Burj-Al-Arab,Dubai

This a small diversion from the series...a small break!This is a great hotel built on an island
linked to the mainland in Dubai.It is in the shape of the sail of a ship.Thus it is a great example of contextual
architecture(in context of the vast sea surrounding it).It is complete with hi-tech
facilities like the helipad!These some more facts about it: A 24 meter (79 feet) wide helipad projects from the building 210 meters above the ground.
- The Al Muntaha restaurant is located 200 metres above the Arabian Gulf, offering great views of Dubai. It is accessed by a panoramic elevator.
- The atrium is 180 metres high, one of the highest in the world.
- Burj Al Arab is the world's tallest structure with a membrane facade.
- This is the tallest operating hotel building in the world (not counting mixed-use buildings like Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai or the unfinished Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea).
- "Burj" is Arabic for "Tower".
- The building's external lighting schemes, from white light to a multicolored one, change from one to another every 30 minutes expressing the evening's progress.