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BURJ AL-ARAB, DUBAI
The Burj al-Arab (Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 meters (1,053 feet), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel and one of the most distinctive structures for a hotel building in the world. It stands in the sea on an artificial island 280 meters (919 feet) away from the beach in the Persian Gulf, connected to the mainland only by a curving path.
Construction of the hotel began in 1994, and its doors were opened to guests on December 1, 1999. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow (a type of Arabian vessel) and intentionally placed in such a way that its shadow does not cover the beach. On top of the hotel is a large helipad, extending from the side of the hotel over the ocean and supported by cantilever. A remarkable element of its architecture is the outer beachward wall of the atrium, which is made of a woven, Teflon-coated fiberglass cloth.
The Burj al-Arab features the tallest atrium lobby in the world (180 meters, or 590 feet), and the volume of the atrium can accommodate the Dubai World Trade Center building, which, at 38 stories, was the tallest building in Dubai from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. The Statue of Liberty, along with its pedestal, could fit into the atrium.
The Burj al-Arab does not have ordinary rooms; rather it is divided into 202 duplex suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 square meters (1,819 square feet), and the largest one covers 780 square meters (8,396 square feet).
So expensive was the hotel's design and construction that it is estimated that to reach breakeven, it must be entirely booked for 400 years. The full amount it cost to build the hotel and furnish it is not publicly known, but some estimates suggest it easily cost over US$ 1 billion.
One of its restaurants, the Al Muntaha (meaning "highest", or "ultimate"), is located 200 meters above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai from above. It is accessed by a panoramic elevator.
Another restaurant, the Al Mahara (Arabic "The Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 35,000 cubic feet (over one million liters) of water. The tank, made of plexiglass in order to reduce the magnification effect, is about 18 cm (7.5 inches) thick.
The building's external lighting scheme can vary from white to multicolored, changing from one to another every 30 minutes, expressing the evening's progress. At certain times, there is a light show, where colors interchange rapidly.
The hotel was built by South African construction company Murray & Roberts and is the world's tallest structure with a membrane façade.
The Burj al-Arab is considered to be one of the most expensive hotels in the world to stay in. The prices for the least expensive suites are in the range of $1,000 to over $6,000 a night. The most expensive suites can cost over $15,000 a night.
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