The Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall is a shopping mall in Dubai. It is the world’s largest shopping mall based on total area and fourth largest bygross leasable area. Located in Dubai, (U.A.E), it is part of the 20-billion-dollar Downtown complex, and includes 1,200 shops. Access to the mall is provided via Doha Street, rebuilt as a double-decker road in April 2009.
Twice delayed, Dubai Mall opened on 8 May 2009, with about 635 retailers, marking the world’s largest-ever mall opening in retail history. However it is not the largest in gross leasable space, and is surpassed in that category by several malls including the New South China Mall, which is the world’s largest, albeit largely derelict, Golden Resources Mall, SM City North Edsa, and SM Mall of Asia.
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The shopping mall’s interior
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| Location | Downtown U.A.E, United Arab Emirates |
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| Opening date | 8 May 2008 |
| Developer | Emaar Properties |
| Management | Emaar Malls Group |
| Owner | Emaar Properties |
| Architect | DP Architects Pte Ltd. |
| No. of stores and services | 1,200+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 |
| Total retail floor area | 502,000 square metres (5,400,000 sq ft) |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Parking | 14,000+ |
| Public transit access | Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station
Red Line
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| Website | www |
Description
Over 13 million square foot (equivalent in size to more than 50 football fields), the Dubai Mall has a total internal floor area of 5.9 million square feet (55 ha) and leasable space of 3.77 million square feet (35 ha), about the same as the West Edmonton Mall.
It also has a 250-room luxury hotel, 22 cinema screens plus 120 restaurants and cafes. The Mall has over 14,000 parking spaces across 3 car parks, with valet services and a car locator ticketing system. The mall has won five awards – two awards at the Retail Future Project Awards at Mapic,Cannes, in 2004, for Best Retail Development Scheme (Large) and Best Use of Lighting in a Retail Environment and the Dubai Mall brochure collected three awards at the Summit Creative Awards 2005 in Portland, Oregon – the Gold award for Best Art Direction / Graphic Design, Silver award for Best 4-colour B2B Brochure, and a Judges Special Recognition award.
Dubai Mall Aquarium and Underwater Zoo
Dubai Aquarium and Under Water Zoo:
The Mall’s Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre, developed and operated by Oceanis Australia Group, having one of the world’s largest AcrylicPanel” (32.88 m wide × 8.3 m high × 750 mm thick and weighing 245,614 kg). The acrylic viewing panel is larger than Japan’s Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (22.5 m wide × 8.2 m high and 600 mm thick), smaller than Singapore’s S.E.A Aquarium (36 m wide × 8.3 m high) and China’s Chime-Long Ocean Kingdom (39.6 m wide × 8.3 m high). Its 750 mm thick acrylic viewing panel can withstand pressure of 10 million litres of water used in the aquarium, but its transparency gives visitors clear views of over 33,000 marine animals on display. In February 2010, a leak in the aquarium caused a partial evacuation and brief shutdown of a portion of the mall.
The Mall adopted an International Standard of Ethics and Animal Welfare Policy in its development and operation.
Dubai Ice Rink
The Mall’s Dubai Ice Rink multi-purpose venue, uses refrigeration plant technology by developing 1.5 inches (38 mm) of ice bed, 2 times the thickness of an NHL ice rink for Olympic-sized attraction. Dubai Ice Rink can host a capacity of up to 2,000 guests, when converted into a multi-functional hall with a multimedia system including a 20 m × 10 m LED screen.
SEGA Republic
SEGA Republic, a 76,000 sq ft (7,100 m2) indoor theme park, was opened on 21 August 2009 where visitors can enjoy over 150 amusement games; It is a park that is mainly dedicated to SEGA’s video game icon Sonic the Hedgehog.
Shops
The Dubai Mall contains more than 1,200 shops.
In October 2009 it was reported that the world’s largest candy store had opened in Dubai Mall.