the 18th floor is the pool and spa area. All facilities such as pool, spa and a large gym are present twice in the identical features and size, according to Arab mores once for men and once for women. The range for men may, however, be used by women. The indoor pool has a view of the undulating Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Wild Wadi Water Park and Dubai the World. The use of this public, much visited water park is free for hotel guests.
The hotel additionally has on the lake side on the ground floor an outdoor pool. The pool is cooled in the summer, so bathing despite the hot weather refreshment is, in winter it is heated. There is also a shuttle from the outdoor pool operation with golf cart to the hotel's beach, which is located 200 meters opposite the hotel. Guests can thus directly proceed from their room in bathing suits to the beach without having to cross the lobby.