The 555m-tall Burj Jumeira tower was partly inspired by Mohammed bin Rashid, prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ruler of Dubai, one of the emirates. The project was announced on January 31 by state-owned investment group Dubai Holding. The group said the base of the tower was designed to resemble the ridges of the king's big toe. Photo: Dubai Holding.
The tower's exterior will be covered in light-emitting panels, including the colors of the UAE flag. Photo: Dubai Holding.
The design of Burj Jumeira includes a lounge and restaurant at 450m and a 360-degree observation deck. The design concept is said to be inspired by desert dunes and oases.
Burj Jumeira and the surrounding area known as Downtown Jumeira (below left) are located near the Burj Al Arab hotel and south of Downtown Dubai, home to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
The investor said the base of the tower, which resembles a thumbprint, will be a lake and art space, and the surrounding space will be for housing and commerce.
The tower is part of Dubai's planning for the 2020 World Expo, when the emirate expects to welcome 25 million visitors.
The Burj Jumeira Tower is one of several mega-projects that also revolve around towers. The Dubai Creek Harbour project revolves around the Dubai Creek Tower, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and will be the tallest tower in the world when completed, at 928m.
Despite being located in the middle of an urban area, the tower is not far from the Ras al Khor wildlife sanctuary, where flamingos nest in winter.
The Dubai Creek Harbour mega-project will be home to 200,000 people, according to the developer, Emaar. Photo: Emaar Properties.
Next to the Dubai Creek tower will be a $2 billion "super" shopping mall called Dubai Square, with an area of over 743,000 square meters, twice the size of Dubai Mall, which is currently the world's largest shopping mall by floor area.
Architecturally, parts of Dubai Square will resemble traditional souks that have long attracted tourists to the emirate. The total area of retail, entertainment and residential areas surrounding it will total nearly 2.8 million square metres.
Another mega-project called Meydan One was announced in 2015 and will include world records such as the longest indoor ski slope, the largest artistic fountain, the tallest residential tower, a 360-degree observation deck and the highest restaurant.
The multi-billion dollar project is expected to be completed in 2020, in time for the UAE to host the 2020 World Expo. In late 2018, the developer, Meydan, said the project was still on schedule for completion in 2020.
The world's tallest residential tower, Dubai One, will be 711m high, surpassing the record-holder 432 Park Avenue in New York. It will include a five-star hotel, a yacht club, and on the 161st floor, the world's highest restaurant.
