Dubai, the glitzy Emirati city, is planning on building the world's first climate-controlled city, the government announced over the weekend.
The project "Mall of the World" is perhaps the most ambitious venture the city has ever taken. Spanning an area of 48 million square feet, the mini metropolis will have everything - hotels, theaters, medical centers, event venues - including the world's largest mall and indoor park, all in a temperature-controlled environment.
The city will be divided into districts that will be connected via promenades. The promenades will be covered with glass and will be air-conditioned during the summers. The authorities plan to keep the promenades open during the winters, thus ensuring pleasant temperatures all year long.
Below are some major features of the project:
- World's largest mall spanning an area of 8 million square feet.
- About 100 hotels and serviced apartments buildings with 20,000 hotel rooms.
- A 7 Km retail street stretch that will be covered and completely air-conditioned.
- World's largest indoor theme park.
- A wellness district (medical care hub) covering about 3 million square feet.
- A Cultural district including theatres will be fashioned like New York City's Broadway district and London's Oxford Street.
Check out the renderings of the city in a video below:
The project is being developed by Dubai Holdings. With an aim to expand and promote Dubai's tourism industry, the project hopes to attract about 180 million visitors every year. Tourists will reportedly be able to enjoy a 7-day stay in the city without having to leave its premises.
"We announced recently that we plan to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us; and we are determined to achieve our vision. We are confident of our economy's strength, optimistic about our country's future and we continue to broaden our vision," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, in an official statement.
"Our ambitions are higher than having seasonal tourism. Tourism is key driver of our economy and we aim to make the UAE an attractive destination all year long. This is why we will start working on providing pleasant temperature-controlled environments during the summer months," the Sheikh added.
While the project's renderings are awing many, several sceptics are wondering what impact a year-long temperature controlled city will have on the environment.
Ahmad Bin Byat, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Holdings, explains that the project will "follow the green and environmentally friendly guidelines of the Smart Dubai model. It will be built using state-of-the-art technology to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint, ensuring high levels of environmental sustainability and operational efficiency."
The cost of the project has not been revealed yet, but the city is and when completed, shall be a wonder in itself.
Dubai already has a reputation for being home to the World's tallest building, the world's largest flower garden and for building a world-map shaped luxury-property archipelago.
