In recent years especially, Dubai has been no stranger to the large and extravagant. The city’s eponymous Mall was the biggest in the world upon its debut in 2008 (it’s now the second largest behind the Iran Mall) and the Dubai Fountain is the most extensive choreographed water system on Earth. And, of course, in 2010, the Burj Khalifa became the tallest building and man-made structure ever built, scraping the sky at a whopping 2,717ft.
Now, Downtown Dubai is expected to get another new conversation piece in MOON, a lunar-themed resort that will stand 735ft tall — 650ft of which will be the lunar sphere itself — and will cost $5 billion to build. Helmed by Canadian architectural company Moon World Resorts Inc., MOON will essentially simulate a hypothetical experience of visiting a fully-functioning resort on the actual Moon. It will be equipped with 4,000 luxury suites and 144 private residences, each filled with cutting-edge technology, including state-of-the-art water and air purification and the “Windows to the Universe,” which lets you simulate different locations through your windows.
The resort will also feature a convention center, a large spa area, restaurants, boutique shops, a show theater, a casino, and a space-themed, multi-level Global Meeting Place lounge with a giant alien spaceship as its centerpiece. A highlight of MOON will be the fully-operational Lunar Colony, accessed via a hyperspeed shuttle that spirals you up 400ft to the lunar “surface,” which can be explored by foot or by lunar rover.
While MOON is expected to be built in Dubai in the next 48 months, future plans for resorts in North America, Europe, and Asia have been proposed.
