Oh, Dubai. Sometimes we wish you success, because you’re so funny. Other times we can’t wait till you run out of oil and just turn back into a desert wasteland, because you’re so gross.
Of late, the Gulf city-state has been trending somewhere between those two courses. They’ve shut down all kinds of massive half-baked construction projects, but are pushing ahead on a select few. Most notable in the “pushing ahead” category are the world’s tallest building and the city’s new metro system (exempted on the “half-baked” count). The powers that be in Dubai have been planning a grand simultaneous unveiling of the two in September, in fact — seeing it as a perfect opportunity to get massive amounts of media attention and declare to the world, “We’re still actin’ all rich!”
Sadly, there’s a hitch. Construction on the Burj Dubai, the 206-story luxury residential and office tower–space will supposedly go for $3,500/square foot and up–is running behind schedule, and will not be complete by September. So the metro–which features a “Gold class” section for “VIPs”–will debut alone and therefor won’t get anywhere close to as much media attention.
It turns out that Dubaites (?) are pretty upset about it. Nearly half “believe the delay to the Burj Dubai is a missed opportunity to put Dubai back on the global map.” An additional 17 percent are sad because Dubai now looks like the kind of slacker place that can’t keep to a schedule when building white elephant projects.
To celebrate the synergy that might have been though, here are some fact boxes and photos of the $4 billion, 2,600-foot aluminum stalagmite and the $4 billion, 22-mile first phase of the new metro system.
Dubai Metro
Fast facts:
- “In full operation, Dubai Metro is projected to carry approximately 1.2 million passengers on an average day, and 355 million passengers per year”
- “Trains will be WiFi enabled”
- “The 32.5 mile Red Line [which will open in September] will have 29 stations, four of which will be underground”
- “Rolling stock is being supplied by Kinki Sharyo under a $456.2m contract for 385 cars”
- “All stations will have platform doors to increase safety and allow a more comfortable, climate controlled environment”
- “The driverless, fully automated trains are fully air-conditioned”
- “The trains will offer standard ‘Silver’ class, a women and children only section plus a first class ‘Gold’ section for VIPs”
- The “Gold” car will be located at front of each train and will be just for men (specifically, non-poor men). The “Silver” cars for the ladies and the rugrats and the downtrodden will follow behind.
- Gold cars will feature wide leather seats, an explansive view through the train’s front window, and an “exclusive lighting design.”
Photos:
Transit construction, Dubai-style:
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Like Paris, Dubai’s Metro stations will have platform doors:
[Pic]
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Inside a “Silver” car (i.e. for pleebs, women and children):
[Pic]
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Inside an exclusive “Gold” car (just us rich dudes!):
[Pic]
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A train on a viaduct:
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The rolling stock (fancy talk for “train cars”) arrives from Japan:
[Via]
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A design rendering of a station hub:
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That station in real life:
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A rendering of a smaller station:
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A system map. Service to the crazy man-made archipelagos is still on the drawing board:
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Burj Dubai tower:
Fast facts:
- “The foundation is made up of 192 concrete and steel pilings more than 164 feet (50 meters) deep. They are joined by a 12-foot-thick raft upon which the skyscraper rests.”
- “45,000 cubic meters of concrete was used in the foundation.”
- Underground parking spaces: 16,000
- “The air conditioning chillers installed on the 155th and 159th floor are so high that their design had to take into account the thinner air at that elevation.”
- In 2006, 2,500 construction workers rioted because of low pay and poor treatment. They did an estimated $1 million damage.
- The tower is designed Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
- “The interior will be decorated by Giorgio Armani. An Armani Hotel, the first of four by Armani, will occupy the lower 37 floors”
- “In keeping with Islamic custom, the hotel pool will have separate hours for women and men at the pool.”
[Source]
Photos:
Scale: Those little buildings on either side are all really, really big
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And from afar:
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An elevator shaft, taken at an earlier stage of construction:
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The work continues, up top:
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View from the bottom:
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Working construction on the Burj — the wages are crappy, but you can’t beat the view:
[All photos of the Burj Dubai except last one from BurjDubaiSkyscraper.com, which has some great month-by-month galleries of the building's construction. Opening pic of Dubai at night via.]
July 28th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Those elevators shown in the burj dubai pics are from the emirates towers, an already constructed building
3 class subways? Only in Dubai. The place is so full of racism its disgusting. Also, those gold-covered stations look godawful in person. Again, only in Dubai…
July 28th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Everyone should be rooting for those lunatics. If the climate change apocalypse folks are right, we’re all going to be living in a horrible climate like the Dubaistas. If they can make the surface of the moon hospitable, there’s hope for us in the midwest, even without the luxury of unlimited energy.
July 28th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
“Dubai. Sometimes we wish you success, because you’re so funny. Other times we can’t wait till you run out of oil and just turn back into a desert wasteland, because you’re so gross”
This statement is brutally racist, based on a delusional perception that only the west is worthy of grandeur, and completely ignores the history of Dubai, which is of paramount relevance to its current wealth and modernity! First of all, Dubai was never a wasteland! It was a thriving fishing and trading port. The spice and silk routes from India and southeastern Asia flowed through Dubai and the Gulf and into Arabia, North Africa and Europe. Pearls from the waters of Dubai were and still are some of the most coveted around the globe; never mind precious metal trading into Arabia and Europe, handled mostly by shrewed businessmen from Dubai and the UAE. Yes, the oil boom has accelerated the ascension of Dubai into a mega metropolis of glorious modernity and innovation. The mind set and the drive has always been there. Before you utter such condescending remarks, please do the minimal background and historical research required by any journalist writing on such an important subject matter! Go Dubai!
July 28th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
What is the point of a subway system in such an unwalkable modernist nightmare as Dubai?
July 29th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Hassan,
You seem to have misunderstood what the author of the post meant. As I read it, that somewhat insulting sentence was directed toward the ecological unsustainability of Dubai, which uses far more water than is necessary in order to create an air of decadence. Also, having an indoor ski slope is neither energy-efficient nor atypical of Dubai. Las Vegas would likely fall prey to the same critique.
And while we should all hope for the continued prosperity of Arab peoples, it is quite ironic that you refer to criticism of Dubai as racist. It is no secret that the city is literally being built using slave labor (i. e., construction workers who are unable to pay for their return to their home nations and whose visas have been seized by their employers). This is why 2500 workers rioted at the Burj Dubai, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. As long as Persian Gulf states continue to treat dark-skinned migrant workers as second-class citizens (actually, quite literally as not even potentially citizens at all), it would be wise for advocates of these states to refrain from unnecessarily accusing critics of racism.
July 29th, 2009 at 2:17 am
Hassan, I assure you that the statement about Dubai being “so gross,” is made by someone that bemoans Western consumerism as much as he dislikes Dubai’s obscene display of wealth.
I happen to think there’s no such thing as obscene displays of wealth and am amazed by the construction in Dubai. But, some reports of laborers suffering inhumane conditions make many feel that Dubai may have some of the same tendencies to abuse the poor that are often chastised in the West.
Don’t assume someone’s comments are racist, when they are likely simply political. Europeans and liberal Americans are known for self-hatred over financial success. It’s part of their puritan heritage.
July 29th, 2009 at 3:28 am
As an expatriate who has grown up, lived and worked in Dubai for the last 30+ years, I can tell you that Dubai is not a “wasteland”… the vision that has brought Dubai to where it is today in terms of infrastructure and buildings and business development is absolutely amazing. The growth in the last 10 years has been mind boggling.
Before you pass judgement or pass condescending remarks, you should have made an attempt to learn the facts. People around the world and especially the US pay taxes but never get to experience such beautiful roads, malls, etc.
Dubai is mostly desert llike Arizona or Texas… but not oil rich. so what does that say about developments in those American states? Dubai has made a name for itself by being a centre for trade. There are negatives but which big city doesn’t have that.
True ‘Dubaites’ would be more upset with your tone of voice than with the delay in the projects… we are all excited about the metro. Thanks for the fantastic pictures… they prove the magnitude of these projects. And believe me, nothing like being in Dubai to watch these projects come alive out of nothingness.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Hassan, from one Arab to another, I’m going to have to defend Jeb here. What Jeb is lamenting is not the culture of Arabs, but rather the culture of excess.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Hassan,
We might have a gap in what I wrote and what you read. But rest assured I do not think poorly of Dubai or its citizens, per se. I do think the excess it has consciously pursued — and even taken on as a brand — over the past decade or so are pretty gross. I don’t even mean gross in a purely pejorative sense. Because I see the appeal too. But a certain point — enough already with indoor ski slopes and refrigerated beaches, right?
I do think the metro is an excellent public investment, btw.
-Jebedaih
July 29th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Veena, Plenty of Texas is not desert, especially the parts where the vast majority live. It is a lovely stereotype. Do you assume Texans ride their horses to work and school, too?
July 29th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
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July 29th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
There are no racism or discrimination in Dubai, or the UAE for that matter, against people of color or any religious affiliation! The holding of passports and some purported harsh treatment with regard to foreign workers are driven primarily by security concerns, NOT by race or the color of their skin.
Security is the overwhelming priority for Dubai and the UAE! Because of its relatively small Arab population in relation to expats and foreign workers and also because of its proximity to hot zones in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the system is not perfect and constructive criticism of its few shortcomings has been taking place with the goal of enhancing the status of foreign workers without sacrificing security.
Numerous laborers from India, Pakistan and other countries in southeast Asia, seek work in the UAE specifically because of the lucrative salaries and other benefits, such as health care, which is afforded at no cost to them, and this can hardly be described as ’slave’ labor!
BTW, thanks for the pics, they are amazing!
July 30th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Random question here, but who shot the main picture at the top of this post of Dubai?
July 30th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Look at the cable safety barrier in the middle of that road and tell me it’s beautiful.
July 30th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Those pictures were actually shot by a friend of mine who now lives in Dubai, I knew him when we both used to live in Bahrain. His pictures can be found at http://www.momentaryawe.com/.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:13 am
Why aren’t all of the stations, and the entire track for that matter, underground? Wouldn’t that also reduce energy costs for the A/C?
August 7th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
While your’s at it, why don’t you get “Honest Hassan” to explain the dhimmi to you!
August 31st, 2009 at 6:22 am
Please stop the construction of Arab Towers.
September 9th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
[...] looked about this project a few weeks ago and poked a little fun at it, because, really, it’s so hard not to laugh at [...]
September 15th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Materialistic egotistical fuckin idiots - there is NOTHING exciting about Dubai!!!! It is EGO at it’s worst, and i agree, it’s a disgusting display of wealth and stupidity!!! I wish the city an early earthquake! And believe me, it’s coming……who’ll be laughing then?
September 19th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I’ve been to Dubai during my first cruise aboard the Harry Truman and I would do anything to live there. It is such a fascinating and modern place. It really will explode over the next few years. It’s just hard to convince westerners to move there, well at least most Americans anyway. I loved it, but that’s just me.
October 17th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
dubai looks awesome especially for the f1 race…They built a whole track just to host a race….awesome….i just wish they let hot girls show there faces and welcomed strip clubs….That’s were they fuck up…everything is modern and cool except how they don’t let girls out in public without wraping them up like some sort of slaves….let women show there t and a for c sakes….
November 14th, 2009 at 7:33 am
fascinating dubai!.. marvellous huge constructoins… its a dimond city of middle east.
already its name is known for its artificial island construction.In obvious, for an another time its name came for the world’s tallest building!..
its a workstation for many citizens of countries including india, pakistan, bangladesh, srilanka, indonesia etc.,
but islamic point of view only one thing is to say ‘i think weh’v reached the kiyaamah (end of the world)……..’
December 1st, 2009 at 12:55 am
Alas all that glitters is for show. The show is coming to an end. Those who participated in the show Good luck. The day of recogning
dawns on Dubai.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I can’t wait to NOT go there. You know whats really fun? Going for a swim in the hotel pool by yourself because your wife is a women and has to swim seperately.
Do they really think people are going to visit Dubai?
December 1st, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I love the Burj Dubai. It’s just so insane!
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I Love the look of what Dubai has built and it looks very modern but if you want tourist to come most may not like the swimming pool rules or separate trains for rich or poor. I myself would love to visit.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Dubai…Dubai…Dubai, noting there….come to Chennai…feel the hot chicks and cool aunties
December 4th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Makes me sick to think its all built with money for oil that destroys the planet as we use it…nice to look at…a glimmer of hope in an otherwise waste of space on the planet Earth…
January 1st, 2010 at 1:18 am
Ha! A horrific, disgusting and greedy country - bound to fall.
How can anyone possibly see anything different? How many millions are starving and these people spend money like this ??? The GREED, the indecency.
Just plain horrific and what I expect from Islamic dictators.
I would be ashamed to be a citizen of that country. I’d take off and never tell anyone where I was from if I had the unfortunate luck to be born there.
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Sci-fi movies were cool, but the reality is just horrible. I guess they are preparing for tourism instead of oil business. Oil is running out.
I wouldn’t go there as a tourist, I rather visit Paris or Rome or Milano or Budapest, or even a smaller town or just spend the holidays to the mountainside - it’s much more romantic. That tower is grose.
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Looks very interesting. I would love to go there.
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:34 pm
The way i see things are a lot different than some of the hypocrites talking bad of Dubai! If they have the money to spend than build it! i think that all that Architecture is awesome and as a Construction worker i would love to see some here in the United States but i guess were no longer building like that cause our financial fall and debt! i trully feel that our time has come to let others lead the way and show us what they are capable of doing, so keep on building beautiful buildings and stay creative and the only reason why this world is all fucked up is because we have people that hate on others fortunes and wealth and i hope they all shut the fuck up and learn from other cultures that have so much to teach us! If you dont have anything nice to say than shut up you stupid ignorant no education having minimum wage idiot! shut up!
January 4th, 2010 at 5:48 am
very very wunderful city dubai
January 4th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
On a recent trip to London I was surprised to see that the best dollars to pounds exchange rate I saw was the Bank of Dubai- much better than British banks. That left a good impression on me. It seems that most of the Arab world wants to channel their money and energy into joining civilization as opposed to distroying it. The recent large projects that Dubai has completed shows over a billion people in the region that the greatness of Arab culture is in front of them. I definately support their efforts-
January 5th, 2010 at 9:36 am
I used to see the Burj while in my bed, from my room
wish I still lived in Dxb to see the opening!
January 5th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
wow!!!!!!! great ..
Excellent Tower…hats off!!
January 6th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
I have to agree with you Steve….
Hassan,
its not good to lie about the health care, salary, or any benefit that workers from abroad are receiving. These workers in Dubai are slave workers who were lured to Dubai with promises. Dubai was built with SLAVE LABOUR !!
January 23rd, 2010 at 6:41 am
the makers heart is more bigger then this building , the maker the worker all who work there have loin heart there bravery is bigger then this tower but they done the wonderful job , thanks
January 25th, 2010 at 12:02 am
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