The Dubai Mall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. Please help im
it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links, and by adding
encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view. (August 2013) (Learn how a
when to remove this template message)

The Dubai Mall

The shopping mall's interior

Location Downtown U.A.E,

United Arab Emirates

251151N 551645ECoordinates: 2511

Coordinates
51N 551645E

Opening date 8 May 2008

Developer Emaar Properties

Management Emaar Malls Group

Owner Emaar Properties

Architect DP Architects Pte Ltd.

No. of stores and 1,200+

services

No. of anchor 6

tenants
 Total retail floor 502,000 square metres (5,400,000 sq ft)

area

No. of floors 4

Parking 14,000+

Public transit Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station

access Red Line

Website www.thedubaimall.com

The Dubai Mall (Arabic: ) is a shopping mall in Dubai and the largest mall in the world
by total area. Along with West Edmonton Mall in Canada, it is the nineteenth largest shopping
mall in the world by gross leasable area.[1] Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it is part of
the 20-billion-dollar Downtown complex, and includes 1,200 shops.[2][3][4] In 2011 it was the most
visited building on the planet, attracting over 54 million visitors.[1] Access to the mall is provided
via Doha Street, rebuilt as a double-decker road in April 2009.[5]
Twice delayed, Dubai Mall opened on 4th November 2008, with about 1000 retailers, marking
the world's second largest-ever mall opening in retail history behind West Edmonton Mall.
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.

Contents
[hide]

1Statistics

2Description

o 2.1Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

o 2.2Dubai Ice Rink

o 2.3SEGA Republic

o 2.4KidZania

o 2.5Reel Cinemas

o 2.6Rainforest Cafe

o 2.7Shops

3Construction

o 3.1Metro Link
 o 3.2Expansion

4World records and achievements

5Incidents

6In media

7Gallery

8See also

9References

10External links

Statistics[edit]
The Dubai Mall recorded 61,000 tickets sold for the Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre in
the first five days, following its opening.[6] The Dubai Mall hosted over 37 million visitors in
2009, and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week.,[7][8] In 2010 it hosted 47 million, and
saw footfall increase by around 27 percent over 2009, despite the economic crisis. [9] In 2012,
Dubai Mall continued to hold title of world's most-visited shopping and leisure destination, and
attracted more than 65 million visitors, an increase of more than 20 percent compared to the
54 million recorded in 2011. It attracted more visitors than New York City with over 52 million
tourists in 2012, and Los Angeles with 41 million.[10][11] The numbers also surpass visitor arrivals
to all landmark leisure destinations and theme parks in the world including Times Square (39.2
million), Central Park (38 million), and Niagara Falls (22.5 million).[12]

Statistics

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of 39 47 54 65 75 80 92
visitors Million[13] Million[14] Million[14] Million[15] Million[16] Million[17] Million[18]

Description[edit]

Outside Dubai Mall near the Fountain.

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.[19]
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.[20] 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[21] 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.[21]
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo[edit]

Dubai Aquarium and Under Water Zoo

Tunnel of Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo

The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo was designed by Peddle Thorp and is managed by
Emaar Entertainment. The aquarium, located in The Dubai Mall, showcases more than 300
species of marine animals, including sharks and rays.
Its 270-degree acrylic walk-through tunnel lets visitors see a variety of underwater animals up
close. A special 'lunar-cyclic' lighting system changes the ambience of the tank depending on
the time of day.
The Underwater Zoo is located above the aquarium, and provides an interactive approach to
educating children and visitors on the ecology and sustainability of marine life. The journey
consists of three ecological zones: Rainforest, Rocky Shore, and Living Ocean, each of which
features a variety of aquatic animals including penguins, crocodiles, piranhas, giant spider
crabs, water rats, sea horses, and jellyfish amongst others.
The attraction was awarded with the Certificate of Excellence award by TripAdvisor in 2012,
and won the Images Most Admired Retailer of the Year Leisure & Entertainment at Images
RetailME Awards 2012.
In 2010, the aquarium had a small leak. While no people or creatures were injured, the mall
had to be evacuated for the visitor's safety.
The Mall adopted an International Standard of Ethics and Animal Welfare Policy in its
development and operation.[22][23][24]
Dubai Ice Rink[edit]

Ice Rink inside Dubai Mall.

The Mall's Dubai Ice Rink multi-purpose venue uses refrigeration technology to create a
1.5 inch (38 mm) ice bed, twice the thickness of an NHL ice rink. With a seating capacity of
350, Dubai Ice Rink is a family-oriented attraction open to the general public.
Managed by Emaar Entertainment, the rink is the place-to-go for ice skating in Dubai, and host
a variety of international, competition-standard events. The rink can also be converted to a
multi-purpose hall with a capacity of up to 2,000 guests, featuring a 20x10m LED display.
The Dubai Ice Rink Skating Academy (DIRSA) is a member of the International Skating
Institute and offers individual membership to its students, which allows for official testing,
documentation and legal participation in competitions and shows.
The Dubai Ice Rink provides professional ice skating lessons and caters to most ages through
its Learn-to-Skate programme. It also has lessons for figure skating, ice hockey, Disco, and
Mega Skate sessions.
SEGA Republic[edit]
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.[25][26]
The 76,000 sq ft indoor park features 15 rides and an array of amusement games, including
motion simulators, classic carnival games, skill games, and a wide array of redemption games.
Emaar Entertainment is continuously expanding the theme park with new rides. Recent
additions to Sega Republic rides include Xyclone, Robotnik and Rope Rush, a form of obstacle
course.
The park includes Lazeraze, a laser maze, as well as Racer Bumper Cars. It also features a
"soft play area" for smaller children.
KidZania[edit]
KidZania is an award-winning childrens edutainment concept, in The Dubai Mall, introduced
to the Middle East through an exclusive partnership with Emaar Entertainment LLC.
An 80,000 sq ft interactive mini-city, KidZania allows kids to play and learn by mimicking
activities traditionally done by adults in real life. As in the real world, children perform jobs and
are either paid for their work or pay to shop or be entertained.
The indoor edutainment centre is built to scale for children, and accurately reflects the
workings of a typical city.
KidZania maintains a high ratio of staff to children for safety and to improve the overall
experience. In addition, kids wear RFID wristbands that keep track of their activities and
whereabouts, reassuring parents on the safety of their children.
KidZania has won the approval of the UAE Ministry of Education for field trips as part of the
academic curriculum.
Reel Cinemas[edit]
Reel Cinemas is a 22-screen cinema, also managed by Emaar Entertainment, in The Dubai
Mall. It boasts ergonomically designed seats, increased legroom, and an advanced projection
and AV system as standard.
One of the largest theaters in the region, the megaplex features four luxury cinema suites and
17 commercial halls, including the first THX-certified cinema in Dubai.
Rainforest Cafe[edit]

The interior of the Rainforest Cafe in the mall.

The Dubai Mall is home to one of the newest Rainforest Cafe locations. Having opened in
2009, it faces the aquarium and is made to emulate tropical ruins with moving ruins and light
shows, which are only found at this location.
Shops[edit]
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.
[27]

Construction[edit]
The mall was built by a joint venture of Dutco Balfour Beatty, Al Ghandi/CCC[28] and Turner
Construction[citation needed] for Emaar Properties and was scheduled to be completed in 2006,
claiming to be the size of 50 "international-sized football (soccer) pitches". Most of the workers
used in construction of the mall were Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan guest
workers.
Metro Link[edit]
In December 2012, Emaar Properties have announced the completion of the Metro Link which
is a 820 m long elevated, air-conditioned footbridge that connects Burj Khalifa/The Dubai Mall
Metro Station to the Dubai Mall.[29][30]
Expansion[edit]
In June 2013, the Dubai Mall commenced its phase one of its expansion plan by increasing the
total retail floor area by 1 million sq. ft. so as to accommodate more visitors. The project is set
for completion for the beginning of 2017 [31]

World records and achievements[edit]

Dubai Mall near the Fountain at Dusk.

Largest mall in the world with total area 1,124,000 m. [32]

Worlds fifteenth largest mall with Gross Leasable Area (GLA) 350,000 m.[32]

Worlds largest acrylic panel (Aquarium) inside Dubai Mall, which is (32.88 m wide
8.3 m high 750 mm thick and weighing 245 tons).[32][33]

The worlds largest sweet shop, "Candylicious", spanning over 10,000 sq ft (930 m2)
inside Dubai Mall.[34][35]

Dubai Mall records more than 5 million visitors in the month of March 2010 during the
one-month Dubai Shopping Festival, setting an all-time record in visitor footfall [36]

Dubai Mall was named the best shopping experience on 29 April 2010 by Grazia Style
Awards.[37]

The Dubai Mall hosted a record 37 million visitors in its first year of operation in 2009,
[7]
and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week. [38]

The Dubai Mall hosted a record 47 million visitors in 2010, and broke the record of 37
million visitors received last year, an increase of 27 percent despite the economic crisis. [9]

In 2011, Dubai Mall becomes the world's most-visited shopping and leisure destination,
and attracted more than 56 million visitors, an increase of 15 percent from the visitors of
last year.[12]
 In 2012, Dubai Mall continued to hold title of world's most-visited shopping and leisure
destination, and attracted more than 65 million visitors, an increase of more than 20
percent compared to the 54 million recorded in 2011.[10][11]

Incidents[edit]
On 25 February 2010 the aquarium sprung a leak which led many shops to temporarily
close down and forced shoppers to evacuate the mall immediately. It reopened the
following day.[39]

In March 2015, more than a hundred foreign labourers protested in front of Dubai Mall
due to overtime wages not being paid, causing disruption to traffic in the area. The
situation came under control within an hour by the police.[40]

On 31 December 2015 the mall was evacuated because of a major fire at the nearby
The Address Hotel.