Ssangyong E&C completes $1.2b UAE landmark project

South Korean builder Ssangyong Engineering & Construction said Tuesday it has completed the construction of Atlantis the Royal, a $1.2 billion ultraluxury resort complex, after almost seven years of work.

Atlantis the Royal, set on the crescent of the human-made island Palm Jumeirah in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates, comprises three 44-story five-star hotels and three residence hotels.

The hotel buildings consist of 791 rooms, 94 pools and penthouses with their own private infinity pools, while the residence hotels contain 231 households.

All the buildings are connected by a 1,300-ton "Skybridge" installed 80 meters high in the air.

On the roof of the Skybridge is a 90-meter sky pool designed to give users a panoramic view of Dubai's skyline and the Gulf coastline.

According to Ssangyong E&C, Atlantis the Royal is uniquely designed, bent in an "S" shape from a bird's-eye view, while resembling a stack of Lego blocks from land.

"Atlantis the Royal is a complex structure where all 33,000 panels used for outer walls are streamlined," said Han Seung-pyo, a project manager at Ssangyong E&C.

"There are few cases in the world where all the blocks in the buildings are streamlined, while resembling Lego blocks," he added.

Ssangyong E&C said the project included 54 consultants from 14 countries.

The luxury hotel began construction in July 2016 after Ssangyong E&C won the order from Dubai Investment Authority, its biggest shareholder in 2015.

The company explained that the construction period was further extended by three years due to pandemic disruptions, resulting in a surge in construction costs from $840 million to $1.2 billion.

"With the completion of Atlantis the Royal, which is considered one of the world's top luxury hotels, Ssangyong E&C has once again proved its status as the No. 1 builder in the global high-end construction industry," a Ssangyong E&C official said in a press release.

"With this, we plan to actively win orders for high-end buildings in Dubai and the Middle East," he said.

The new landmark in Dubai follows a slew of high-end construction projects overseas for Ssangyong E&C, including Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. As of January, the builder has won a total of 185 construction projects worth $13 billion in 23 countries.