"BRETT SIEGEL IS ONE OF THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE IN MIDDLE EAST REAL ESTATE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING UAE MEGA PROJECTS." Khizer Schon Husain, VP, Schon Properties, Dubai

Friday, May 7, 2010

Will These Mega Projects Ever Be Built?

In this post I am going to cover some great Mega Projects that had huge potential but due to the world economic collapse were "put on hold." Will they ever get built?

> Nakheel Tower. This was to be a new tower that would be much taller than Burj Khalifa. It would be the tallest building in the world and the centerpiece of the gigantic Dubai Waterfront project. Alas, the Dubai Waterfront has been cut back to almost nothing and Nakheel Tower is now on hold. I think it will be a long time before this tower gets built.

> Dubai City Tower. Yet another amazing tower that was to be even taller than Nakheel Tower. In fact Dubai City Tower was to be 1.5 to 2 miles high depending on who you listened to. This tower was planned to be so huge that it would be home to an entire city, a "vertical city." Dubai City Tower was to be the crown jewel of the gigantic Jumeirah Garden City project being developed by Meraas Development of Dubai. I hope they someday get this one built but I think it will be a very long time if ever.

> Hydropolis. This project was slated as a hotel that would be built underwater. It is an amazing idea and I actually think this one will be built. It would be another "world's first" for Dubai and would be on the front page of every newspaper in the world. Hydropolis can be built if enough money is allocated and I think it would be a big winner and a great attraction for Dubai.

> Trump Tower Palm Jumeirah. This mixed use tower was to be the iconic development of Palm Jumeirah. It was to be 62 storeys high with 300 hotel rooms and 360 apartments. The architecture and design of the project is truly fantastic. In May 2009 the project was put on hold and Donald Trump Jr. has said that Trump Tower Palm Jumeirah could start up again in 2 years. I think this one will eventually get built. The Trump name is great for Dubai and the tower itself will contribute greatly to the overall development of Palm Jumeirah.

> 1 Dubai. This project was to be the centerpiece of Jumeirah Garden City. The project consists of 3 towers connected by sky bridges and would have reached 600 meters at its highest point. 1 Dubai was to contain a hotel, as well as residential, commercial, retail and entertainment venues. I don't think we will see this one get done.

> Shah Rukh Khan Boulevard. An entire boulevard in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah was planned around Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan who stated "I intend to share and transfer my passion for design and living spaces into this world class community that residents will be proud of." The development would have contained 10 towers on RAK's Dana Island. I think things will have to get much, much better to ever get this one built.

> Dynamic Tower. This tower got huge amounts of publicity all over the world. Each floor of this 80 storey tower would rotate on its own to create an ever changing building structure. The tower, which was to be built in Dubai, was designed by David Fisher who gave interviews all over the world about this unique project. I predict that Dynamic Tower will eventually get built in Dubai and be a booming success.

> Chess City. Another truly unique and amazing Mega Project planned for Dubai. The project was to contain 32 buildings each shaped like a chess piece. The city was to become the global center for the game of chess and be home to the International Chess Association. Chess City would also contain 7-Star hotels, residential units, entertainment centers and just about everything imaginable related to chess. This one is an interesting idea but I doubt it will ever get built.

I have covered some of the most interesting Mega Projects currently on hold. Time will tell what the future holds for these amazing projects!

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