| Crossing over the main
artery road of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, and the metro line from the
main Dubai Marina area led us to another new development,
Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT). JLT is an area of man-made lakes, waterways and a beautiful landscape featuring a series of attractive freehold residences, offices and retail outlets. The total area covered by the lakes, waterways and landscaping is 730,000 sq m (7,900,000 sq ft.). JLT’s dynamic lakefront community encompasses 64 attractive residential and commercial towers alongside hotels, leisure and 160 retail outlets with over 50,000 people living and working here. Each of the freehold towers is 45, 40, or 35 storey’s high, except for the centrepiece, Almas Tower (Diamond Tower), which is 68 storeys and is located on its own artificial island. Almas Tower is 360 m (1,180 ft.) high and was topped out in 2008 becoming the tallest building in Dubai until 2010 when it was surpassed somewhat by Burj Khalifa. All residential towers are placed in clusters of three, an arrangement that makes the areas easier to navigate when mail is distributed. Personally, I found the most enjoyable part of walking around JLT was the variability of the different buildings in form, several of which were of high aesthetic appeal. I could have quite happily spent longer there. Then again, the same could be said for pretty much everywhere I visited in Dubai. |
