Burj Al Arab tallest structure with a membrane facade and 's tallest (not including buildings with mixed use) and was the first 5-star hotel to surpass 1,000 The Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in , ft (305 m) in height. . At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used It is managed by the Group. Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds exclusively as a hotel. However, the structure of the never-finished Ryugyong only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest Hotel is nine meters taller than the Burj Al Arab, and the Rose Tower, also in suite occupies an area of 169 square meters (1,819 sq ft), the largest covers 780 Dubai, which has already topped Burj Al Arab's height at 333 m (1,090 ft), will square meters (8,396 sq ft). It is one of the most expensive in the world. take away the title upon its opening. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial The cost of staying in a suite begins at $1,000 per night; the Royal Suite is the island 280 metres (919 ft) out from , and is connected to the most expensive, at $28,000 per night. mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White Tuscan symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat. columns and a spiral staircase covered in marble with a wrought-iron gold leaf Construction of Burj Al Arab began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail railing show influence from classicism and art nouveau. Spa-like bathrooms are of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast accented by mosaic tile patterns on the floors and walls, with Arabian-influenced "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The geometries, which are also found elsewhere in the building. architect Tom Wright said "The client wanted a building that would become an One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha (Arabic meaning "Highest" or "Ultimate"), iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its is located 200 metres (660 ft) above the , offering a view of Dubai. It Opera House, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 metres (89 ft) from either side of become synonymous with the name of the country." the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator. The main chef there- Edah The architect and engineering consultant for the project was , the UK's Semaj Leachim, was awarded Chef of the Year 2006 and also owns the restaurant, largest multidisciplinary consultancy. The hotel was built by South African in accordance with the Burj Al Arab hotel. construction contractor Murray & Roberts. The hotel cost $650 million to build. Another restaurant, the Al Mahara (Arabic meaning "The Oyster"), which is Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, The hotel rests on an constructed 280 meters offshore. To secure a holding roughly 35,000 cubic feet (over one million litres) of water. The tank, foundation, the builders drove 230 40-meter long concrete piles into the sand. made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a 18 centimetres (7.1 in) thick. The restaurant was also voted among the top ten best concrete honey-comb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. restaurants of the world by Condé Nast Traveler. They have recently hired It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, but less than three years to acclaimed chef Kevin McLaughlin. construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 cubic meters of The Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as well as praise, described as "a concrete and 9,000 tons of steel. contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the Inside the building, the atrium is 180 meters (590 ft) tall. During the construction ultimately proves to be." The contradiction here seems to be related construction phase, to lower the interior temperature, the building was cooled by to the hotel’s extreme opulence. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art one degree per day over 6 months. This was to prevent large amounts of construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in "condensation or in fact even a rain cloud from forming in the hotel during the an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic period of construction." This task was accomplished by several cold air nozzles, includes the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are which point down from the top of the ceiling, and blast a 1 meter cold air pocket monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over down the inside of the sail. This creates a buffer zone, which controls the interior substance." Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an temperature without massive energy costs. expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Burj Al Arab characterizes itself as the world's only "7-star" property, a Al Arab … The result is a baroque effect". Sam Wollaston writing in The designation considered by travel professionals to be hyperbole. All major travel Guardian described the Burj as "...fabulous, hideous, and the very pinnacle of guides and hotel rating systems have a 5-star maximum, which some hotels tackiness - like Vegas after a serious, no-expense-spared, sheik-over". attempt to out-do by ascribing themselves "6-star" status. Yet according to the Burj Al Arab's official site, the hotel is a "5-star deluxe hotel". It is the world's From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia