2. BIOGRAPHY
Tom Wright (born 18 September 1957)
is a British architect.
His most notable design is the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.
Born in Croydon, a town in Greater London, United Kingdom on 18
September 1957,
3. EDUCATION
Wright studied at the Royal Russell School and then later at the Kingston University
School of Architecture.
Qualified in 1983, Wright went on to become a director of the architectural practice
Lister Drew Haines Barrow, which was taken over in 1991 by Atkins for whom he has
worked since then.
4. WORKS
Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE
Ribbon of Light, Tehran, Iran
Kazan Zoo, Tatarstan, Russia
Durrat Masterplan, Bahrain
Centaurus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Aeron, Tehran, Iran
Surf Hotel concept
RCCL Enchantment of the Seasshape
Ad Astra Tower, Batumi, Georgia
Incheon Masterplan, South Korea
Opal Hotel, Seychelles
RCCL Oasis of the Seasshape
Landmark Tower, Limassol, Cyprus
5. Burj Al Arab, UAE, Dubai
The Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) was designed by Tom Wright in
October 1993 and completed on site in November 1999 in time for the
millennium. The image below shows the first drawing of the Burj Al Arab
concept which along with the simple card model convinced the
client that the tower should be built. Wright spent five years in Dubai
leading the Atkins Jumeriah Beach Resort design team
The brief was to create an icon for Dubai, a building that would
become synonymous with the place, as Sydney has its Opera House
and Paris the Eiffel Tower so Dubai was to have the Burj Al Arab.
6. Durrat Al Bahrain Island
Development, Bahrain
The five by four kilometre man made archipelago Durrat Al Bahrain lies in the
south east of Bahrain and is of such a scale that it can be clearly seen from
orbit. The island development is a grand plan to offer a new seaside way of
life for Bahraini citizens and holiday homes for people from the Gulf Region.
The islands are built in shallow water and have been carefully designed so
that tidal currents change the water daily without causing dangerous flows
between the islands.
The atoll and petal shaped islands are residential and the crescent is primarily
mixed use. We were involved in the creation of the project since the first
sketch.
7. Aeron, Tehran, Iran
A mixed use development concept situated next to the Tehran Karaj Highway in
Iran. This ambitious scheme consists of a large shopping mall which includes an ice
skating rink and an indoor aquapark. The two aeronautically inspired towers contain
a five star hotel and high tech office accommodation.
8. RCCL Enchantment of the
Seas
In 2005 Enchantment of the Seas was the third Royal Caribbean ship to be
lengthened to increase her capacity and facilities. After she was cut in half, a new,
22 meter middle section containing 151 staterooms and suspension bridges that
span the pool area and overhang the sea were added.
We were asked to look at the design of the upper level pool deck and to make the
design visually exciting so that the ship stood out from the crowd. The upper
promenade decks were fabricated as arch supported bridges, the pool deck was
curved out over the sea and the pools were reconfigured resulting in an award
winning pool environment.
9. Opal Hotel, Seychelles
Four star hotel concept on Beau Vallon Beach in the Seychelles. The site which is
situated directly adjacent to the beach is very narrow resulting in a U shaped plan
configuration where the majority of rooms look inwards over the formal landscaped
pool.
10. RCCL Oasis of the Seas
Working from the outset with the client and a team of international consultants to
create the worlds largest and most spectacular cruise liner. As the design
developed from overall ship concept into area concepts we developed the design
of the Royal Promenade, the Central Park, the Boardwalk and the Rising Tides bar.
