Dubai is no stranger to world records, in fact it appears that Dubai wants to be the destination for all of the world's structural records. The title of world's tallest is never an easy title to own. Competing building projects are always watching and attempting to go higher. Just like the Burj Khalifa the official height of that building was kept as secret as the Coca-Cola recipe until it was nearly complete. And, if you do become the world's tallest then it is only a matter of time before the next project comes along and out does you. For example, see what's happening now in the arena for tallest wood building. As Dubai has done in the past with the Burj Khalifa, they did not look to build a new high rise that was just a few feet taller than the last one, they looked to build the tallest possible building at the time. That put the Burj about 320 meters taller than any other skyscraper, and their newest attraction, The Dubai Eye, will be no different.
The High Roller Ferris Wheel in Las Vegas, which tops out at 550 feet tall, currently holds the record for the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. The High Roller was completed in March of 2014 and made it the tallest Ferris wheel in the world by just 9 feet. The builders of the Dubai Eye are not just looking to be the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, but to b low all other Ferris wheels out of the water. The Dubai Eye will be 165 feet (50 meters) taller than the High Roller. As if this wasn't enough, the Dubai Eye will also take their Ferris wheel one step further by adding a 165 foot LED screen to the center of the wheel that will broadcast movies, ads, and interactive information. This will be able to be seen from the highly popular Jumeirah Beach, which is where the top picture is taken from. The Eye will have 48 luxury capsules holding 1,400 visitors.
Below are some of the pictures we took of the building site of the Eye on our recent trip to Dubai (click the arrows to scroll through the slide show)
The Dubai Eye will sit amongst the $1.6 billion Bluewaters Island Development, which includes the creation of a new island, retail, hotels, residential housing, as well as hospitality and entertainment.
The Dubai Eye is not out of the woods yet, though. New York is looking to build a mega-tall ferris wheel as well. The New York Wheel plans to reach a height of 630 feet or roughly a 60 story attraction. The New York Wheel is expected to be completed in early 2017 and the Dubai Eye in 2016. So there is still time for New York to pull a rabbit out of their hat and trump Dubai. What's another 60 feet, right? I have a feeling that won't happen as Mammoet-Starneth, LLC is the designer and manufacturer for both the Dubai Eye and New York Wheel projects. It may be safe to say there are not very many engineering firms that specialize in mega-wheels.
Below is a video of the development of the Dubai Eye. Once complete, it will certainly provide a one-of-a-kind view and experience for visitors of Dubai.
On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.