Waves 2 meters high.

Storm frequency of 1 in 1 year.

Weak soil due to constant exposure to rising sea water.[9]

Water pollution.

Erosion (caused by winds and water currents) is one of the biggest problems present, as it strips away the sand which forms the majority of the
island.

Damage to the marine ecology (e.g. the loss of reefs and fish), including disturbances in the reproductive cycles of the species of fish that were
close to the shores of Dubai. Research conducted by marine biologists on this phenomenon showed that the newly-born fish were not able to
survive in conditions along the shores of Dubai due to constant construction and environmental alterations (e.g. shifting of sand, moving
boulders and the effects of the vibrations).

Due to the shape of the island right outside the coast of Dubai, there is loss of coastal shape along the seashore of Dubai.

Build the island

The Belgian and Dutch dredging and marine contractors, Jan De Nul and Van Oord, some of the world's specialists in land
reclamation, were hired to complete construction. The islands are the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira. Each
settlement will be in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent.May 6, 2013

Cost of Construction

And Dubai World last month shocked the international financial community when it announced it is seeking a standstill deal with banks on its
debt, estimated at more than $26bn. Work on the Palm Jumeirah began in 2001, and the man-made island cost an estimated $12bn to build

Why the island build

Dubai is a perfect place for the idea, having sunny days throughout the year. It has numerous beaches with hotels and resorts and a number of
shopping malls. 5 Million tourists visited Dubai each year, which the Sheikh wanted to triple to 15 million. But the problem was that the
coastline of Dubai is just 72 Km, not enough for 15 million tourists that were to come. There is always a solution to a problem, build a massive
island, shaped Palm Tree, up to the year 2006. The island was supposed to be 5.5 Km in diameter, thus increasing the coastline by 56 Km.

The extra ordinary plan was to build a city in that island. Shopping ,malls, restaurants, hotels, apartments and homes. The island was to host 22
luxurious hotels. Island could also be built from concrete, but to blend it with the surroundings, it was to be made from sand and gravels. 94
million cubic meters of sand was required for its construction. To protect from sea, breakwater was to be built of 5.5 million cubic meters of
rock. Together they constitute to be able to build a 2.5 m high wall encircling the entire world.

Palm Islands is composed of three islands: Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira, with the last being the most recent
works in progress. Palm Jumeirah covers 600 hectares of land and with Palm Jebel Ali add 120 kilometers of beachfront to Dubai.
Palm Jumeirah spans approximately four by five kilometers. Palm Jebel Ali covers 6 by 7 kilometers. Palm Deira with an area of
80 square kilometers will be the largest island out of all of them and is equivalent to the area of Paris and London. The World is
an archipelago of 300 private islands each with a size ranging from 2-8 hectares, each selling for $7 to $35 million dollars per
island. It is 4 kilometers from Dubai’s coast and is a representation of the world’s continents. The Palm Islands and the World
extend into relatively deep water of about 10-15 meters.

All three islands have similar palm-shaped structures, although the size of each varies. Nonetheless, they all follow more or less the same state
of the art engineering and construction procedures. Therefore, it is sufficient to examine mainly Palm Jumeirah’s design and construction
challenges, and then consider special design adjustments to the construction of the consequent islands.

All three islands share their date palm tree form with a spine, fronds, and a long trunk, a crescent shaped breakwater, sub-sea
vehicular tunnel and monorail, sub-sea horizontal directional drilling (HDD) crossings on both eastern and western ends of the
site and pies on each side of crescent. Palm Jumeirah, in particular, has 17 fronds and a 1.5 km long trunk.

Construction of Palm Jumeirah began in August 2001, and is considered one of the world's biggest undertakings. Unlike other previously man-
made islands that are built from metal and concrete, Dubai's Palm Islands are made from all natural materials - rock and sand upon Prince
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's request. Although Palm Islands are artificial islands, the prince desired for a natural appearance
that would blend into existing surroundings. Basically, he is asking to build a massive structure without concrete and steel to hold it in place. It
is exactly this demanding feature that makes constructing these islands the biggest challenge. Plans for this megastructure project would not
have been able to materialize without the collaboration between construction contractors and engineering scientists.

Dutch, who increased their land mass by 35%. The biggest problem that needed to be resolved was how an island made out of sand would
remain in position. Solutions to that problem are very complex because it is dependent on many factors such as the strength of Dubai's storms,
the height of waves and tidal surges, and global warming's impact in raising sea levels. One of the biggest fears was how waves could
accumulate over long distances via persistent winds and large currents potentially causing severe destruction to the islands. Luckily, scientists
say that the Arabian gulf is the perfect place for such construction because with a depth of 30 m and a width of 160 m, it is too short and
shallow for the creation of immensely destructive waves. Nonetheless, even though typical Gulf climate is mild, during the Shamal season,
weather conditions are different. During the Shamal season, from November to April, many storms develop over the Northwestern part of the
Gulf, where the winds are the strongest, travelling at velocities up to 56 km/hr, and drift toward the Southeast within a few days. Waves
ranging from 1 to 2 m high can form from these strong winds, and not to mention, the potential for a catastrophic storm that hits once in a
hundred years. As a result, scientists designed the crescent breakwater structure to surround the fronds of the Palm Islands in order to protect
the islands for high waves and storms.

Scientists calculated that for breakwater crescent to be functional along the 5 km radius of Palm Jumeirah, it had to be at least
3 m above waves, 11.5 km long and 200 m wide in cross section. The company that constructed the breakwater crescent
was Archirodon Overseas. This project required 9 barges, 15 tugboats, 7 dredgers, 30 heavy land-based machines, and 10 floating
cranes. The islands themselves would be made out of an obscene amount of sand dredged from three massive barren sea beds
nearby (from the gulf), while the breakwater crescent out of rock and sand, though mostly rock. The bottom sand layer of the
crescent breakwater is 7.4 m thick. The challenge of dumping this sand layer was that it had to be done when the sea was the
calmest to ensure stability. This was exceptionally difficult during the Shamal season. During this time, construction contractors
fell behind the already tight schedule. Then, barge-loads of rubble were dumped on top of the sand layer to raise the breakwater
crescent from 4 m below to approximately 4 m above the sea. Sloping layers take out force of waves as it comes into contact
with the walls. Since, sand and rubble are the base of the breakwater crescent, how does the breakwater actually protect the
islands? The real protection comes from the outer armor, which is made out of huge boulders of rocks with each rock weighing up
to 6 tons! 5.5 million cubic meters were obtained from 16 quarries around the Emirates - enough to build 2 Egyptian pyramids!
The rocks were piled on barges and instantly shipped to the construction site in less than 24 hours. Then, a floating conveyor belt
operating all day and night, discharged the 40,000 tons of rock per day to the breakwater crescent. The other miracle is how this
stone wall is expected to stay in place without concrete to secure it. Scientists claim that rocks were selected by size and weight
and specially positioned by cranes. As easy way to think of this is how a key fits in a keyhole. The rocks work the same way -
each rock must "interlock" with the adjacent one to tackle forces of the sea. However for safety precautions, scientists perform
frequent checks to make sure the rocks in the breakwater are not drifting away. For this reason, scientists send divers undersea
to survey the ocean floor, every 27 m, looking for cracks and splinters in rocks or "rock fatigue" caused by strong waves. The last
thing they want is for the breakwater to disintegrate because that could be fatal to the existence of the islands.

Breakwater Crescent Palm Island Jumeirah

The breakwater crescent of Palm Jumeirah is about 11 km long and 200 m wide in cross section. It stands over 13 feet above low tide sea level
and sits in 34 feet of water at the deepest point. The crest of the breakwater is 3-4m above mean sea level. The seaward slope is one in
two. The composition of the breakwater consists of coarse sand, quarry run, and 5-6 tonnes of sand. The seaside breakwater is protected by
rubble mound armor. The lowest layer of the breakwater is filled with sand. Rocks weighing one ton were placed on top of the sand followed by
two more layers of rocks. In addition, there are two 328-foot openings on each side of the breakwater to enhance water circulation. According
to the Case Study No.1 Design of Palm Island, water renewal time is approximately 13 days, slightly different than the estimated average
renewal times in another article, which stated 10.1 days. The fact that the latter estimate was derived during the construction period can
explain the different results. Water circulation around the fronds and open sea is critical for marine life, supply of oxygen and the removal of
pollution. Furthermore, there is a retaining wall between the Crescent and fronds. Another layer of rock is placed in front of the wall to reduce
overtopping quantity. (Stive)

Breakwater Crescent Palm Jebel Ali

The breakwater crescent of Jebel Ali is 15 km long and 200 m wide in cross section. The crest height, 4.25m above sea level, is
higher than Jumeirah’s because of the greater water depth. The seaward slope, however, is the still one in two. There are a
retaining wall between the crescent and the palm islands, and three openings, more than Jumeirah because of its greater
crescent length. (Stive)
Breakwater Crescent Palm Deira

The breakwater crescent of Palm Deira will be 21 km long, the largest breakwater in the world. The crescent will be divided into
12 districts, and will have 6 openings for water circulation. The special feature to Palm Deira is that each of the districts will
have land sticking out to create more beach land for investors. These are referred to as "fingers," and will be 250 m long. It is
located in the internal part of the crescent 350 m from the fronds. (AMEinfo)

UB-SEA DRILLED DIRECTIONAL CROSSINGS

The sub-sea vehicular tunnel and monorail connect the spine tip to the crescent and help facilitate utility services to hotel and
leisure developments on the crescent. Six sub-sea HDD crossings are built at the eastern and western ends of the sites. The
eastern crossing from Frond D to the crescent is 580m in length at water line, with an average boring length of 680m, while the
western crossing is 700m long at the water line with an average boring length of 800m. In order to gain experience, Al Naboodah
Engineering Services, the company in charge of installing 12 HDD crossings and 2 micro tunnels for electricity cable installation
decided to first build the shorter eastern crossing. The pipes, located at a depth of 13m to 16m below the seabed in water depth
ranging from 7m to 14m, provide for drinking water, telecommunications, wastewater and the discharge of treated sewage.
(Gahir, et.al)

The main challenges of the installation of sub-sea horizontal directional drillings on Palm Jumeirah specifically, was that there
were close spacing between the bores (holes), changing soil conditions along the drilling alignment (fill/rock) and brackish
(slightly salty) groundwater. To resolve the second problem, vibrocompaction technologies were used just like in the case with
sand in the palm's fronds themselves. (Gahir, et.al)

Besides the scientific challenges to this construction project, another challenge was the pressure to finish the islands in such a
limited amount of time - 3 years. In order to keep ahead of schedule, the company constructing the islands, decided to start
laying the sand foundation under the sea. Yes, time constraints forced both companies - the one constructing the breakwater
crescent, and the one constructing the islands to complete both structures simultaneously. However, eight months into the
project, it wanted to bring them above sea level. In April 2002, after 550 m of the breakwater crescent was completed, the
company finally brought out the fronds. This decision was based on a study conducted that sought to minimize constructions
risks, to be elaborated below. It explains the different sediment transport processes that occurred during construction time.

The islands themselves, the fronds were made out of an obscene amount of sand - 94 million cubic meters of it! That is enough to cover the
whole of Manhattan 1 m
deep! One would assume that acquiring even that huge amount of sand would not be difficult for a country with sand as their biggest resource
(deserts). However, sand from the desert is not the most suitable type for construction of the Palm Islands because it is too fine and "flaky". Inst
ead, sand was obtained from 60 nautical miles out of sea, from the bottom of the Persian
Gulf. This is sand was superior because it was coarse, dense and resistant to wave impact. The sand was dredged by the Belgian company Jan
De Nul and the Dutch company Van Oord, and was sprayed using dredging ships. Sand placement was guided by Differential Global Positioning
Systems (DGPS) allowing for an error of less than 0.39 of an inch beyond imagined boundaries (since there are no rigid mold to hold it in place).
The way this works is that five men walk around the entire island daily in the hot temperature and high humidity levels, carrying these
cumbersome gadgets behind their backs, and receive signals from the Prince's own satellite system, located 676 km up in space. (This
technology rivals those of the Russian and US military!) The height and position of the deposited sand is recorded and reveals the coordinates
(like on a graph) where precisely, the dredges should make additional deposits. The sand was dredged at very high speeds at 10m/s. It took less
than 1 hour to fill an 8 ton tank with sand! This process, known as the rainbowing process, is when a dredging ship propels sand from the
ocean floor and forms a high arc in the air, as shown in the picture. After the rainbowing process, the sand rises 4 m above water.

After a year, two-thirds of the breakwater crescent had been completed, but then scientists encountered another problem,
which was the lack of adequate water circulation around the fronds with the open sea. Thus, scientists had to make alterations
to the blueprint of the breakwater crescent, and so they made two openings in the breakwater. The breaks were to be
connected by bridges. These openings would prevent water stagnation and permit marine traffic. A tide would rush in two times
a day, replenishing the water supply every 14 days.

Another challenge was that since the sand was rainbowed or sprayed, the sand is loose and uncompacted even though sea bed
fine material is already cleansed, since it is from great ocean depths. Usually sand compaction would happen naturally over
time, but there is no time as the Prince rushes the completion of this project due to declining oil banks, Dubai's main source of
revenue. Also, road rolling is not an option in this project because the sand is too deep - 12 m deep. Another potential challenge
is the fact that Dubai lie on the edge of an earthquake zone. If sand has low cohesiveness, and there is an earthquake, a process
known as liquefaction can develop. This process entails that as the earthquake shakes the Earth's surface, sand particles will
move. The sand particles will compact, pushing the water between the particles up, as a result, liquifying the ground. This will
ultimately cause the island to sink in the sea, which is not supposed to happen considering all the people and money invested in
this project. To resolve the problem, constructors used vibro compaction technologies which made loose sand denser by saturating it
with high-pressured water an air, and vibrating it with probes). In January 2004, two thousand holes were drilled into the ground as a result.
These efforts helped secure sand in place. Then, additional sand was dumped to fill the remaining space. The process of stabilizing the fronds
took approximately 8 months. Although a time-consuming process, it is absolutely critical that a firm sand foundation is established because
the city is supposed to support an urban population of 120,000 people.

Meanwhile another challenge arose, and that is erosion. All beaches face erosion, but unlike natural beaches, man-made ones
when faced with erosion do not naturally replenish itself. Gradually, sand will wash way, piling up further along the structure.
Below different kinds of sediment transport processes are discussed for clarification of how erosion works. If sand is not replaced
or frequently monitored, the shoreline will no longer be straight. In extreme cases, the beach may disappear altogether. So
constant monitoring is a must. Constructors need to prepare sand for erosion events.

Previously, it was mentioned that sand that erodes, leaves one area, and accumulates in another area along the structure. So a
good question is Could success of megastructure cause the mainland's downfall? Usually currents push sand along the coastline
equally, resulting in a straight beach line. However, by building Palm Islands near the shoreline, the wave movement in the area
changes. In some cases, sand will be deposited to the mainland's beaches, extending the beach, but in others, shorelines may
erode from 5 to 10 m per year. This can potentially destroy much properties and businesses in the mainland. Again, this calls for
constant maintenance to ensure that shorelines of the mainland and Palm islands remain relatively the same over time.

1. It’s made from millions of tons of rock and sand

Instead of concrete slabs, the foundations of The Palm were created from 7 million tons of rock blasted from the nearby Hajar
Mountains. And while the desert emirate is surrounded by sand, 120 million cubic metres of the stuff were dredged from the bottom
of the sea to form the island. In fact, the amount of rock and sand used in Palm Jumeirah’s construction could form a 2m-wide wall
that would circle the globe three times.

2. An 11km breakwater protects the island

The crescent-shaped breakwater was the first section of The Palm to be built. It protects the inner island from strong sea currents
and the seasonal ‘shamal’ winds that blow across the Gulf from Iraq. A geotextile membrane, which stops the sand from washing
away, was topped by a layer of one-ton rocks, followed by two more layers of rocks weighing up to six tons each.

A 100m-wide opening was added on each side of the crescent to allow water to circulate and prevent it becoming stagnant. A 6m-
wide boardwalk stretches the length of the crescent and is a top spot for a sunset stroll.

3. Engineers used satellites to plot the shape

With the crescent in place, a fleet of sand dredgers worked around the clock to create the trunk and 17 inner fronds. Creating the
perfect palm shape called for high levels of precision though. Guided by a hi-tech GPS, the dredgers sprayed the sand into place
with pinpoint accuracy. Vibro-compaction technology was used to prepare the 560 hectares of reclaimed land to be built on. The
finished island covers an area equivalent to 600 football pitches and is four times as big as London’s Hyde Park.

4. A temporary dam was built

A 6-lane sea tunnel – built using 200,000 cubic metres of reinforced concrete, 30,000 tons of reinforcing steel and 110,000 tons of
rock – connects the trunk to the crescent, 25m below sea level. To build the tunnel under dry conditions, two 1.2km-long dykes were
constructed to form a dam. More than 5.5 million cubic metres of seawater was pumped out in just 45 days, with around 2,000 fish
caught and relocated to prevent them getting trapped inside the drained space. Meanwhile, the dykes were later used as temporary
roads for construction vehicles.

5. It took just six years to build

The $12 billion project began in 2001 and six years later, the island’s first residents moved in. Today, the 17 fronds are home to
around 1,500 beachfront mansions, with a further 6,000 apartments on the trunk. Major hotels on the crescent include Atlantis The
Palm and the Waldorf Astoria, with brands such as Fairmont and Viceroy on the trunk. Resorts in the works include The Royal
Atlantis, next to the existing Atlantis resort, and Palm 360, a two-tower resort connected by a 155m-long “sky pool”.
7 mind-blowing facts about how Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah was built

posted on April 25, 2018

Stretching 5km into the Arabian Gulf and shaped like a date palm, Palm Jumeirah is Dubai’s self-styled
“eighth wonder of the world”. The over-the-top emirate is not just blowing its own trumpet though; this man-
made island is one of the most audacious engineering projects ever undertaken. Here’s how Nakheel, the
government-owned developer, got it off the ground…

1. It’s made from millions of tons of rock and sand

Instead of concrete slabs, the foundations of The Palm were created from 7 million tons of rock blasted from the nearby Hajar Mountains. And
while the desert emirate is surrounded by sand, 120 million cubic metres of the stuff were dredged from the bottom of the sea to form the island.
In fact, the amount of rock and sand used in Palm Jumeirah’s construction could form a 2m-wide wall that would circle the globe three times.

2. An 11km breakwater protects the island

The crescent-shaped breakwater was the first section of The Palm to be built. It protects the inner island from strong sea currents and the seasonal
‘shamal’ winds that blow across the Gulf from Iraq. A geotextile membrane, which stops the sand from washing away, was topped by a layer of
one-ton rocks, followed by two more layers of rocks weighing up to six tons each.

A 100m-wide opening was added on each side of the crescent to allow water to circulate and prevent it becoming stagnant. A 6m-wide boardwalk
stretches the length of the crescent and is a top spot for a sunset stroll.

3. Engineers used satellites to plot the shape

With the crescent in place, a fleet of sand dredgers worked around the clock to create the trunk and 17 inner fronds. Creating the perfect palm
shape called for high levels of precision though. Guided by a hi-tech GPS, the dredgers sprayed the sand into place with pinpoint accuracy.
Vibro-compaction technology was used to prepare the 560 hectares of reclaimed land to be built on. The finished island covers an area equivalent
to 600 football pitches and is four times as big as London’s Hyde Park.

4. A temporary dam was built

A 6-lane sea tunnel – built using 200,000 cubic metres of reinforced concrete, 30,000 tons of reinforcing steel and 110,000 tons of rock –
connects the trunk to the crescent, 25m below sea level. To build the tunnel under dry conditions, two 1.2km-long dykes were constructed to form
a dam. More than 5.5 million cubic metres of seawater was pumped out in just 45 days, with around 2,000 fish caught and relocated to prevent
them getting trapped inside the drained space. Meanwhile, the dykes were later used as temporary roads for construction vehicles.

5. It took just six years to build

The $12 billion project began in 2001 and six years later, the island’s first residents moved in. Today, the 17 fronds are home to around 1,500
beachfront mansions, with a further 6,000 apartments on the trunk. Major hotels on the crescent include Atlantis The Palm and the Waldorf
Astoria, with brands such as Fairmont and Viceroy on the trunk. Resorts in the works include The Royal Atlantis, next to the existing Atlantis
resort, and Palm 360, a two-tower resort connected by a 155m-long “sky pool”.
6. A Trump Tower was originally on the cards
Long before Donald Trump turned his attention to becoming President of the United States, he planned a 60-storey hotel on Dubai’s artificial
archipelago. Touted as “the striking centrepiece of the island”, the project was quietly shelved in 2009 following the global financial crisis. In
2012, Nakheel opened Al Ittihad Park on the proposed site of the Trump project.
Meanwhile, the underwater-themed Atlantis The Palm remains the flagship resort. It boasts a sprawling waterpark and more than 1,500 rooms,
including the Royal Bridge Suite that will set you back a cool $25,000 per night.
7. Two more palm-shaped islands were planned
Work on an even larger island called Palm Jebel Ali began in 2002 but also fell foul of the 2008 financial crisis. Land reclamation
was completed, but no further development work is planned in the near future. Palm Deira, launched in 2004 and set to be eight
times larger than Palm Jumeirah, rounded off the trilogy. Instead, Nakheel has opted for a scaled-back four-island project called
Deira Islands. The 1,530-hectare development will eventually include hotels, residential towers, a sprawling mall and a marina.

First to open in late 2018 is the waterfront Deira Night Souk, which will feature more than 5,000 shops and nearly 100 restaurants
and cafés

Walid Abdul-Wahab is a senior majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis in real estate finance & construction management.
Walid’s interest in the construction industry developed during his 22 years residing in Saudi Arabia where he has witnessed deserts transforming
into a concrete metropolis built on the proceeds of enormous oil wealth that showcases their national pride.

Mega projects are a common scenario almost everywhere in the world. As a result of advancements in technology, engineers constructed
skyscrapers and other infrastructure that left the entire world in awe. Dubai spent trillions transforming the city into an engineering marvel. The
country built various structures in this city, including a revolving skyscraper and the world’s tallest structure. However, none captures the
attention more than the Palms Islands. The Palm Islands are artificial Islands formed in the shapes of a date palm. The Islands add about 1,600
km to Dubai’s coastline and have already been termed as the eighth wonder of the world. The three islands supply 100 luxury hotels and a large
number of residential and entertainment centers. This article presents an overview of one of the best engineering marvels, the Palm Islands
project. The article will first give a background of the project, including the construction process, and then discuss the challenges faced by the
engineering team. The impacts of this mega project on the local environment and the coastal eco-system will also be discussed in detail.

Keywords: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Islands, Dredging, Tourism and GPS

Multimedia: An animation in speed mode showing the time elapsed of how engineers put the rocks individually resulting in the formation of a
palms island.

Introduction
Finding your favorite marble is rare, especially if its somewhere beneath the millions of grains of sand. Today, finding it in seconds has never
been easier with the Global Positioning System (GPS). Now picture the same scenario but with tons of rocks acting as your marbles and more
than 1,500 acres of sand. Would you be able to track each rock surrounded by all that sand? One engineering team made this challenge into a
mega project making it the 8th wonder of the world.

The UAE is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies. Dubai witnessed immense investments in the construction industry hence
becoming the largest construction market in the GCC [2]. According to Noack [3], the country’s construction industry managed to record a strong
development between 2007 and 2009 despite the global financial distress. In 2009, the industry contributed approximately 8% to the country’s
GDP. These massive investments and growth have facilitated the construction of mega structures such as The Palm Islands. The Palm Islands are
a series of three artificial Islands, The Palm Jumerah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira. An island is defined as an area of land that is smaller in size
than a continent and is fully surrounded by water. An island is made up of piles of lava rising above sea level. Technically, the Palm islands are
manmade peninsulas made of sand dredged from the Persian Gulf [4]. Among the three islands, the Palm Deira is the largest artificial island in
the world. Palm Jumeriah was the first island to be constructed. Its construction commenced in June 2001. Also situated on an artificial island in
Dubai is the Burj al Arab. This is a luxury hotel standing 280 meters from Jumeriah beach. It is the world’s fourth tallest hotel and has a private
curved bridge connecting it to the main land [5].

Reasons for construction of the Palm Islands

The Palm Island is unquestionably the most ambitious and enterprising ventures to have ever been imagined and constructed, without the
invention of GPS this project would never had happened. An increase in the tourism sector urged the construction of the islands. Thus
accomplishing a tourist destination that stands out from the rest, brimming with world class hotels, upscale amenities and hundreds of miles of
beaches all in one unique place [2]. Complete land reclamation and achieving pioneer status as well as fame were the other objectives of the
construction project. The reclamation would then allow for construction of hotels and housing facilities. This would involve many foreign
investors and hence improve Dubai’s international recognition [3].

Construction Process
Construction of The Palms began in mid 2001 by a process called dredging [5]. Dredging is a process of collecting sand from one location
(intertidal zone) and deposited onto the existing beach. The sand came from the Persian Gulf, which was dredged and then sprayed onto the
required area using DGPS (Digital Global Positioning Systems) guided dredging ships. Construction of the islands is estimated to be around
110,000,000 cubic meters of sand. The workers then used blasted mountain rock to construct a crescent-shaped breakwater that is 11 kilometers
long. This formed the Crescent of Palm Jumeriah that stands 13 feet above the low tide sea level. The island sits 34 feet at the water’s deepest
point and is made up of over 7 million tons of rock. Divers placed these rocks individually using cranes, signed them off and gave them a DGPS
coordinate. The designers and contractors used DGPS to get the complex shape just right and ensure that the sand placement was within 0.39 of
an inch [6].
Figure 1 below shows layered rocks pouring in the Palm
Islands.
The lowest layer of the breakwater is composed of sand. A
water permeable geo-textile covers the sand to prevent
erosion. At least a ton of rocks covers the sand, with two
layers of large rocks capping the structure. Each side of
the breakwater has two 328-foot

Figure 1: Dredging layered rocks onto deposited sand;

Source: National Geographic
openings in order to eliminate stagnation in the deep
channels. The gaps allowed the complete circulation of
water. As of early 2006, the project had about 8000
workers. 1000 workers lived in an onsite camp while
about 7000 lived on a converted passenger ferry [5, 6]

Curving the land

Can you imagine a world without GPS? Back in the days before GPS, maps ruled the world. GPS has become so omnipresent in our lives that we
can no longer live without it. The construction process of the Palm Islands was without a doubt an engineering marvel that dependent on GPS.
The constructors had to exhibit pinpoint accuracy in order to emphasize precision of curvature. A private satellite placed 676 km in the sky
commanded the dredgers to pour the sand assuring the Islands took a palm tree shape. The satellite would give GPS coordinates of the point
where it was necessary to pour the sand, using mobile receivers as grid reference [7]. They completed constructing the breakwater in August 2003
[5].

Engineering Challenges
Several challenges hampered the complex process of constructing the Palm Islands. Making the islands strong and stable was one challenge
whereas uniformly shaping them as a palm was the other. [8]. Construction of the palm tree islands required about 94 million cubic meters of
sand. Dubai has desert sand, which is unsuitable for construction due to its fine particles that can be easily washed away. They found the most
suitable sand 11 km away from the sea [9]. The sand’s nature of being loose and non-compatible after the dredgers sprayed it also presented
another challenge. To solve this problem, they used vibro-compacting machines to compact the sand. This process took 8 months [7]. Another
major challenge that the engineers experienced was beach erosion. In normal situations, sea current pushes beach sand evenly. By constructing
huge structures on the shoreline, its shape is likely to be changed by the current. Beach erosion led to the extension of some areas and erosion of
others. To solve this problem, constructors sucked the deposited sand and built structures on the shoreline before pouring the sand back in its
rightful position to make it resistant to beach erosion [7].

In October 2003, engineers discovered another challenge that could

have put the entire construction project at risk. Engineers noted that
the system was not flushed properly by the tides and presented a
danger of the water becoming stagnant. Figure 2 illustrates this
problem, which resulted from lack of circulation of water inside the
breakwater and led to storage of dirty water inside the sea wall.
Luckily, a solution to this challenge was found just in time because a
delay would have polluted the water affecting all forms of marine life.
Figure 2: The red area represents stagnant water, a problem
Caused
by lack of water circulation. Source: Engpedia

Figure 3: Fresh water can be seen to circulate after

Construction of the break openings. Source: Engpedia

This would be a problem because Dubai’s fishing industry is its main natural
attraction since the city initially evolved from a small fishing settlement.
Figure 3 illustrates how engineers cut the island’s outer ring at two places.
Engineers ensured the water that entered into the system was flushed, making it
easy for the clean water to be pushed inside [8].
Environmental Impact
Introducing a change of this magnitude to an established ecosystem had
devastating effects on the surrounding ecosystem instantaneously. The construction company took various measures to reduce the environmental
effects by transporting fish and other marine life outside the breakwaters without any success [9]. The construction has resulted in changes in the
area’s wildlife, coastal erosion and sediment transport. The process of sand dredging and depositing resulted in death and asphyxiation of marine
life [10]. This process also resulted in an increase in suspension of fine sediments in the waters off the coast. This suspension hinders penetration
of sunlight to the sea floor hence endangering marine life. As the marine species die off, they decompose and the organic materials lead to
increased levels of hydrogen sulfide in the water hence making it toxic. The dredging process has also damaged the marine habitat by burying
oyster beds, coral reefs, and also subterranean fields of sea grass. This has threatened marine species dependent on this habitat for food [11]. To
restore those displaced marine organisms, marine biologists constructed artificial coral reefs in order to create new habitat. The first reef was the
“Runde Reef” which successfully attracted a variety of marine life. [7] Other designs have been tested or in progress and many more are planned
in the future to repair the damages and losses including the removal of harmful chemicals.

Project Result
With the initial goal being to increase Dubai’s coastline and tourism sector, the Palm Islands are an ambitious undertaking that has garnered
international attention with its uniqueness. Through development of the Islands, the country has become a world leader in business innovation.
Through this project, Dubai managed to reclaim land and increase its land area as well as its coastal perimeter. The Islands form a spectacular
view and can even be seen from space. The spectacular beauty has been a substantial incentive in the country’s tourism sector [12]. The
commercial houses on the islands attracted buyers from all over the world and they sold out a few days after completion. The housing
developments also attracted investments from various members of the UK national team. This further proves how successful this project was as
well as how much the project was acceptable to both the local and the international communities [2, 3, and 4]. Despite the various negative
effects on the environment, the project resulted in a spectacular piece of engineering genius that helped Dubai attain pioneer status. It also
sparked interest from the foreign world in the tourism and foreign development industry.

Conclusion
Engineering is taking rapid strides forward and at blurring pace such that something considered a marvelous novelty today turns into a common
object tomorrow. Engineering also presents methods of coming up with spectacular creations from nothing in particular as was the case with The
Palm islands. The construction process of such creations also presents new challenges to engineers, where they have to act quickly and find
solutions to this crisis [11]. The Palm Islands are a modern engineering wonder that has improved Dubai’s international image. Dubai yet again
has successfully created another man-made island called “The world” can you guess what shape it is?

The Palm Islands are an artificial archipelago(a chain or cluster of islands) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates one of the major
commercial and residential infrastructure. Crown prince Shekh Mahamad bin rashid ahmad 2 wants to increase tourists to Dubai.
He want to make Dubai No. 1 luxurious tourist destination in the world. 5 million tourist visit annually and prince wants to increase
it by 15. Coast of Dubai is 72 km which is not enough for 15 million people. So the crown prince plan is to build massive islands into
the sea.

Palm Islands are constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property developer in the United Arab Emirates, who hired Belgian and
Dutch dredging and marine contractor Jan De Nul and Van Oord, some of the world's specialists in land reclamation (Land
reclamation is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds). The Dutch had increased Holland’s land by 35%.

The crown price wanted the island in the shape of palm tree and to be built by only sand and rocks. The construction started in
August 2001. Arabian gulf is a perfect place to build such a mega structure. It is on average only 30 m deep and 160 km wide. It is
too short for catastrophic waves to build up. But it should bear with massive waves in winter and a worst case scenario storm which
hit once in 100 years should also be considered.

First step of building break water was to construct sea floor. 3 massive dredger dump the sand up to 7.4 m thick. To keep it in place
floor of rocks were dropped on it up to 3 m above sea level, total thickness of 7 m. 5.5 million cubic meter of rock was required by the
11.5 m long break water which is enough to build two Egyptian pyramids. The heavy land base machines put 14000 cubic meters of
rock in place per day. These rocks must interlock with each other to bear with sea waves. The constant check to ensure the break
water is in place and standing firm was done by sending divers.

March 2002 storm hits and a section of break water is in the sea. For 3 weeks work had to be stopped. But the break water stands
firm. Crown prince wanted the island and city on it to be build by 2006. Only way to meet the deadline is to build break water and
island at same time. But this is not an ideal situation. The island will have bad effects of sea waves without complete break water. But
the deadline had to be met.

The island construction team had to find 94 million cubic meters of sand to build the palm tree island. Dubai has more sand, but
desert sand is not the suitable for constructing island. Its particles are too fine and won’t stick together firmly. It means it will be
easily washed away. The best sand was found 6 nautical miles(11 km) out of sea. This was the best suitable sand. It packs densely and
more resistant to waves.

Dredgers scoop up 8000 ton of sand less than an hour and spray the sand into the place. The process is called rain bowing. But it
was difficult to say that sand was falling at right place. It was achieved by GPS technology. Dubai has access to only privately owned
satellite in the world, the Ikonos.

Mobile receivers on the island make grid reference and receiving signals from satellite and from a fixed position on land,
height and position of island is recorded. With these records dredgers rainbow the sand at place with pin point accuracy.
 October 2002, 2/3 of break water and 9 palm fronds rise above the sea level. But then engineers discovered a problem that
could put the whole project in danger. The water inside the sea wall (break water) was not circulating resulting in dirty water being
stored inside.

Luckily the solution is found just in time. Making two breaks in sea wall (break water) made it easy for sea to push clean water
inside.

August 2003 break water completes. Two months later island reclamation completes. 94 million cubic meter of sand and 5.5
million cubic meters of rock holds back full force of sea. Now to fulfil crown prince’s dream 4500 houses and apartments, 200 hotels
and shopping malls are to be build on the island.

The sand island must support an entire city on it. But sand is not an easy platform to build on. Because the sand is sprayed
it is loose and not compactable. Over time sand will compact naturally, but it will take time.

The solution was to use process called vibro-compaction. January 2004 fifteen vibro-compacting machines work around
the clock to firm up the land. These shafts vibrate shaking the ground around it and compact the land. As the land compacts and sink
more sand is poured in. It took 8 months to stabilize the land. March 2004, the palm Jumairah is ready to be and building site.

When the palm first released to the public all the houses were sold just in 3 days. Most expensive go for 1.2 million
dollars.

There was another problem, beach erosion. Normally sea current push the beach sand evenly. By building massive structure on
shore line current will change its shape resulting in at some place shore will extend and other place it will erode. Naturally problem
will be solved but it will take time. Mean time developers used dredgers to suck up sand where it has deposited and pour into place
where it had erode.

ABSTRACT The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial island located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, created through the process of land reclamation. It
was developed during an economic boom in Dubai, catering to the increased tourism and luxury living requirements of the city. Design of the
Palm Jumeirah started in 2001 and construction has since been completed. Two other islands, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira, are still
under construction, and are on hold indefinitely following recent financial problems and slowing property markets in Dubai. The Palm Jumeirah
was designed largely to combat the problem of limited development space, especially beachfront properties. The palm shape of the island was
decided on as it provided significant beachfront area, while remaining culturally relevant and symbolic. Extensive dredging and land
reclamation was required to build the two sections: the outer breakwater and the inner palm shape. Throughout the reclamation process,
geographical surveys were completed to ensure that the island was being shaped correctly and built up to the designed elevation. After
reclamation was complete, vibrocompaction was used to compact and strengthen the sand, making it a suitable base for construction. With
construction completed, the impacts of the Palm Jumeirah can be observed. Specific areas of interest are the impacts on the island itself, the
surrounding geography and the ecosystem. Analysing these areas can give an indication of the success of the project, and be used to develop
improved methods of design and construction for similar projects in the future. The Palm Jumeirah is one of the largest artificial islands in the
world, and is a significant coastal engineering feat. Such a large-scale project is accompanied with enormous challenges and requirements. This
paper provides a background on the project, describes the challenges presented in construction, and analyses post-construction impacts and
future considerations.

INTRODUCTION 1.1 Historical Overview of Dubai Dubai is a city of approximately 2.1 million people located in the United Arab Emirates, a
country in the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf. Traditionally a strategically located port and trading hub, Dubai experienced massive
growth and change in the second half of the 20th century as a result of it’s oil industry. The bustling economy and desire to grow led the city to
become one of the world’s top financial, real-estate and tourism centres, and has resulted in the some of the most ambitious development
projects in the world, such as the world’s tallest skyscraper, numerous shopping centres, amusement parks, hotels, and artificial islands. The
first of these artificial islands, the Palm Jumeirah, began construction in 2001, and started seeing residents in 2006. The location of the Palm
Jumeirah can be seen in Figure 1. Two other palm shaped islands, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira, as well as the world map shaped World
Islands, are still under construction and are indefinitely delayed following recent financial crises.

1.2 Design Concept The Palm Jumeirah was first envisioned in the 1990’s as a luxury residential and commercial area, a tourist destination, and
a means of providing Dubai with more development space. The unique palm shape is culturally relevant and symbolic to the region, and
provides a significant amount of beachfront property by adding 78.6 km to the city’s current 72 km. The island consists of two main regions: the
breakwater and the palm (see Figure 2). The breakwater forms a circular arc that acts as a barrier to the sea, protecting the inner palm from
potentially harmful wave action and water flow. The palm consists of a main trunk and 17 fronds, providing a large portion of residential and
commercial space. The fronds contain a variety of beachfront villas, while the trunk contains hotels, apartments, condos, shopping malls and
other commercial properties. The breakwater contains a mix of luxury hotels, resorts, condos and villas [1].
2 CONSTRUCTION PROCESS AND CHALLENGES The construction process for the Palm Jumeirah began in August 2001 with initial scientific
studies and surveys. Dutch reclamation experts were hired to consult on the project as much of the land in the Netherlands has also been
reclaimed from the sea. Construction started with the 11.5km long breakwater. The breakwater consists of three layers: an initial layer of sand
built up 7.5m from the sea floor, a second layer of rock that reaches 3m above sea level, and a final layer of armour stone on top, with
individual stones weighing up to 6 tons. Although the UAE has a vast supply of desert sand, it could not be used on the project as it is
considered too fine and unsuitable for construction use. Sand was dredged from the sea floor 6 nautical miles out from shore and transported
to the project location. Rock was blasted from local quarries, brought to site on barges, and put in place by heavy equipment. PT-2013 Gibling
P.4 With no visual means of determining where material should be placed, global positioning systems (GPS) were used to provide accurate
deposit locations. With the breakwater partially built and providing some protection, construction of the palm could begin and the two regions
could be constructed simultaneously. The palm consists mainly of sand—the same as what was used in the breakwater. In order to deposit the
sand above sea level, a process known as “rainbowing” was used. As seen in Figure 3, dredgers pumped the sand and sprayed it into the air in
an arc shape, allowing the sand to reach areas where the ships could not physically manoeuvre. In total, 94 million cubic metres of sand and 5.5
million cubic metres of rock were used in the construction of the Palm Jumeirah [2]. With more and more land coming to the surface, it was
necessary to monitor the shape of the island to ensure every section was the right shape and elevation. Workers would traverse the newly
formed land with handheld GPS devices and take measurements, noting any discrepancies with the designed layout.

As the land reclamation neared completion, an issue started to become apparent: the water within the breakwater was not circulating as
expected, leaving areas in and around the fronds that were becoming stagnant. The breakwater had to be redesigned to have two openings to
the sea, allowing the water to enter and circulate. This proved to be successful, and the improved circulation meant that water within the
breakwater would be completely flushed out within fourteen days. By October 2003, the land reclamation process had been completed, and
the next phase of the project could begin: the construction of an entire city supported by a man-made island. Geophysical testing showed that
the sand used could not yet support the massive amount of buildings and infrastructure that had been planned, and that the sand would need
to be compacted in order to provide a stable base for construction. As an additional hazard, Dubai is located near an earthquake zone. If an
earthquake were to occur, the sand could undergo a process known as liquefaction, where the sand

settles and fills in any available gaps. Water is pushed out and up, essentially sinking the island. To counter this, the sand underwent a process
known as vibrocompaction, where vibrations from a probe cause the sand to rearrange into more dense configurations, reducing the possibility
of future settlement. Over 200,000 locations were vibrocompacted, preparing the island for the numerous buidlings, roads, utilities and other
infrastructure developments that were to come [3].