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Tom Wright
Born (1957-09-18) 18 September 1957 (age 66)
Croydon, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
OccupationArchitect
Notable workBurj Al Arab

Tom Wright (born 18 September 1957) is a British architect best known as the designer of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[1][2]

Biography

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Born in Shirley, Croydon, Surrey in 1957,[3] Wright studied at the Royal Russell School and then later at the Kingston University School of Architecture. Wright qualified as an architect the same year he was accepted as a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1983[1] and went on from there to become a director of the architectural practice Lister Drew Haines Barrow, which was taken over in 1991 by Atkins. Wright became head of Atkins' architecture arm.[4]

Wright became design director for the Jumeirah Beach Resort, Dubai, and designed the Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) at the same time. It was conceived in October 1994 and finished in 1999. The brief was to create an icon for Dubai: a building that would become synonymous with the place, as the Sydney Opera House is with Sydney and the Eiffel Tower is with Paris. The hotel is built in the shape of a dhow's (a traditional Arabic ship) sail to reflect Dubai′s seafaring heritage combined with a modern aspect moving forwards into the future. It costs 2,700 dollars on average per night to book a room at the hotel.

In 2013 Tom Wright, Geku Kuruvilla George and Hakim Khennouchi left Atkins to create a new practice called WKK Architects incorporated in July 2013. WKK was restructured and WKA (Wright Kuruvilla Architects Ltd) was formed in March 2024.

In 2023, the Ribbon Building, one of Tom Wright architectures, was opened in Iran and in Tehran. The three functions of the building are visually split by a flowing silver ribbon of cladding and light. This simple dramatic device helps lift a simple, efficient structure to a memorable landmark.

One of his most recent projects is the co-design of Celebrity Cruises' new ship, Celebrity Edge,[5] which brings a number of innovations to the cruise ship industry.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tom Wright, architect and designer of the Burj al Arab". Arquigrafico. 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  2. ^ Gornall, Jonathan (5 June 2016). "Burj Khalifa cameo in Independence Day sequel shows Dubai 'has arrived'". The National. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. ^ JBDAdmin (24 December 2018). "Tom Wright". iDesignWiki. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  4. ^ "The wow factor". Building Magazine. No. 4. 2000. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  5. ^ Pownall, Augusta (18 January 2019). "Kelly Hoppen-designed cruise ship features a moving cantilevered exterior deck". Dezeen. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
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