Dubai reveals plans for heart-shaped island with floating villas

Floating villas with underwater bedrooms and streets covered with fake snow: Dubai reveals plans for man-made island inspired by European living.
Heart-shaped St Petersburg island is one of six man-made atolls in the Heart of Europe project in Dubai. It will be home to a 109-room hotel for tourists and 90 floating villas with submerged bedrooms and bathrooms. A Germany’s institute has developed technology that will allow for rain and snow to fall on some streets. One of the most luxurious destinations on the planet is about the get even more over-the-top extravagance with a new heart-shaped island. With £1million floating homes and stunning views of Dubai’s glittering skyline, man-made St Petersburg Island is set to become the next major tourist magnet in the desert oasis. While most islands boast beachfront villas, this one will be home to a 109-room hotel and 90 floating homes called seahorses. Inspired by the Maldives, the atoll is part of the Heart of Europe project which comprises six islands – Sweden, Germany, Main Europe, Switzerland and Monaco. The ‘floating seahorse’ villas are by far the most unique aspect of the project, and the first model home is scheduled to be unveiled next month. The seahorses will be connected to the island via floating jetties, and the first cluster will go on the market for more than £1million each next month. Each villa weighs 188 tonnes and features 270 square feet of underwater glazing looking out on a coral garden. The coral is intended to attract creatures which live and breed in the Arabian Gulf. Each villa will have three levels: one underwater, one at sea level and an upper deck, with the master bedroom and bathroom totally submerged. The sea level accommodation will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, a fully-fitted kitchen with a dining area and an open plan living area. The upper deck will feature a bedroom, minibar, kitchenette and glass-bottomed Jacuzzi. To make the island even more unique, Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute has developed technology that will allow for rain and snow to fall on some of the plazas and streets. The Heart of Europe is owned by the Kleindienst Group, which is planning to open St Petersburg Island to tourists and residents in October 2016. More than 200 specialists from 25 different countries have been involved in the development. The developers behind the project said: ‘St Petersburg Island has now been re-designed into the shape of a heart, taking inspiration from the Maldives and some of the world’s finest holiday resorts. The Heart of Europe is part of an ambitious project called The World – an artificial archipelago of small islands that is meant to resemble the world’s map. Via: dailymail