The world’s first temperature-controlled city-within-a-city will have the largest shopping mall in the world.
Dubbed as Mall of the World, the project will include 100 hotels interconnected with the mall via temperature-controlled pedestrian subways that will open up during the winter months. On completion, it will be a year-round destination that is projected to pull in 180 million visitors annually.
“This project complements our plans to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us; and we are determined to achieve our vision,” said His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in a statement announcing the launch.
The Mall of the World would also host the world’s largest indoor theme park. And unlike the big-box design concepts in vogue in the global mall industry, the new development’s design ethos will be that of a “retail street network” stretching to over seven kilometers.
“Our ambitions are higher than having seasonal tourism – tourism is key driver of our economy and we aim to make the UAE an attractive destination all-year long,” Sheikh Mohammad was quoted in the launch statement. “This is why we will start working on providing pleasant temperature-controlled environments during the summer months.”
Over the last decade, Dubai developers’ retail development strategy has been to bring about as much of synergy as is possible with the leisure and entertainment aspects of living.
The Mall of the World super-sizes these synergies even more. A full-scale ‘Wellness District” thus is integrated into the master plan, and this would take up three million square feet. Future tenants in this cluster will offer not just cosmetic and wellness treatments but top-of-the-line health care, including specialized surgical procedures.
This will also be where the ‘Dubai Cultural District’ will be anchored. Again, the developer is eyeing for touchstones similar to what a visitor would see in London’s West End of New York’s Broadway.
It will have the ‘Celebration Walk’, akin to Barcelona’s Ramblas Street. There will be direct connectivity from the cultural cluster – which will offer a mix of conference, celebration and even wedding halls – to the rest of the mall.
“This project is a product of extensive research studying international and regional tourists’ requirements and preferences,” said Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Chairman of Dubai Holding, which is the entity developing the Mall.
“The objective is to create an integrated city with a plethora of best-in-class options within pleasant environments. The project will be developed in phases in alignment with the gradual growth of family tourism in Dubai.”