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Tom Wright | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 18 September 1957 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Notable work | Burj Al Arab |
Tom Wright (born 18 September 1957) is a British architect best known as the designer of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. [1] [2]
Born in Shirley, Croydon, Surrey in 1957, [3] Wright studied at the Royal Russell School and then later at the Kingston University School of Architecture. Wright qualified as an architect the same year he was accepted as a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1983 [1] and went on from there to become a director of the architectural practice Lister Drew Haines Barrow, which was taken over in 1991 by Atkins. Wright became head of Atkins' architecture arm. [4]
Wright became design director for the Jumeirah Beach Resort, Dubai, and designed the Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) at the same time. It was conceived in October 1994 and finished in 1999. The brief was to create an icon for Dubai: a building that would become synonymous with the place, as the Sydney Opera House is with Sydney and the Eiffel Tower is with Paris. The hotel is built in the shape of a dhow's (a traditional Arabic ship) sail to reflect Dubai′s seafaring heritage combined with a modern aspect moving forwards into the future. It costs 2,700 dollars on average per night to book a room at the hotel.
In 2013 Tom Wright, Geku Kuruvilla George and Hakim Khennouchi left Atkins to create a new practice called WKK Architects incorporated in July 2013. WKK was restructured and WKA (Wright Kuruvilla Architects Ltd) was formed in March 2024.
In 2023, the Ribbon Building, one of Tom Wright architectures, was opened in Iran and in Tehran. The three functions of the building are visually split by a flowing silver ribbon of cladding and light. This simple dramatic device helps lift a simple, efficient structure to a memorable landmark.
One of his most recent projects is the co-design of Celebrity Cruises' new ship, Celebrity Edge, [5] which brings a number of innovations to the cruise ship industry.
The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Developed and managed by Jumeirah, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island that is 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a ship. It has a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.
The year 1999 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.
The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's tallest structure. With a total height of 829.8 m and a roof height of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009, surpassing Taipei 101, the previous holder of that status.
Tom Wright may refer to:
Nakheel Tower was a planned skyscraper on hold in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by developer Nakheel. The project was previously called Al Burj. While the proposal changed over time, the tower was intended to be the tallest building in the world, surpassing the 828-metre (2,717 ft) Burj Khalifa which was completed in 2010.
The Burj Al Alam was a proposed 108-story, 510 m (1,670 ft) hyperboloid skyscraper in the Business Bay area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, though the project's roots are in a 101-storey design called "Fortune 101" and slated for the Dubai Marina area. It was designed to resemble a crystal flower. If constructed, it would have become one of the world's tallest buildings. The tower was one of the projects of the Fortune Group, which has a number of other projects in Dubai such as the Fortune Bay and Fortune Tower.
Al Rajhi Bank Tower is a 205-m commercial skyscraper in the al-Muruj neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project was launched in 2006 and completed in 2017. Designs for the sail-shaped tower have been drawn up by architects at Atkins. The tower is being built on behalf of the Al Rajhi family and will be used for commercial purposes. The family, considered by most in Saudi Arabia, as the country's wealthiest non-royals, is among the world's leading philanthropists.
The Palm Trump International Hotel & Tower was a proposed skyscraper hotel and residential complex at the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. It was a joint venture between the Trump Organization and Dubai-based Nakheel, a government-owned company, and was announced on October 5, 2005. This building and other prestigious building projects throughout Dubai in late 2008 were never built, largely as a result of the global credit crunch.
Atkins was a British multinational construction, design, engineering and business services company. It was formerly listed on the London Stock exchange and had a London headquarters. During July 2017 the company was bought by SNC-Lavalin in a £2.1 billion deal which subsequently renamed to AtkinsRéalis in 2023.
The government of Dubai took a decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented. This has made real estate and other developments more valuable, thus resulting in a property boom from 2004 to 2006. Construction on a large scale has turned Dubai into one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. There are a number of large-scale projects which are currently under construction or are to be constructed in the future. Due to the heavy construction which is taking place in Dubai, 30,000 construction cranes, which are 25% of cranes worldwide, are operating in Dubai. Due to the burst of construction, Dubai has acquired various building-related records, which include: the world's tallest tower, the world's largest shopping mall, the world's largest fountain and the world's tallest hotel. Also under construction is Dubailand, which will be almost twice the size of the Walt Disney World Resort.
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), an architecture firm and design firm based in Chicago, is engaged in the design and development of energy-efficient and sustainable architecture. AS+GG designs buildings, cities, masterplans and components of these, for an international clientele, with projects located throughout the world. The primary uses of these designs are civic, commercial, cultural, hospitality, residential and mixed-use. AS+GG also specializes in supertall skyscrapers, such as the Jeddah Tower, which will overtake the Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building when completed.
Jeddah Tower or Burj Jeddah, previously known as Kingdom Tower, is a skyscraper construction project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is planned to be the first 1 km (3,281 ft) tall building and would be the world's tallest building or structure upon completion, standing 180 m (591 ft) taller than the Burj Khalifa. Located in the north side of Jeddah, it is the centrepiece of the Jeddah Economic City project. After almost five years of inactivity, development work on the project resumed in 2023.
Downtown Dubai or The DubaiDowntown is a large-scale, mixed-use complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was developed by the Emaar real estate development company. Before 2000 this place called was Umm Al Tarif It is home to some of the city's most notable landmarks, including Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall, and The Dubai Fountain. It covers an area of 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi), at an estimated cost of US$20 billion upon completion and, as of 2017, has a population of 13,201.
There are many tourist attractions in Dubai, resulting from the large scale construction boom. Dubai received 14 million tourists from all around the world in 2015. Euromonitor ranked the world's 150 most visited cities by international tourists in 2009; Dubai ranked 7th. Dubai welcomed 14.36M visitors in 2022. Dubai's economy relies on many sections of the "state", one of the most important being tourism, in 2014 total 70,475,636 passengers traveled through Dubai Airport.
George J. Efstathiou, FAIA, RIBA is an American architect of Greek descent. George joined Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP (SOM) in 1974, where he served as Managing Partner and later Consulting Partner in the Chicago office until 2016. He is currently leading the consulting practice of Efstathiou Consulting LLC which serves clients in the architecture, planning, interiors design as well as others in the real estate and corporate communities.
Al Habtoor City is a multi-use development in Business Bay, Dubai, consisting of three hotels and three high-rise residential towers commissioned by the Al Habtoor Group in 2012.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Dubai.
Hazel Wong is an architect. She lives and works in the United Arab Emirates.
The architecture of the United Arab Emirates has undergone dramatic transformation in recent decades, from operating as a collection of fishing villages to a global business hub known for its innovation and dynamism. Between the 1960s and 1970s, architecture in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained solely traditional, with narrow alleys and windtower houses still in use, reflective of a strong Bedouin heritage. Architecture is influenced by elements of Islamic, Arabian and Persian culture.