Exploring the City of Arabia

One of the two sub-stations for the City of Arabia project.
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Dinosaurs and shopping? As diametrically opposite as these two concepts are, it is a combination that the City of Arabia might just pull off when it opens in 2011, says Shikha Mishra. Photos: John Pocock.

It is difficult to imagine that in two years time dinosaurs will be walking around in Dubailand. With their Restless Planet edutainment centre that is exactly what the developers of City of Arabia have set out to do.

Divided in four phases, the City of Arabia project will have the Mall of Arabia (with the Restless Planet inter-connected to it), Wadi Walk and The Towers.

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The project is being developed in phases with the mall and Restless Planet slated to be completed and open to the public in 2011.

Restless Planet is being developed in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of London, dinosaur authority Jack Horner and Tokyo-based animatronics team Kokoro who have recreated the dinosaurs. Restless Planet will be enclosed within an 80-metre high translucent dome designed by international theme park specialists Jack Rouse Associates.

About five of the 50-odd dinosaurs scheduled to be in Restless Planet will be fitted with tracking devices. So if they are tuned to follow people wearing white on a particular day, and you happen to land up wearing a white T-shirt on that day, be prepared to be followed.

“Nothing like this has been done before. We have a best team behind it. There are some more exciting details associated with Restless Planet that will be a first in the world. But, we will disclose those closer to the opening,” says Alex Vacha, deputy director of projects, City of Arabia.

The Mall of Arabia, which will also have a four star hotel, and the entire roof will be landscaped with adjoining parking spaces.

“What Ski Dubai is for Mall of Emirates, Restless Planet will be to Mall of Arabia,” says Vacha.

Normally malls are built in a racing lap design, but Mall of Arabia’s design is concentric, which will allow shoppers to get around much quicker and will allow for easier access to stores. Mall of Arabia has a gross leasable area (GLA) of .93 million m2 spread over two phases,

“Eighty-nine percent of the retail space in the first phase of the mall has already been leased and the rest is being held back, which will be released towards the opening of the mall,” says Vacha.

The mall’s construction is currently in the pile cap stage, and construction will start from the middle going outwards. There will be a point where the middle will have the granite floor with all the final finishes and construction will be going on the outside part.

“We are working on a 24-hour basis, including the weekend. Each shift has 1000 men,” says Vacha.

With the rain becoming a constant feature during Dubai’s winters, adequate storm water drainage tanks have also been put in place to prevent flooding.

A concrete batching plant is on site and a labour camp is under construction as well to cut down on the traveling time for the labourers.