Sublime Structures

There is no place in the world that does extravagance and luxury like Dubai. From the world's only seven star hotel to the largest mall to huge man-made islands there is no end to the wonders of Dubai. Although a fantastic holiday destination, Dubai is still a construction site. Take a deep breath as we give you a glimpse of the wonders this extraordinary city is offering in 2008 and beyond.

Satellite views of the once empty plain now show enourmous elaborate structures sprouting up all over but some of the most incredible creations are those off the coast. Two huge palms and a map of the world form man-made Islands. Most of the islands that make up The World have already been sold off despite being nothing but sand there. Within the year building will begin on the Islands with residential properties, shops and hotels in the styles of different locations throughout the world.

Although not yet built, water villas supported by stilts are already being sold in Jasmine Garden, an exclusive five star resort Island inspired by traditional Thai architecture featuring still ponds, bridges and cascading fountains.

Inland wonders do not cease with Dubailand, a theme park twice the size of Florida in development. Within Dubailand plans are underway for the building of The Great Dubai Wheel which will outdo the London eye with its enormity and ability to view distances of up to 50 kilometres in one of its 36 capsules.

At the heart of Dubailand is the City of Arabia, a 20 million square foot development, which includes a mall with over 1,000 retail outlets and an incredible Jurassic Park style project. . The Mall of Arabia will be the point of entry for the Restless Planet dinosaur theme park, being designed in collaboration with London’s Natural History Museum and will feature 100 unique animatronics as lifelike dinasours.

This year sees a number of projects finally realised. The first of these is the spectacular Burj Dubai which will become the world's tallest building.