World's First Refrigerated Beach

Have you ever visited the tropics and walked in the sandy beaches on a hot day? Undoubtedly you probably would have had your feet scorched and found the sand too hot to lie on. Don’t worry; if you plan a visit to Dubai in early 2010 and can afford a stay at the Palazzo Versace Hotel, you and other filthy rich people can enjoy the world’s first refrigerated beach.

The beach adjacent to the ultra-luxury hotel will be the first in the world to include cooling pipes below the sand to regulate temperatures during the hot 40-50C weather. Dubai is synonymous with elaborate architecture and extravagant spending so being the home to an air conditioned outdoor beach is not unusual.

The environmental concerns surrounding such a project are said to be considered by developers. Versace has gone on record and said that this beach will be sustainable – how they plan on achieving this is not clear. According to the president of Palazzo Versace, this hotel is catered to “top people” and these clients want luxury that translates to cool sand.

The schematic plans of the cooling beach sounds very similar to an actual refrigerator. Heat-absorbing pipes will be used to draw out the heat from the sand while giant wind blowers will keep guests nice and cool. Computer controlled thermostats will be used to handle the regulation while a cooled swimming pool is also scheduled to be built. Dubai is also home to such extraordinary architectural achievements as the Burj Dubai, and the Ski Dubai; a 22,500-square meters indoor ski slope.