012_slits

This picture was taken between two towers along Sheikh Sayed road. The gap is, proportionally comparing to its height, so narrow that sunlight seldom gets through in a day. This kind of in-between space is usually used for café, alfresco dining and bar. It’s got very nice ambience especially during winter. (For your information, Dubai also has winter season and the weather can be quite cool, even cold at night) Walking along Sheikh Sayed road gives you an interesting alternated rhythm of formally looking towers and relaxing outdoor space usage. (for distance between building in Tokyo see 006_gaps at http://urbanomania-jp.blogspot.com)

011_attention, sir!

More and more office towers are being built along Sheikh Sayed road and they are so close to each other trying to fight for attention from passersby. Can you believe that there was almost nothing at all along this highway a few decades ago? Dubai is really growing at incredible and unmatchable speed, like an instant city suddenly appears out of nowhere in the desert.

010_sheikh sayed

This is Sheikh Sayed road, a 12-lane thoroughfare that links to Abu Dhabi and is a solely major road in Dubai. It also serves as an important business hub as you can see many office towers along the road. Since Sheikh Sayed is a highway, pedestrian crossing from one side to the other is impossible and, with its slip road system, you, or your taxi driver, need to know the way quite well in order to get to the building you want to go without making unnecessary trips. Only one slip road can take you to your destination without making a u-turn. Pretty tricky, isn’t it?

009_flexi-fare

Getting a cab in Dubai is tough, particularly during peak hour. I mean the taxi is empty but the driver just wouldn’t stop. I wonder why. Ok, here are some tips for catching a ride in Dubai. (for tips in Singapore see 005_fair fare? at http://urban-o-mania.blogspot.com)
1. Look for a hotel or department store nearby; you may find your luck there. It’s much easier than trying to flag from street.
2. Be specific with your destination. Always say its full name. For example, Sheraton hotel, there are more than one Sheraton in Dubai. (Sheraton Creek, Sheraton Deira and Sheraton Jumeirah)
3. Make sure that it’s a meter taxi and the driver turns it on.
4. Taxi drivers in Dubai are salaried employees so they don’t mind taking you to a faraway place that chances of getting a passenger on the way back to city are rare.
5. This one is cool. If you ask for a receipt, the driver will ask you how much the fare you want him to write down. If your company sends you to Dubai for a business trip and you are evil enough, here is a chance for you to earn some pocket money.

008_lil’ twinkle stars

The city is developing fast. Constructions in Dubai are pretty much 24-hour-a-day process. It is common to see empty concrete carcasses fully lit up with neon lights. Together with the construction cranes on top, they appear like a troop of alien from the outer space.

007_DIA

This is an interior shot of Dubai International Airport. As I told you before, it is quite important to add local flavours to the airport’s look. Even if you are blindfolded and dropped at Dubai airport, artificial palm trees and sand-dune-pattern carpet are good hints to let you know you are somewhere in the middle east.

006_welcome to dubai

When you travel to a foreign country, immigration checkpoint is the first place you really encounter with local people or, well, local things. First impression could easily be created here, whether good or bad. Some countries try to put some effort in by creating local flavours within the immigration hall. You know what I’m talking about especially if you’ve been to Bangkok International Airport, for example. For Dubai, it’s a little bit different. What you find here is advertisements of country’s most exciting real estate developments. They are surely proud of what they are building.

005_history is rising

This is the Burj Dubai, a tower planned to be the tallest in the world when finish. (do not get confused with Burj Al Arab, which is a hotel) Drive pass the construction site and you will see a billboard saying, “History is rising at __ storeys”. The number in the blank space changes every time the construction hits a new floor level. By the time this photo was taken it was at the 83rd floor. That was only about half way to the final height. Compare with neighbouring towers to see how monstrous it is growing to be. By the way, I’ve been told that in the next 10 years, more than half of top 10 tallest buildings in the world will be in Dubai. Madness… These people are filthy rich, aren’t they?

004_building the nation

There are a lot of constructions happening in Dubai. Ask any architect, there are two places to go for gold digging at the moment, either China or the Middle East. The evidence is obvious, half of the total numbers of vehicles on highways are trucks, all kinds and sizes of truck transporting all sorts of building material.

003_revolving doors

Do you think revolving doors are invented for cold countries? Well, think again. These doors not only prevent the outside cold air for coming into the building but can also work the other way around, to trap the air-con from leaking out and hot-desert air from coming in.

002_the grandstand

Sometimes necessity takes over aesthetics in a design process, especially when practicality is related to safety. As I told you before that it is very sandy and dusty in desert weather, things need regular cleaning. This includes all traffic signs. Take a look at the detail. Every street signs come with a suspended catwalk for maintenance purpose. Then it’s inevitable that the columns will get bigger to support extra weight of cleaners. The one-legged type on the background of the picture has even bigger column.

001_the sand

Dubai, U.A.E. is located in desert area. It is pretty much like Las Vegas, a human’s struggle to conquer an uninhabitable land and a moneymaking machine in a tabula rasa. There are three things you can easily discover here; oil (I’ve been told that it’s cheaper than beer), money and, of course, sand, hell a lot of sand everywhere. When you design a building here, make sure its detail doesn’t trap sand on the façade.