Could there really be a massive resort moon landing in Dubai?
One small step for engineering, another potential giant leap for Dubai…
Dubai is a city that has, since its very inception, treated engineering conventions with a sort of resting distrust face. If it wants to build a physics-defying, mega-tower, that seems to twist towards the teasing skies, requires a complete reinvention of elevator technology and just generally breaks all the rules of contemporary construction, it will (and has) go ahead and do exactly that. The word ‘Impossible’ was redacted from Dubai’s dictionary a long time ago.
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What is the Dubai Moon?
Creating a themed manmade archipelago in the Arabian Gulf, no problem – I’ll take three please. An indoor ski slope, in a mall, in the desert – absolutely, but just make sure you squeeze in a black run. The world’s tallest tower, most powerful solar farm, turning a vintage cruise ship into a hotel, record-breaking malls, artificial lake smithing, simulated reef building, giant observational wheel manufacturing… This is all pioneering, Sim City, fantastical fabrication fever dreaming, but one of the metropolis’ most recently touted megaprojects goes perhaps even a small step beyond that.
Into orbit
A hotel cosplaying as the moon. That’s the proposed USD 5 billion dollar, more than 300-metre-high venture from Moon World Resorts Inc. But how would it work? What lunacy would be contained within? Where will it be built? Do we really need a 1:100 scale hospitality Death Star? Are they actually even building it, or is it just a concept resort at this point? We have answers to all (eh, some) of these questions, and more, below.
Lunar modules
The design conceived by Canadian entrepreneur Michael Henderson, will comprise of a 4,000-room hotel, an arena capable of hosting 10,000 people, fine dining restaurants, a spa and a lunar colony experience. Basically pretending you went to the moon, which is exactly what some people (to be absolutely clear, not us) think Neil Armstrong and friends did.
The proposed features also include reference to a nocturnal illumination show.
Are they actually building it?
No. At least, not yet. It’s still very much in the exploration phase. But the minds behind the idea have kicked about a few options as to where the Luna base might find itself.
The leading site, as depicted in the image that’s been circulated, is the (appropriately enough) construction crater of the Dubai Pearl, at the base of Palm Jumeirah. Other mooted locations include a Burj Khalifa adjacent plot, although precisely where that might be remains unclear.
More phases of the moon
Moon World Resorts’ Instagram channel suggests that the company is looking at builds in the USA, China, India, Spain and Brazil in addition to their UAE venture.
Images: Moon World Resorts
