The world’s new tallest building, the 818-meter-high Burj Dubai tower is set to open a new visitors’ area on January 4, featuring a panoramic view platform on its 124th floor.

Even though the economy is grim, big malls are opening around the world. We recently mentioned the opening of the Westfield Mall in London and now the Dubai Mall has officially opened boasting the largest number of retailers in the world.

As we mentioned earlier this year, the mall boasts a gold souk, a 10-million litre (2.2 million gallon) aquarium and an Olympic-size ice rink in addition to rows and rows of stores.

The mall is situated at the foot of Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower), already the tallest building on earth at around 700 meters (2,300 feet) and still under construction.
The mall is scheduled to house branches of some of the world’s best known retail chains, such as Marks and Spencer, Galeries Lafayette and even Bloomingdales, which has never before had stores outside the United States.

Dubai is building another masterpiece structure shaped like a pyramid and like the pyramids of the Mayans and Egyptians, this new structure in Dubai is a giant : it will cover 2.3 square kilometers (0.88 square miles).

The structure called Ziggurat will house nearly one million people and will be self-sustainable with all natural-energy sources. It is named after the temple towers of the ancient Mesopotamian valley, a terraced pyramid structure with successively receding stories.

The main purpose of the Ziggurat is to ensure a better quality of life with almost zero-carbon emissions ; the structure will be powered by solar, wind and natural sources and capable of running completely off the grid, according to Timelinks, Dubai-based environmental design firm who is in charge of the project.

Also, there will be no cars thanks to the complex transportation system that runs both horizontally and vertically. Biometrics would provide security with facial recognition technology.

Timelinks has already patented the design and technology incorporated into the project and has applied to the European Union for a grant for technical projects. The intriguing mixed use concept will be unveiled at Cityscape Dubai which takes place at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from 6-9 October 2008

Emmar Malls Group will inaugurate its mall - Dubai Mall- on 30 October 2008. The group claims that it will the largest mall in the region.

The Mall will cover 12 million sq ft of space, and is an integral part of the Downtown Burj Dubai development.

It will feature1,200 retail outlets, two anchor department stores and more than 120 food and beverage outlets. Adjoining is The Address, Dubai Mall, a 5 star premium hotel with 250 rooms and 450 serviced apartments.