Here’s what the UAE will look like after 2020
Apart from Expo 2020 Dubai, next year will be a milestone year for the UAE thanks to initiatives that will alter the UAE landscape in time for the 50th year of the Union in 2021 and beyond. Dona Cherian, Web News Editor, lists a few of the most anticipate
Dubai Creek Tower
Trumping the best-known characteristic of one of the crowning jewels of the country – the Burj Khalifa – the Dubai Creek Tower is set to become the new, record-breaking, tallest building in the world. Part of the Dubai Creek Harbour project, the observation tower has been designed by Santiago Calatrava and is expected to complete in 2020 in time for the Expo. The tower promises to feature a 360 degree observation deck featuring spectacular city views. The designer’s website states, “Calatrava’s monumental design, chosen out of six proposals from competing firms, is influenced by the natural forms of the lily and evokes the shape of a minaret, a distinctive architectural feature in Islamic culture.”
Dubai Creek Harbour
A six square-kilometre development in Deira, this project will change the fascade of one of Dubai’s oldest areas drastically. The Dubai Creek Tower will be the main attraction within this project but that’s not all. The developer states that the Dubai Creek Harbour is set to be twice the size of Downtown Dubai, and will have a mega-mall ‘Dubai Square’ along with waterfront residences.
Mohammad Bin Rashid Library
Resembling an open book sitting on a rehl – a traditional lectern which holds the Quran – the Mohammad Bin Rashid Library is set to be an iconic structure worth global acclaim and is almost completed. Spanning 66,000 square metres, when completed, it will be the biggest library in the region featuring over 4.5 million books. The structure is seven storeys high and will also serve as a community hub with spaces for events or festivals and a 500-seat lecture theatre.
District 2020 After April 2021, more than 80 per cent of the Expo-built structures will be retained and repurposed for District 2020, which will see the urbanisation of the Expo 2020 site into a smart and sustainable micro city-within-a-city that aims to provide an innovationdriven business ecosystem, while being a diverse and thriving urban community. District 2020 is curating a diverse mix of tenants that include global corporations, SMEs, and startups, as well as enablers and social and
Museum of the Future
A regular sight for motorists on Shaikh Zayed Road, the design for Museum of the Future is an architectural marvel and a stunning ode to Arabic. A futuristic museum in concept, the project promises technological innovations and Artificial Intelligence ahead of our time for an immersive and interactive experience.
educational platforms. Two of Expo’s Official Premier Partners, Accenture and Siemens, have committed to establishing a permanent presence in District 2020. Siemens will establish its global headquarters for airports, cargo and ports logistics, while Accenture will open a digital hub. Merck KGaA will establish a sustainability centre, and Atlas Capital Holding will create a blockchain campus. Expo 2020’s Sustainability Pavilion will become a Children and Science Centre. Al Wasl Plaza and the Mobility Pavilion will also remain as permanent fixtures in District 2020. Jewel of the Creek
Located between Al Maktoum and Floating bridges, the Jewel of the Creek project sprawls over 125,675 square metres and includes hotels, residential towers and restaurants in addition to a man-made lake and a waterfront promenade and marina for 65 berths. The project also includes the construction of a 81-metre footbridge over Baniyas Street.
Burj Jumeirah
A futuristic sail-shaped oval-faced building, the building will bear, literally, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid’s fingerprint as its base. Iconic in design the 550-metre building — with two cut halves joining in the middle — is expected to be completed in 2023.
Zayed National Museum
The museum on Saadiyat Island is on track to open in 2021. A structure dedicated to Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the museum’s towers are shaped like falcon wings, designed as on ode to Shaikh Zayed’s love of falconry.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum
The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum is expected to open on Saadiyat Island by 2022. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection will feature works of global artists produced since the turn of the 1960s. Surrounded almost entirely by water, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will have spectacular views of the Saadiyat Cultural District and the Arabian Gulf. Galleries will be distributed around the central atrium on four levels connected by glass bridges. The museum will also feature a 350-seat theatre, education workshops and classrooms, an onsite conservation lab, as well as a retail store, cafes, and a restaurant.
Sharjah Beach Development
The 3.3km stretch of beach development stretches from the Ajman border to the roundabout adjacent to the Sharjah Ladies Club. Amenities include public plazas, pedestrian paths, bike lanes, picnic places, seating areas, shading structures, public art areas and water features. Parking for 1,100 vehicles is also planned to be installed – making it a convenient and fun destination to visit.
CLYMB
CLYMB in Abu Dhabi houses the world’s biggest indoor-skydiving space and the world’s tallest indoor wall climbing installation.