Friday, June 12, 2020

Artist of the day, June 12, 2020: Tom Wright, a British architect

Tom Wright (1957) is a British architect best known as the designer of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Born in Croydon, a town in Greater London, United Kingdom, Wright studied at the Royal Russell School and then later at the Kingston University School of Architecture. Wright qualified as an architect the same year he was accepted as a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1983 and went on from there to become a director of the architectural practice Lister Drew Haines Barrow, which was taken over in 1991 by Atkins. Wright became head of Atkins' architecture arm.

Wright became design director for the Jumeirah Beach Resort, Dubai, and designed the Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) at the same time. It was conceived in October 1993 and finished in 1999. The brief was to create an icon for Dubai: a building that would become synonymous with the place, as the Sydney Opera House is with Sydney and the Eiffel Tower is with Paris.

The Burj al Arab with its 321 meters of height is one of the tallest hotels in the world. It is the symbol of Dubai and of the shameless wealth of this Emirate. The hotel is built in the shape of a dhow's (a traditional Arabic ship) sail to reflect Dubai′s seafaring heritage combined with a modern aspect moving forwards into the future. It costs 2,600 dollars on average per night to stay in a room at the hotel.

He also designed the Capital Gate, the most inclined tower in the world and it is built in the Emirati city of Abu Dhabi. It is a leaning tower, like the Tower of Pisa, although in this case the inclination is intentional. It has an inclination of 18 degrees, almost four times higher than the Tower of Pisa, and has just been named by the Guinness World Record “the most leaning building in the world”. Capital Gate has several uses and many potentialities to show: on the one hand, it hosts a five-star hotel in the Hyatt chain, essential in any project of great importance like this one

One of his most recent projects is the co-design of Celebrity Cruises' new ship, Celebrity Edge, which brings a number of innovations to the cruise ship industry


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Mr. Tom Wright

1993-99, The Burj Al Arab Hotel (Tower of the Arabs)
Dubai, UAE

1993-99, The Burj Al Arab Hotel (Tower of the Arabs)
Dubai, UAE

1993-99, The Burj Al Arab Hotel (Tower of the Arabs)
Dubai, UAE

1993, Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Dubai, UAE

Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Dubai, UAE

2012-15, South Quarter
Jakarta, Indonesia

2016,  Hanging Gardens
Dilmunia Health Island, Bahrain

2016,  Hanging Gardens
Dilmunia Health Island, Bahrain

2018, Celebrity EDGE
Celebrity Cruises ship

2018, Celebrity EDGE
Celebrity Cruises ship

Capital Gate
Abu Dhabi

 Aeron
Tehran, Iran

 Kazan Zoo
Kazan, Russia

 One, Limassol, Cyprus

Regatta Arch Hotel
Jakarta, Indonesia

Regatta Apartments
Jakarta, Indonesia

 Cricket hill house
St. George’s Hill, West of London

Taj Lands End Gold Hotel
Mumbai, India

Taj Lands End Silver Hotel
Mumbai, India

 SSFI Tripoli Tower
Tripoli, Libya

 Trilogy
Limassol, Cyprus

 Trilogy
Limassol, Cyprus

The Oval
Limassol, Cyprus

 The Mega Mall
Pakistan

The Gallery
Limassol, Cyprus

Capital Fort
Sofia, Bulgaria

French Quarter
Brisbane, Australia

The Centaurus
Islamabad, Pakistan

 Riyadh Tower
Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Wild Wadi water park
Dubai, UAE

Yas Waterworld
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Yas Waterworld
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE

 2006, Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International

 2006, Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International

Oasis of the Sea,
Royal Caribbean International

Oasis of the Sea,
Royal Caribbean International

Quantum of the sea,
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Quantum of the sea,
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines


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