Burj Al Arab

Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب‎,Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. Sometimesincorrectly referred to as "the world's only seven-Star hotel", itsstar rating has been often debated.
Contents
[hide]
• 1 Site
• 2 Design and construction
• 3 Features
o 3.1 Rooms and suites
o 3.2 Restaurants
o 3.3 Rating
• 4 Reviews by architecture critics
• 5 See also
• 6 References
• 7 Further reading
• 8 External links

[edit]Site
The beachfront area where Burj Al Arab andJumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach.[7] The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land 280 meters offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel.[8] The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tankers on the site.[7]
The old name persisted after the old Hotel was demolishedin 1997. Dubai Chicago Beach Hotel remained as the Public Project Name for the construction phase of Burj Al Arab Hotel until Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new name.[9]
[edit]Design and construction
Burj Al Arab was designed by architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory also of WS Atkins. Construction ofthe Island began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright[10] said "The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, London withBig Ben, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country."[11]
The architect and engineering consultant for the project was Atkins. Fletcher Construction from New Zealand was the lead joint venture partner in the initial stages of pre-construction and construction.[12] The hotel was built by South African construction contractorMurray & Roberts and Al Habtoor Engineering.[13]
The building opened in December 1999.
[edit]Features


Burj Al Arab Hotel Elevators


Lobby
Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-meter (130 ft) long concrete piles intothe sand.[14]
Engineers created a ground/surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took fewer than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 cu yd) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.[14]Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.
Burj Al Arab is the world's fourth tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use). The structure of the Rose Rayhaan, also in Dubai, is 11 m (36 ft) taller than Burj Al Arab.
[edit]Rooms and suites
The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. Despite its size, Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroomsuites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m2 (8,400 sq ft).[15] Prices of rooms vary from approximately $11,000 to $45,000 per night.
Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great influence.[clarification needed] Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns.[citation needed]
The Royal Suite, billed at...