Dubai is planning to build a climate-controlled indoor city

[Shawn Knight]

Home to an abundance of wealth as well as the world's tallest building, Dubai is already one of the most extravagant locales on the planet. But the opulent city isn't resting on its laurels as officials have announced plans to construct what will be the world's first climate-controlled bio-dome.

The Mall of the World complex will be an undertaking unlike any other. Covering 48 million square feet, the mini-metropolis will feature the world's largest mall as it'll occupy 8 million square feet alone.

Other areas will be split into districts specializing in a variety of amenities. For example, a wellness district will offer up services like cosmetic surgery and spa treatments while the cultural district will mimic famous landmarks around the globe like London's West End and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Elsewhere, visitors will find more than 100 hotel and serviced apartment buildings in addition to the world's largest indoor family theme park. Some 20,000 hotel rooms will be available for guests at any given time while a cultural celebration center can play host to 15,000 people.

In a statement on the matter, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said the growth in family and retail tourism underpins the need to enhance Dubai’s tourism infrastructure as soon as possible. The project complements their plans to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub for the 2 billion people living in the surrounding region and they are determined to achieve their vision, he added.

No word yet on how much the project will cost or when it will be completed.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/57338-dubai-is-planning-to-build-a-climate-controlled-indoor-city.html

 

[davislane1]

Hmm... I think I've got the perfect slogan that should help improve their tourism:

Dubai – We do America better.

 

[Guest]

On a related story: Author Stephen King plans to sue Dubai for copying "Under the Dome"

 

[VitalyT]

If they are seriously thinking of having roads in it for regular gasoline cars, they are *****s, and it is a terribly dumb vanity exercise.

Such a dome should never allow any CO2-emitting stuff (except living beings) to be used inside, or it will be a green-house nightmare.

 

[davislane1]

If they are seriously thinking of having roads in it for regular gasoline cars, they are *****s, and it is a terribly dumb vanity exercise.

Such a dome should never allow any CO2-emitting stuff (except living beings) to be used inside, or it will be a green-house nightmare.

Depends on how it's engineered. If they can engineer a solution that remedies the situation you've described, I'd me more than a little interested in the finer details of the system and the contractor who came up with it.

 

[Adhmuz]

Insane if this actually happens, price will be in the 100's of Billions if not reaching the Trillions, all because you live in a desert that no one wants to go to. As for the CO2 emissions issues with vehicles, I don't see it being terribly difficult to make every internal vehicle electric. Fine you drive your Bentley of Ferrari into the underground parking but then you'll be provided with a means to get around with electricity, because even though 48 Million square feet sound like a lot, it's only really covering an area of roughly two square miles, electric transport should have that in the bag by the time this actually gets built.

 

[Rippleman]

I know I wouldn't invest in it. As soon as oil is replaced with something, else... boom.. middle east money will be as dry as the desert it is.

 

[RebelFlag]

I am gonna start holding my farts in now and get them back for $4 a gallon gas.

 

[mgwerner]

Insane if this actually happens, price will be in the 100's of Billions if not reaching the Trillions, all because you live in a desert that no one wants to go to. As for the CO2 emissions issues with vehicles, I don't see it being terribly difficult to make every internal vehicle electric. Fine you drive your Bentley of Ferrari into the underground parking but then you'll be provided with a means to get around with electricity, because even though 48 Million square feet sound like a lot, it's only really covering an area of roughly two square miles, electric transport should have that in the bag by the time this actually gets built.

"No one wants to go to?" I live here, and the airport and planes are always full of Europeans escaping the winter, and rich Arabs coming to shop. Learn a little about what you are talking about before you speak.

 

[Adhmuz]

"No one wants to go to?" I live here, and the airport and planes are always full of Europeans escaping the winter, and rich Arabs coming to shop. Learn a little about what you are talking about before you speak.

Congrats, you live in the desert, sorry if I don't feel that's much of a tourist attraction. And building these over extravagant money hungry utopia's in the middle of one of the least inhabitable areas of the world just seems a little pointless. Especially when you realize the Oil money will dry up in the next 100 years, the climate will increase the temperature to make the area completely inhabitable and water will be nearly impossible to come by. But hey everyone needs to go on a huge shopping spree halfway around the world just to make themselves feel better right?

 

[davislane1]

"No one wants to go to?" I live here, and the airport and planes are always full of Europeans escaping the winter, and rich Arabs coming to shop. Learn a little about what you are talking about before you speak.

Congrats, you live in the desert, sorry if I don't feel that's much of a tourist attraction. And building these over extravagant money hungry utopia's in the middle of one of the least inhabitable areas of the world just seems a little pointless. Especially when you realize the Oil money will dry up in the next 100 years, the climate will increase the temperature to make the area completely inhabitable and water will be nearly impossible to come by. But hey everyone needs to go on a huge shopping spree halfway around the world just to make themselves feel better right?

So, basically, you feel Dubai is doomed because 1) it's managers are too short-sighted to pivot their economic and business strategies for the inevitable day oil stops paying and 2) the apocalypse?

Well, points for creativity.

 

[Hexic]

"No one wants to go to?" I live here, and the airport and planes are always full of Europeans escaping the winter, and rich Arabs coming to shop. Learn a little about what you are talking about before you speak.

Congrats, you live in the desert, sorry if I don't feel that's much of a tourist attraction. And building these over extravagant money hungry utopia's in the middle of one of the least inhabitable areas of the world just seems a little pointless. Especially when you realize the Oil money will dry up in the next 100 years, the climate will increase the temperature to make the area completely inhabitable and water will be nearly impossible to come by. But hey everyone needs to go on a huge shopping spree halfway around the world just to make themselves feel better right?

So, basically, you feel Dubai is doomed because 1) it's managers are too short-sighted to pivot their economic and business strategies for the inevitable day oil stops paying and 2) the apocalypse?

Well, points for creativity.

Exactly. Dubai wouldn't spend the billions of dollars (or be what it is today) in creating this place if they didn't think it would last long term. I'm sure they have planned out what to do at time period 'x' - especially for something as simple as the climate. They've been battling that for years, and obviously winning.

As obviously over-the-top and luxurious as the place is, give the multi-billionaires a little more credit.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

"No one wants to go to?" I live here, and the airport and planes are always full of Europeans escaping the winter, and rich Arabs coming to shop. Learn a little about what you are talking about before you speak.

Congrats, you live in the desert, sorry if I don't feel that's much of a tourist attraction. And building these over extravagant money hungry utopia's in the middle of one of the least inhabitable areas of the world just seems a little pointless. Especially when you realize the Oil money will dry up in the next 100 years, the climate will increase the temperature to make the area completely inhabitable and water will be nearly impossible to come by. But hey everyone needs to go on a huge shopping spree halfway around the world just to make themselves feel better right?

I'm with you... I wish Dubai would stop wasting money on sustainable business for the future and just do what every other oil rich country in the middle east does and fund terrorism with the money they're not spending on their palaces.

 

[treetops]

28 square miles, quite impressive

 

[taimuraly]

I do not see what is so special about this city. Seems many other cities have similar covered street ways.

Many cities already do this in a way. In Hong Kong you can in both Central/Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui walk for miles in covered overground walkways, underground malls, hotel lobbies and so on without ever leaving air conditioned comfort.

Starlionblue via io9

This is not particularly unique - maybe Dubai's implementation with city-as-Disneyland like these concept pics, but Montreal has an extensive underground network as do Nagoya and Osaka. You can spend all day underground in those cities.

Count Smorkula via io9

Reminds me a bit of how Las Vegas works.

I've been to Vegas a few times—didn't really like it (Except the Hoover Dam tour, which was AWESOME!)—but here's the thing, they make it so you can can walk from hotel/casino to hotel/casino (Provided they are owned by the same company.) without ever being outside. They have giant air conditioned tunnels that run underground. There are huge sections of Vegas that are fully climate controlled and indoors. It's like being in a gigantic shopping mall.

So that Dubai is doing the same thing, doesn't seem that incredible to me. I would imagine that eventally most major cities in the tropics and hot climates will do this.

And yeah, that's gonna take a lot of juice. Luckily they have plenty of solar energy to accomplish this.

Corpore Metal via io9
(I am quoting because I have not been to these places myself and so taking the accounts of others who have, presumably)

I was hoping the whole city would be have been covered completely - like their women .