By the end of this year, Dubai will have added two more developments to its list of megaprojects, with DXB Entertainments getting ready to launch its multiple theme parks zone, and the Dubai Canal all ready to flow. As the United Arab Emirates prepares for its much-anticipated Expo 2020, Argaam has selected a list of key projects below that will continue to change the face of the cosmopolitan city.

1. Dubai Creek Harbour & The Tower

This mixed-use development will combine retail, leisure, hospitality and residential projects, to make it “one of the largest lifestyle precincts in the region,” an Emaar spokesperson told Argaam.

Highlight: The project’s center is The Tower, which is expected to be higher than the current world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. The Tower will be designed by Spanish Architect Santiago Calatreva.

Schedule: To be completed in phases, but expected to be ready by 2020, according to Emaar

Cost: $1 billion

Status: “We are currently on schedule with The Tower to be completed in 2020, and several residential apartments are set to be handed over in the coming years,” the spokesperson said.

2. Dubai Parks and Resorts by DXB Entertainments

Highlight: Dubai Parks and Resorts is slated to be the Middle East’s largest year-round multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination with over 100 rides and attractions.

Schedule: Legoland and Riverland will open their doors on October 31, closely followed by Bollywood Parks. Legoland Water Park and the Lapita Hotel will open on November 15, and Motiongate Dubai will premiere on December 16.

Cost: AED 10.5 billion ($2.9 billion)

Status: “We are focused on delivering a destination which exceeds international standards on every level – from guest experience to state-of-the-art rides and attractions and the highest of safety standards – and we want to make sure we take the time to get everything just right and launch a destination the UAE and our shareholders can be truly proud of,” Raed Kajoor al Nuaimi, CEO of DXB Entertainments, told Argaam.

3. Dubai Water Canal

Highlight: In the heart of the city, the Dubai Water Canal links the Business Bay district with the Arabian Gulf in a route running 3 kilometers. Property developments, including residential, hotels, retails and restaurants, will run along the banks of the canal.

Schedule: Official opening is scheduled for next month

Cost: Estimated at AED 2 billion.

Status: Water has already been released in the Canal, as part of the testing process. Earlier, Dubai’s Road and Transportation Authority (RTA), represented by the Traffic and Roads Agency, had said it was applying “final touches” to the waterway.

4. Museum of the Future

The actual building of this museum will be built in part using 3D printing technologies, and will change over time to test and reflect the latest advancements in various fields.

Schedule: Sometime in 2017

Cost:  AED 500 million ($136.13 million)

Status: Dubai-based developer Meraas is reported to have received revised bids from two shortlisted contractors for a contract to build the museum.

5. Ain Dubai: The Observation Wheel

Located on Bluewaters Island off of the Jumeirah Beach Residence coastline, Ain Dubai, previously known as Dubai-I, is being built by Meraas.

Highlight: “Once completed, Ain Dubai will emerge as an engineering masterpiece, the first of its kind in the industry, and a truly spectacular must-visit attraction,” Omar Delawar, chief projects officer at Meraas, said in a statement earlier this year.

Schedule: Not available

Cost: Not available. The Bluewaters Island project is reported to cost AED 6 billion

Status: In July, the developer said the hub-and-spindle assembly of the observation wheel had been lifted into place. 

Write to Nadeshda Zareen at nadeshda.zareen@argaamplus.com