Going vertical seems to be the new mantra of real estate developers. So much so that even the government is in favour of vertical development. Though Mumbai exemplifies this in India, other metropolitan cities in the country are still primarily made of row houses and bungalows. But, the go-ahead given to vertical development in the Delhi Master Plan 2021 has heralded a new era in the real estate industry.
Now, more and more developers are constructing apartment and office complexes that reach for the sky. Though nowhere near those abroad, vertical development in India has started to take shape.
Their model could well be the under-construction Burj Dubai tower which is likely to shoot past the Taipei 101 and the Petronas Towers, currently the tallest buildings in the world. While its eventual height is still a secret, its builders (Emaar) claim that Burj Dubai will cross the Taipei 101 (currently the tallest) in July. This colossal construction marvel is expected to cross 700 metres with over 160 floors on completion. Already 134 floors have been built and at a speed of one floor in three days, the building should be done by the middle of 2008. With a development value of over $1 billion, Burj Dubai, when completed will fulfill all the criteria of the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
The building is going to hold a luxury Armani Hotel and the entire tower?s estimated population on completion will be 35,000 people. The Burj Dubai (burj means tower in Arabic) is part of downtown Burj Dubai, real estate giant Emaar Properties? flagship project and will be a mixed-use 500-acre community combining commercial, residential, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets in open green spaces dotted with lakes and other water features.
Says Arif Amiri, Director, Investor Relations, Corporate Governance and Business Development, Emaar Properties, ?The iconic signature tower, the tallest in the world on completion in 2008, will be the centerpiece of downtown Burj Dubai. So tall is the building that the tip of the spire can be seen by a person 95 km away. In fact, alongwith the Nakheel Group?s The Palm project, the Burj Dubai is what will define Dubai in the years to come.?
The Burj Dubai derives its design inspiration from the desert flower, Hymenocalis, and incorporates patterning systems that are embodied in Islamic architecture. The tower has three petals arranged around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat base, the petals set back in an upward-spiralling pattern.
Its structure employs the latest advances in wind engineering, structural engineering, structural systems, construction materials and construction methods. It will have a high performance exterior cladding system to withstand the harsh summer temperatures in Dubai. The new tower?s unique, three-sided design will ascend in a series of stages, around a supportive central core and its 160 floors will be accessible via a series of double-decker elevators. The elevators, believe it or not, will move at speeds of almost 10 metres per second, its architects claim.
Apart from the luxury Armani Hotel, the Burj will also hold residences and commercial spaces. There will also be recreational facilities and entertainment venues including four luxurious pools and a cigar club, a library, residents? lounge, serviced residences, 15,000 sq ft of fitness facilities and an observatory. With a total area of five million square feet, it surely has the space for all this.
Says Shravan Gupta, executive vice-chairman and managing director, Emaar MGF, ?The Burj Dubai will be a city within a city. It will have a soul, a character, a feel that no other city has. Replicating it in India is possible, but only in cities like Delhi and Mumbai as no other metropolis can sustain such a huge development in the country.?
Alongside the Burj Dubai is being built the largest mall in the world called The Dubai Mall. Spread over a colossal 5.8 million sq ft shopper?s paradise, the mall will have 3.77 million sq ft of leasable retail space. Innovative components at The Dubai Mall include a gold souk, a waterfront atrium, fountain oasis, fashion island, ice rink, kidzania and the world?s largest aquarium.