Dynamo in the desert

If you are not thinking globally, you are living in the wrong century—as in the last century. Retail brands are now extending their reach around the globe, and retail design firms have steadily seen more and more of their business migrate to overseas developments. Of those off-shore locations, two cities stand out: Dubai, an exotic, rapidly-expanding hub in the Middle East, and Shanghai, the "Paris of Asia" and the epicenter of explosive growth in China. The tale of these two cities is both a macrocosm and a microcosm of today's global change. In a two-part series that takes a close look, first at Dubai, then next month, at Shanghai, DDI responds to our readers' requests for more coverage of retail design beyond our own shores. With Wal-Mart and Best Buy opening stores in China, and with Tesco, H&M, Mango and UNIQLO opening stores in the United States, the 21st century offers unprecedented global opportunities.

Superlatives like "biggest," "most expensive" and "tallest" do not sufficiently describe the monumental, rapid explosion of growth and orchestrated, unbridled creativity that is forming an unprecedented new Mecca for tourism, shopping, entertainment and business now taking place in the Arabian Desert. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), either already can, or will soon be able to, boast the tallest building in the world, the biggest shopping center in the world, the tallest hotel in the world, the first underwater hotel and the largest, most extravagant entertainment complex in the world.

Dubai's rapidly rising new projects have been designed to inspire awe and wonder. An estimated $100 billion in real estate development is either currently under construction, or soon will be, as part of a building boom that began only about 15 years ago. One-fourth of the world's available building cranes are currently concentrated in Dubai. The city that is emerging combines the improbability of a mythic Xanadu with the glitz of Las Vegas—then adds a dash of "Star Wars" thrown in for good measure. Paco Underhill, CEO of New York-based Envirosell Inc., who has spent time in Dubai, says: "Dubai is the only place on Earth that is ready for intergalactic tourists."

The dominant design aesthetic is contemporary, mainly because everything is brand new and being built from the ground up. Most of the architects and designers are from Western firms—dominated by those based in the United Kingdom and the United States—and these firms are being given a free hand to come up with concepts that are designed to dazzle and impress. Middle Eastern touches of opulence are everywhere as well, reflecting the region's newfound wealth. And while spectacular, at times the end results, mixing elements of diverse styles, can sometimes be a bit jarring to Western aesthetic sensibilities. In Dubai, Tomorrowland meets "Laurence of Arabia" in a clash of culture and commerce that a recent article in Vanity Fair magazine describes as a "Capitalist dream on steroids."



From fishing village to fantastic

Unlike many other Middle Eastern locales, Dubai is not oil rich. With an economy that is growing at a rate of 16 percent a year, the country derives only 7 percent of its economic growth from oil-related activities, which is precisely why Sheikh Mohammed, the Emirate's Crown Prince, has designs on Dubai's becoming a world-class tourist and business destination. Even the new Emirates airline has been created just to bring visitors to Dubai.

This jewel of the United Arab Emirates attracts 5 million visitors a year from all over the world. By 2009, tourists are expected to spend $7.6 billion annually in Dubai.

Dubai began as a small fishing seaport, first settled in 1833. Today, Dubai's total population is around 4 million. Underhill points out that "only 300,000, or around 8 percent of the population, is local, with the rest made up of expats." Many of these expatriates were attracted by the stability of a Middle Eastern region that is removed from military conflicts. Underhill says, "Families left Beirut, Tehran, and later, Baghdad, to come to a location that they perceived to be safe and friendly to economic investment. And where they can get good dental care," he humorously adds. Many expats have also arrived from Pakistan, India and other parts of Asia, including wealthy businessmen and the thousands of laborers needed for the many construction projects (500,000 foreign laborers currently live in Dubai's construction labor camps). Expat money flows freely in Dubai, joined with funds from investors in London, Beijing and around the world, creating ample funds to finance growth. Construction activities go on 24 hours a day, in two 12-hour shifts, facilitating the rapid expansion. With the accelerated schedule, some observers say that Dubai can accomplish in five years what the West would take 20 years to complete.



Imagination without bounds

It began with the creation of the largest man-made port in the world, and then exploded with a growth spurt like no other on the planet. The monumental scale of projects in Dubai is awe-inspiring. Along the shore, three groups of man-made, palm-shaped islands add 250 miles of additional beachfront. The smallest group, Palm Jumeirah, contains around 9,000 residences and 30 hotels, including a venue by Donald Trump. Another large-scale, man-made island development called The World is shaped like a model of the globe. And the Falcon City of Wonders will recreate the wonders of the world, from the Taj Mahal to the Pyramids, making it the world's largest theme park. With construction beginning soon, the finished project will dwarf Disneyland.

One of the most recognizable of the new buildings is The Burj al Arab hotel, a $1 billion project billed as the world's first "seven-star" hotel. The cheapest rooms cost $1,000 a night and come with solid gold faucets. At 1,053 ft., it is the tallest building in the world used exclusively as a hotel. The structure stands on an artificial island, surrounded by water, and its design is in the shape of a huge boat sail. Luxury hotels cannot build properties fast enough—Four Seasons, Hilton and Hyatt are all open for business.

The Burj Dubai tower, when completed in 2009, will be the world's tallest building. In fact, it is not just tall; its architects, the Chicago-based office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), call it "super tall." At a cost of $800 million and a planned height of more than 2,400 ft., the building is the centerpiece of a master, mixed-use development by Emaar Properties PJSC of Dubai. According to SOM, the design is inspired by an indigenous desert flower and the "patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture," and it combines "historic and cultural influences with cutting-edge technology."



Shop the Kasbah

Design in Dubai has a "kind of 'Wild West' atmosphere," says Andrew Feola, president of Pasadena, Calif.-based F+A Architects, which makes frequent visits to Dubai, about eight times each year, utilizing part-time offices. "Over the last five or 10 years there has been a movement for more sophisticated design, and now they understand the value of high-quality design," Feola explains. "They are expecting more at every level. They are willing now to spend the money that is needed. An evolution is taking place, and Dubai is in the lead."

Toronto-based Watt International Inc. currently has an office in Dubai, and has recently designed several projects in the booming city. As an international design firm, Watt has been sought out for requests for proposal (RFPs), which is how the firm first began doing work in Dubai, says Brian Dyches, vice president, marketing and consumer strategy for Watt. However, Dyches emphasizes that it is important to know that cities like Dubai and Shanghai require significant due diligence in regards to setting up business. "Patience is key to establishing a long-term presence," he explains. Dyches also adds that both cities are building vast amounts of net retail space that will require a "more mainstream approach as they reach critical mass for the über shoppers. We'll see less duplicating of Canadian/U.S./U.K. concepts as they request more market-centric designs."

A perfect example of this Wild West approach to design is the sprawling Mall of the Emirates, which F+A Architects designed. Able to comfortably accommodate 50,000 people at one time, the Mall of the Emirates has been referred to as the world's first "shopping resort." Located in the heart of the master planned expansion district known as "New Dubai," the mall is halfway between Port Jebel Ali and Dubai City Center. Anchored by a climate-controlled indoor ski slope and winter sports complex, the Mall of the Emirates opened in 2005 with 2.4 million sq. ft. of gross leaseable area. The mall is home to 432 tenants, including a large Carrefour hypermarket and the largest Harvey Nichols department store outside the United Kingdom. The mall's striking center court dome is the largest glazed hemispherical dome in the Middle East, measuring 118 ft. in diameter and 124 ft. tall. The focal point of the complex is the indoor ski slope and snow park, Ski Dubai, with a ski slope that provides 8 million cubic ft. of snow and ice.

The Mall of the Emirates incorporates European and Arabic design elements infused throughout several modes of architecture, and the retail complex is divided into three architecturally distinct sections. Feola says the project is a series of vignettes, with the three design schemes tied together, driven by the convenience retail, high-fashion retail and entertainment districts.

The mall has two international food courts and a wide selection of restaurants, some of which overlook the ski slope through a 525-ft. glazed wall. The entertainment precinct of the mall includes a Magic Planet entertainment center housing indoor rides, simulators and bowling lanes, the largest sports retailer in the region and a 14-screen cinema. Connected to the mall, a Kempinski Hotel and a Marriott hotel, which will open later this year on the eastern side of the mall, will offer a total of 985 guest rooms.

The Mall of the Emirates is only one of the many elaborate new malls that proliferate in Dubai, along with Ibn Battuta Mall, the BurJuman Centre, Mercato, Wafi Mall, and soon to be joined by The Dubai Mall in the latter part of 2007. The Dubai Mall, which will be part of Emaar Properties' 500-acre Burj Dubai Downtown, will be the largest shopping mall in the world with a proposed gross floor area of about 5.6 million sq. ft.



Desert luxe

Another retail gem of the Mall of the Emirates is luxury department store Harvey Nichols, which offers the world's top brands in fashion, food, beauty and home, and also features a destination restaurant, Almaz by U.K. restaurateur Momo. The three-level, 137,000-sq.-ft. Harvey Nichols department store is the embodiment of sleek luxury, says Dawn Clark, principal for Seattle-based design firm Callison. Located next to the "Via Rodeo" collection of luxury shops in the mall, the Harvey Nichols store is a shopping environment defined by dramatic lighting, strong structural elements, minimalist detailing and modern finishes. Callison began the design process by interpreting the attributes of a classic British brand and amplifying these elements for the Dubai retail marketplace. "The benchmark for retail in Dubai is so high," Clark says. "The retail environment is thriving because of a sophisticated audience of international travelers demanding high-end stores. And because the Harvey Nichols customer is a connoisseur of global fashion and design trends, Callison sought to incorporate changeability into the store design."

Clark says Callison threaded a connection to Harvey Nichols' London precedent, while echoing Dubai's environment and culture. "Intimate apparel and the Nail Bar include frosted glass privacy screens in deference to Middle Eastern shoppers' emphasis on modesty, while shiny, hard surfaces reinforce the edgy atmosphere. And color-shifting lights and flatscreen animation leverage the location's dramatic interior perspectives," Clark explains.

A three-story escalator punctuates the space, lit by an array of overhead circular LED fixtures that continuously shift colors. The store's mall-side façade, repeated on each of its three levels, features a geometric design, while large show windows highlight innovative displays. Additional features of the store include a backlit stretch matrix ceiling system on the first floor that allows for glowing, colored light to luminate the space, and modern classic furniture from designers such as Warren Platner and Eero Saarinen, balanced with custom-designed pieces.

Major luxury brands were quick to migrate to Dubai, opening shops and boutiques across the many retail outlets. Following in the footsteps of Harvey Nichols and many other powerhouse fashion brands with stores in the Mall of the Emirates, such as Calvin Klein, Guess?, French Connection and Lacoste, CHANEL opened a stunning makeup studio. The CHANEL makeup studio at Mall of the Emirates is the sixth of its kind in the world, and the boutique serves as a place for the fashion conscious to go for a makeover or to shop for exclusive cosmetic products.

CHANEL wanted to showcase its makeup collection in a contemporary, playful and interactive environment. To create a retail space that would be both attractive to shoppers and practical for makeup application, CHANEL turned to Martin Architectural, a division of Martin Professional A/S, Aarhus, Denmark. The result was an eye-catching ceiling installation of color-changing light fixtures that are capable of generating nearly all colors or white light of any color temperature.



Guests of the Sheikh

With tourism accounting for 17 percent of Dubai's national income, hotels from the ultra-extravagant resort to the minimalist spa are popping up right and left. Enter the Park Hyatt Dubai—a four-story retreat created by Dallas-based Wilson Associates.

Faster construction, with work being done around the clock, is one of the factors that is driving the booming retail market in Dubai, says Patrick James Waring, deputy managing director, Wilson Associates, Singapore office. Construction for the Park Hyatt Dubai, a 225-room, urban, luxury waterfront resort next to the famous Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, began in early 2004 and was completed in November 2005. "Designers and architects want to come here because there is so much work," Waring notes. "What is happening differently here is that they are much more willing to accept cutting-edge design."

Designed to project feelings of calmness and relaxation, "the design brief from the client (Mirage Mille) was that the design was to be a combination of Greek, Mediterranean and Arabic styles—a simplistic form of Arabic architecture combined with the crispness of simple Greek architectural building elements," Waring says. "The design is influenced by Marrakech courtyard styling and is intended to appear authentic."

Details in the architecture, such as shadows, texture and the use of neutral colors, create a calm atmosphere with nautical influences, and every guestroom and public area has a view of the Dubai Creek.

The nautical influence is taken even further in the hotel's fine dining restaurant, Le Traiteur—which has a theatrical "super yacht" theme reinforced with curved timber ceiling beams, an interior backdrop of sail shapes and a timber staircase suspended from the ceiling with stainless steel ropes. "The restaurant's geometric wall adds endless drama with its sheer proportion and optical illusion," Waring says.



Tantalizing towers

It may not be possible to pinpoint exactly what makes design in Dubai so exciting, but Manny Dominguez, principal architect with TVS Architects, sums it up well: "Dubai is Dubai—and right now it's the coolest place on earth to practice." His assertion rings true, especially in the case of the Dubai Towers, where Atlanta-based TVS Architects was able to create an architectural splendor. Reminiscent of candle flames swaying in the wind, the dramatic Dubai Towers will be the centerpiece of "The Lagoons" Central Business District, a new urban development in Dubai. Both the towers and the master planned development are designed by TVS.

The four towers, ranging from 54 to 97 floors, are "clustered to form a choreographed sculpture," says Maria E. Bonau, associate principal for TVS. Bonau attributes the unique design to Dubai's position as a world leader in enterprise and innovation. "Because of its strong desire for modern, cutting-edge design, we have unique opportunities to exercise more creative freedom in our designs," Bonau says. The buildings will serve residential, commercial, retail and hospitality purposes, and the Dubai Towers complex is expected to be completed by mid 2010.

A retail festival

Watt recently designed the food court at the Festival Waterfront Centre in Dubai Festival City—a city within a city located on 1,600 acres along the northeast bank of man-made Dubai Creek, which will eventually include shopping, dining, entertainment, homes, schools, hotels and offices. Privately funded by the Al-Futtaim Group, Dubai Festival City is a 70-million-sq.-ft. waterfront lifestyle resort made of three districts—Marsa Al Khor, Festival Centre and Al Badia. The Festival Waterfront Centre will offer more than 550 shops and services, 90 restaurants and cafes and a 12-screen movie theater. The Festival Centre also will be connected to 25 international flagship stores and to InterContinental and Crowne Plaza hotels.

The 1.3-million-sq.-ft. Festival Power Centre includes more than 40 home accessories, food and beverage, lifestyle, convenience and service stores, with an additional 20 other big-box retailers to come. The Power Centre will soon be integrated with the Waterfront Centre, resulting in a total retail area of 2.1 million sq. ft. for Dubai Festival City.



City of the future

With so many retail projects currently under construction and many more on the way, Dubai is teaming with designers, architects and retailers itching to stake their claim in the booming marketplace. Lifestyle centers, retail resorts and many other developments colossal in scale, are quickly converting this city into a shopping and tourism epicenter. Dubai has already transformed itself into a "city of the future." With construction progressing at a rapid pace, within the next decade Dubai will be a city that offers such destinations as the first underwater luxury resort and a 3 billion sq. ft. theme-park development. And speaking of city of the future, don't forget the world's first spaceport, which will be just inside the border of nearby emirate Ras Al-Khaimah.

Will all these out-of-this-world projects begin to diminish anytime soon? Dominguez doesn't think so. He believes clients in Dubai will continue to demand innovative designs. "Dubai will continue to grow over the next 10 years, and the need for retail will continue to evolve at a rapid pace," he says. "Dubai is a global city with residents from all over the world, with diverse needs and fashion tastes. It's actually the most diverse place I have ever seen."