My 12 Favorite Mega Projects For 2012

With 2012 almost here in this post I am going to give you my 12 favorite Mega Projects for 2012. Some of these projects are complete, some are still under construction and some will be getting started in 2012. All of the following 12 are truly spectacular!

1. King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Saudi Arabia. This is the largest of all the Mega Projects in the Middle East and in fact, once complete, will be the largest Mega Project in the world. KAEC will have many different components: Seaport, Industrial Valley, Central Business District, Financial Island, Resort Area, Educational Zone, Residential Area and others. KAEC will span 168 million sqm. The master planner for the project is Emaar who is working hand in hand with SAIGA of Saudi Arabia.

2. Kingdom Tower, Saudi Arabia. Covered in my last post, Kingdom Tower will rise one mile into the sky and be the world's tallest tower once completed. Construction will begin January 2012 and when construction starts Kingdom Tower will get enormous amounts of publicity worldwide. Kingdom Tower will be so tall it will even dwarf Dubai's mighty Khalifa Tower which currently holds the title of world's tallest tower. I would not be surprised if Qatar or Abu Dhabi announced plans to build a tower even taller than Kingdom Tower!

3. YAS Island, Abu Dhabi. Construction of YAS Island has gone very, very well with Ferrari World, YAS Hotel, YAS Marina, YAS Links Golf Club, YAS Arena, and much, much more. It is a premier vacation and resort destination with a lot more to come. Abu Dhabi has hit a home run with this Mega Project.

4. Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. I have been watching Reem Island evolve since it was nothing but sand. I see it becoming a metropolis and one of the greatest Mega Projects in the world. With developments like Sun and Sky Tower, Marina Square, Shams Abu Dhabi, Tameer Towers, Solaris Tower, Tala Tower and many more Reem Island, once complete, will be the Crown Jewel of Abu Dhabi.

5. Infinity Tower, Dubai. Located in Dubai Marina, Infinity Tower is a true architectural masterpiece. The tower twists at an incredible 90 degree rotation! With development of the Pentominium Tower halted I think Infinity Tower will be the icon development of the entire Dubai Marina for a long time to come. It is completely unique and has no equal.

6. U-Bora Tower, Business Bay, Dubai. Recently completed U-Bora Tower in my opinion is the icon property of Business Bay. As one drives toward Business Bay the great U-Bora Tower can be seen jutting above all other towers in the area. The architecture is unique as U-Bora actually gets larger as it gets taller! A great location to have an office in Dubai and this project contains a smaller residential tower as well.

7. Park Towers, DIFC, Dubai. Another recently completed project, Park Towers is one of the most spectacular residential developments in Dubai. It consists of two residential towers with completely unique architecture from developer DAMAC. Location is first class being right in the heart of Dubai International Financial Center.

8. Pearl Qatar. My favorite Qatar Mega Project. The Pearl has it all: great residential and business developments, 5-star hotels, 3 marinas, numerous retail shopping venues and restaurants, entertainment of all kinds-- in short The Pearl is an entire master planned community and perfect for those wanting residential or business space in Qatar.

9. Amphibious 1000, Qatar. I covered this Mega Project in detail recently and I think it remains one of the most unique and amazing developments currently out there. Construction will start soon on Amphibious 1000 which will be a semi-submerged resort. This means that part of the project will be above water and part will be underwater. A truly amazing concept created by Giancarlo Zema Design Group.

10. Bahrain Bay. A complete master planned development consisting of 7 different zones containing residences of all kinds, business offices, commercial properties, educational facilities, marinas as well as a Four Seasons Hotel, the Arcapita Bank Headquarters, Raffles City Bahrain and Al Baraka Banking Group Headquarters. Currently this is Bahrain's premier Mega Project under construction.

11. Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait. This is Kuwait's tallest tower and to me it looks like a gigantic cobra with its unique architectural design done by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Al Hamra rises 1,354 ft and is the world's tallest sculpted tower. Al Hamra contains both office and commercial space and connects to a large mall/cinema complex.

12. 360 Mall, Kuwait. A unique 82,000 sqm mega mall containing many unique zones including The Grand Entrance, The Gardens, Day Journey, Main Atrium, The Boulevard, Night Journey and the Food Lounge. 360 Mall is really more than a mall, it is a complete destination that offers everything for a great day of shopping and entertainment.