Dubai is one of the hottest countries on the planet with the desert temperatures soaring in excess of 50 degrees in summer. One the most excessive Arab Emirates, Dubai boasts the world’s first seven star hotel the Burj Al Arab, Ski Dubai, one of the world’ s largest indoor ski slopes. Some more world first’s are in the pipeline or constructed namely Hydropolis, an underwater hotel complex, Burj Khalifa which is to be the the world’s tallest structure, UAE spaceport, a hub for space travel, and Dubai Land which is to be twice the size of Disney World Florida. These are big plans for a nation of 1.4 million people.
Dubai will also have the world’s first air-conditioned and refrigerated beach when the Palazzo Versace hotel opens later this year.
The Versace philosophy is that its well-heeled guests (or barefoot perhaps?) do not want to walk upon scorching sand. Unlike mere mortals, who hop, ooch and ouch balancing awkwardly on toes across the hot sand or those who are clever enough to invest in a pair of flip-flops, the Palazzo Versace guest will have the luxury of walking across cool sand and be able to lay on it in comfort.
This will be achieved by network of pipes below the beach containing coolant. The swimming pool will also be refrigerated and giant blowers are to be installed to waft a gentle breeze across the beach.
The founder and President of Palazzo Versace said, “We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on. This is the kind of luxury that top people want.”
The 10-storey hotel will have 213 rooms, several with their own internal swimming pools, plus 169 apartments.
Pioneering technology needed to be applied when it came to considering air conditioning options for the Burj Khalifa the tallest man made building in the world.
Controlling heat is extremely important factor in skyscrapers. With the introduction of air conditioning, builders were able to avoid their towers becoming large glass greenhouses cooking the people inside. In the case of Burj Khalifa the dual factors of the Dubai heat which reaches 50 degrees Centigrade in summer and the height of the tower 2716.5 ft (828 m), meant air conditioning on its own would not keep the building cool. A special two-paned window was designed for use in the Burj Khalifa. The outside pane coated with a thin layer of metal deflects ultra-violet radiation and reflects solar heat. The outside pane does not work against infrared radiation so a second pane is coated with a thin layer of silver, which keeps the infrared rays out. The building is covered in 30,000 glass panels; enough to cover 17 football pitches.
It’s quite incredible to think what can be achieved with engineering excellence in air conditioning, and Dubai is currently leading the way. However, for air conditioning excellence in London there’s only one place to go!
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