Burj Al Arab, Dubai

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=170 BGCOLOR="#003366" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Burj Al Arab, Dubai</B></div> <div> <A HREF="jumeirah.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai"><U>Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ritz.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RitzCarlton Millenia, Singapore"><U>Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="okura.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hotel Okura, Tokyo"><U>Hotel Okura, Tokyo</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="benesse.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benesse House, Naoshima "><U>Benesse House, Naoshima </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="lalu.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Lalu, Taiwan"><U>The Lalu, Taiwan</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id92.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, India "><U>Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, India  </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hotel de la Paix, Siem Riep, Cambodia"><U>Hotel de la Paix, Siem Riep, Cambodia</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Artful Hotels of the World"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="South America and Africa "><U><B>20 Best Collections</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="europe.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Europe and Britain"><U><B>Europe and Britain</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="namerica.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="North America"><U><B>North America</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="asia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Asia and Middle East"><U><B>Asia and the Middle East</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#9999CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#663366" FACE="Arial" >Artful Hotels of the World</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#663399" FACE="Times New Roman" >    </FONT> |    <B> </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Artful Hotels of the World"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >back to</FONT> <B> </B><A HREF="asia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Asia and Middle East"><U><B>Asia and Middle East</B></U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="055f0030.png" border=0 width="496" height="3" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Burj Al Arab, Dubai</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>          Within the world of hotel promotion, superlatives are often over-used.  But in the case of the Burj al Arab, it is impossible to describe the hotel without using them.  Dominating the Dubai coastline, at night, the Burj al Arab offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed color sculptures of water and fire.</B><B>  </B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="04509950.jpg" border=0 width="521" height="405" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>It has been built on an artificial island 1,300 feet from the shore, and the Burj al Arab is 321 meters (1,053 feet)  tall -- making it the world's tallest hotel, and among the 20 or so tallest towers in the world.   Designed by W. S. Atkins, it resembles a billowing sail -- featuring two wings spread in a V form  a huge "mast."  The curving "sail" of teflon-coated fiberglass encloses the space between them in a massive atrium 120 meters high.  The "fabric" provides a soft milky light and reduces the build up of heat.  A V-shaped steel exoskeleton, which steadies the tower against seismic loads and the wind, wraps around a V-shaped  reinforced concrete tower that contains the hotel rooms and lobbies.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Burj Al Arab Hotel opened in December of 1999.  The hotel was constructed by WS Atkins Partners Overseas, the concept architect was Thomas Wills Wright and the interior designers were KCA International, led by Ms. Kuan Chew.  It took two years to reclaim the land from the sea, and a little less than three years to construct the building. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>According to the design director, Tom Wright, the solution to build the hotel on its own island came about when his team realized that if the hotel was on the shore, it would have blocked the sun on the beach in the middle of the day. </B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1116ad30.jpg" border=0 width="362" height="467" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Burj al Arab has the world's tallest atrium (120 meters high) which is topped by another one 50 meters high. </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="6" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="569" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 308 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="1743d1e0.jpg" border=0 width="317" height="286" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="4" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="222"><bR> <div> <B>Arabesques swirl in the carpet on the main lobby floor of the atrium and in the grand ballroom.  The gold furnishings and fittings are original 24 carat gold leaf. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The first five floors of the atrium are framed by gold columns, curling gold garlands and silver-mirrored rails.  At greater heights, the color scheme veers to pastels, toppping out with baby blue where it meets the sky.  From the bottom of the atrium, a fiber-optically lit water feature sends a jet of water to 165 feet as part of its choreographed lighting program</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="9" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="567" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 294 WIDTH="208"><bR> <bR> <div> <B>Three main restaurants are within the hotel.  At 660 feet above the water and cantilevered an impressive 82.5 feet from the hotel's "mast," the Al Muntaha Skyview lounge seats about 110 in 3,300 square feet.  A heliport with a maximum load of 7.5 metric tons is on the oppisite side of the building.  </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0cc2c120.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="274" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 231 WIDTH="208"><bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Al Mahara restaurant is located on the ground floor, on the same level as the lobby.  It is an underwater themed restaurant and features a huge aquarium surrounding the dining areas.  Entry to the restaurant is aboard a three-minute simulated submarine experience.</B></div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="1753be10.jpg" border=0 width="315" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="10e24240.jpg" border=0 width="292" height="292" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Computerized color- changing luminaires and strobes, subtly concealed in the building's structural skeleton have been used to turn the hotel facade into a kinetic display of light and color.  All of the lighting for the hotel and the other buildings that make up the surrounding Jumeirah Beach Resort were designed by Jonathan Speirs and Associates of Edinburgh.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The tower lighting changes every half hour as evening progresses.  Possible colors vary from pure white light to an almost unlimited range of single hues and multi-colored patterns.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>