Across the world, December 5 is celebrated as International Volunteer Day (IVD). Continue reading At 101-years-old, Dubai man became selfless volunteer
Monthly Archives: December 2016
Dubai Miracle Garden A380 sets world record
Dubai has set yet another world record!
Emirates’ has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s largest floral installation through a life-size version of the Emirates A380.
The world’s largest passenger airline made a perfect landing at the iconic garden in November this year after the airline teamed up with Dubai Miracle Garden to construct the world’s largest floral installation through a life-size version of the Emirates A380, covered in more than 500,000 fresh flowers and living plants.
Starting on November 27, the Emirates A380 installation is on display for the public and can be viewed from a special platform comprising two levels in the centre of the garden
In full bloom, the aircraft structure will have an unprecedented total stem count of 5 million flowers and will weigh over 100 tonnes (take-off weight of an actual A380 is 575 tonnes).
Boutros Boutros, divisional senior vice-president, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand said: “The Emirates A380 is a statement-making aircraft that is tremendously popular with passengers around the world, and we hope that through our collaborative efforts with Dubai Miracle Garden we will inform, inspire and delight visitors through the sheer scale and beauty of the floral A380 installation. Aviation affects all of our lives, and the A380 on show will offer visitors the opportunity to get up close to the double-decker. The progressive environmental initiatives and methods of building and planting the Emirates A380 installation are also in harmony with the eco-efficiency of the aircraft.”
“Having an Emirates A380 is a great achievement for Dubai Miracle Garden and we are proud to have the floral installation of the aircraft as the world’s largest floral sculpture ever built,” said Abdel Naser Rahhal, co-founder and creator of Dubai Miracle Garden.
“This standing piece of art is a result of countless hours of brainstorming, designing and strategising to pull all of the details together. As our motto says: We are the green masters and bloom makers, wherever we go we make it green, whatever we touch we make it bloom.”
The flowers and plants used for the ‘living’ Emirates A380 installation were sustainably grown and harvested over a four-month period at Dubai Miracle Garden nurseries in the UAE.
Seven varieties of flowers have been used
Petunia; Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides); Marigold (Tagetes); Snapdragon (Antirrhinum); Viola; Geranium (Pelargonium); and Gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata). Over 9,000 flowers and plants maKe up the Emirates iconic logo, and 100,000 blossoms form the enormous wings, which reach over 80.27 metres wide.
The effort
– Over 200 people worked 10 hours a day for 180 days to build, layer and mount the textural foliage on the 30 tonne steel structure
– The life-size installation is over 72.93 metres long
– The fuselage stands 10.82 metres from the ground and the tail at 24.21 metres from the ground
– The aircraft structure includes moving engine fans and other key design features that capture the essence of the original aircraft design
– The installation is the largest structure to ever be built at the garden and is set on a flowerbed of 7,460 square metres, roughly 10% of Dubai Miracle Garden.
– The structure was built from recycled materials and the flowers and plants are irrigated through a drip water system
Emirati’s 30,000 flags home decoration on National Day
Emirati Humaid Obaid celebrated the National Day by decorating his house with flags – not one, 10 or 100 or 1,000 or even 10,000 – but a whopping 30,000 of them!
Continue reading Emirati’s 30,000 flags home decoration on National Day
Arabs read 35 hours a year, reveals study
The new Arab Reading Index, launched earlier this year to determine the status of reading in the Arab world, revealed that Arabs read an average of 35 hours a year. Continue reading Arabs read 35 hours a year, reveals study
Free WiFi at all Dubai airports: High-speed, unlimited too
Passengers will now be able to enjoy unlimited free high-speed Wi-Fi at Dubai International and Dubai World Central after operator Dubai Airports officially rolled out the upgraded service across both airports today. Continue reading Free WiFi at all Dubai airports: High-speed, unlimited too
Arabic in UAE schools — the needs and the challenges
“The Arabic language is suffering and the only way we can avoid this further is by using it. Language is a habit, if you don’t use it you’ll lose it.” Continue reading Arabic in UAE schools — the needs and the challenges
Indian PM Narendra Modi TIME Person of the Year, again
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the online reader’s poll for TIME Person of the Year 2016, beating out other world leaders like US President-elect Donald Trump, incumbent US leader Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Continue reading Indian PM Narendra Modi TIME Person of the Year, again
Selling real estate in Dubai? Now rules have changed
The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), the regulatory arm of Dubai Land Department (DLD), recently made an announcement about its new Real Estate Marketing Agreement – Form A – an important aspect of its electronic permit system. Continue reading Selling real estate in Dubai? Now rules have changed
Stiffer penalties needed to make UAE roads safe
Sunday’s crash has yet again reminded us of how distracted driving and sudden swerving continue to claim lives on the roads of the UAE. The horrific crash on Al Rabat road, Dubai, has led to deaths of five workers, and injured more. Continue reading Stiffer penalties needed to make UAE roads safe
Global response will help control lifestyle diseases
Global health organisations and initiatives – and, in particular, the World Health Organisation (WHO) – have traditionally focused on infectious diseases, from malaria (their great failure) to smallpox (their greatest success). Continue reading Global response will help control lifestyle diseases