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Gateway building for new capital city of Ras al-Khaimah
A ridiculously over excessive architectural design and it’s not for Dubai?  Oh, don’t you worry, this was designed for one of those emirates. As a whole, the United Arab Emirates have been reinventing themselves on a global scale, with Dubai taking the lead.  As the world takes notice, the northern emirate Ras al-Khaimah wants a piece of the action.  His highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi has a master plan to build a brand new capital city for the United Arab Emirates in the middle of his desert kingdom. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the oil money of his sister emirate, but non-the-less he has commissioned world-renowned architects to invent a city from the sand up.

Gateway building for new capital city of Ras al-Khaimah Though the master plan for Ras al-Khaimah’s new capital has gone to the celebrated Dutch architect Rem Koolhass and his firm OMA, the Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta as been appointed the task of creating the gateway building you see above.  The approx. 300,000 m2 complex will contain a Congress Center, Exhibition Halls, Shopping Center, 5+ Star Hotel, 5 Star Hotel, and a 4 Star Hotel.  Maybe for symmetry they’ll decide to add a 3 star, 2 star, and Motel 6.

Check out the film The Sand Castle which follows the Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta as they make a bid for the new city’s master plan.