WIRED Staff
Culture

Developing Dubai

Image may contain City Town High Rise Building Urban Architecture Tower and Skyscraper
Illinois Spire, which it resembles.
Image may contain City Town Building High Rise Urban Architecture Tower Skyscraper and Metropolis
Image: Courtesy of Al Nakheel Properties
Image may contain Shoreline Water Outdoors Nature Land Sea Ocean Coast Urban City Town Building and Beach
Image: Courtesy of Al Nakheel Properties
Image may contain Urban Town High Rise Building City Landscape Panoramic Outdoors Nature Scenery and Architecture
Image: Courtesy of Emaar
Image may contain Urban Town Building City High Rise Architecture Tower and Skyscraper

One of the skyscrapers under construction at Dubai Marina, the Marina

Image: © Khatib & Alami
Image may contain Housing Condo Building City Town Urban High Rise Architecture Metropolis Tower and Spire

At 395 meters, 23 Marina is set to be one of the tallest residential

Image: © ETA Star Properties
Image may contain Condo Building Housing High Rise Urban City Town Architecture and Tower

Along with 23 Marina, the Princess Tower will be the world's tallest residential building. No. 23 will be 395 meters tall, and the Princess will top out at 414 meters, only 30 shy of the Empire State Building. The commute to the lobby will take as long as the one to work.

Image may contain City Town Urban Metropolis Building High Rise Architecture Tower Spire Steeple and Housing
Image: © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Image may contain Architecture Tower Building City Town Urban Landscape Outdoors Scenery Nature and Panoramic
Image: © Falcon City of Wonders
Image may contain Human Person Nature Outdoors Sport Sports Piste and Snow
Image: © Dubai Land
Image may contain Panoramic Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery Housing House Building Mansion and Architecture

The Mall of Arabia will house the world's largest Starbucks in its

Image: © Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group
Image may contain City High Rise Town Urban Building Architecture Metropolis Tower Skyscraper and Office Building

will surpass even New York's Freedom Tower.

Image may contain Urban Town High Rise Building City Condo Housing Metropolis Architecture and Skyscraper

With more than 70 residential towers surrounding the eponymous fake lake (including one, the Almas Tower, constructed on its own island in the center), the Jumeirah Lake Towers could become home to more people than the entire population of Lubbock, Texas.

Image may contain City Town Building Urban High Rise Housing Condo Metropolis Apartment Building and Architecture
Image: © Union Properties
Image may contain Architecture Building Tower Urban Town City High Rise Spire Steeple and Bell Tower

A skyscraper in the shape of a single, enormous clock tower. Now, who wouldn't want to own the penthouse on that one? Imagine looking out over an ocean of tall buildings from behind the hands of a clock that puts Big Ben to shame, even as it shamelessly copies it and lines it in a neon horror show of light.