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Work on the Heart of Europe, an ambitious project that recreates the spirit of the most popular European destinations off the coast of Dubai, continues apace and will now include a massive coral reef.
KARIM SAHIB / AFP via Getty Images
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The island of Sweden: The first phase of the project was scheduled for the end of 2020. On the island of Sweden "palaces" are built under roofs that resemble overturned Viking boats.
Credit: HEART OF EUROPE
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A long-term project: This $ 5 billion mega-resort has taken almost two decades to prepare and will be the first part of The World collection of islands.
Credits: Heart of Europe
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Snow in the desert: The Sweden Beach Palace even has a snow room.
Elsewhere on the European island, heated streets will bathe visitors in European-style summer rain and even flurries of snow.
Credits: Francois Nel / Getty Images
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Scandinavian chic: The island of Sweden is home to a massive $ 21.8 million show mansion with its own private beach.
Exclusive furnishings from high-end car manufacturer Bentley include luxurious seating for lavish dining.
Courtesy of David Dunn
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Celebration Space: The island of Sweden's mansion includes a vaulted ballroom for up to 300 guests, perfect for those post-pandemic celebrations.
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Italy Reimagined: The Portofino resort is designed with colorful facades that are intended to resemble Italian waterfront architecture.
Courtesy of David Dunn
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Just for families: The Italian-style Portofino resort is geared toward families.
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Polyglot Parrots: African Gray Parrots are currently receiving daily language classes, in preparation for serving guests when their hotel, Portofino, opens.
At the moment, the avian ambassadors are learning English, but European and Arab greetings are also scheduled.
Courtesy of David Dunn
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Isolated islands: Being separated from the mainland, this area of the Heart of Europe, seen here in July 2020, has been kept free of Covid, and construction workers have isolated themselves on the islands to continue working .
Francois Nel / Getty Images
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Germany Island: On the island of Germany, the Deutschland-type design stands out, with buildings supposedly inspired by the architecture of the Bauhaus.
Courtesy of David Dunn
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Côte d'Azur: The Côte d'Azur area of the Central European island has hotels named after the rest areas of the French Riviera: Monaco, Nice, Cannes and Saint Tropez.
The staff in these hotels is French speaking.
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Honeymoon Island: On the heart-shaped Honeymoon Island, newlyweds will be able to enjoy their own beaches at sunrise and sunset.
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HEART OF EUROPE Floating Seahorse: Among the iconic properties of the Heart of Europe are the Floating Seahorse villas, with rooms offering views above and below the waterline.
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Aquatic life: The underwater windows offer views of fish nibbling the coral.
Heart of Europe also includes a project to preserve and feed living coral.
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All in the sea: When completed, there are expected to be 147 Floating Seahorse villas.
Dubai (CNN) -
Off the coast of Dubai, a property developer plans to create up to 500,000 square meters of coral reef.
The Kleindienst Group, builder of the Heart of Europe mega-resort, which is part of a network of artificial islands called "The World", has created the Coral Institute there, to care for and regenerate corals.
It uses a technique known as "chipping", in which chunks of coral are cut with a small electric saw, allowing each coral to regenerate hundreds of times.
The coral chunks will be stored in water tanks, and a team of marine biologists will monitor and care for them until they grow large enough to recreate a reef.
By 2050, most of the world's coral reefs could disappear
"The Coral Institute will save and protect the coral gene pool (...) around the Arabian Gulf," Josef Kleindienst, president of the Kleindienst Group, told CNN.
A 2018 study found that 73% of the UAE's corals have been wiped out by bleaching, largely due to climate change and human activity.
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Kleindienst states that the goal of Heart of Europe is to demonstrate that development and marine life can coexist in a sustainable environment.
The corals will help make the site eco-friendly and will also become a landscaping feature for luxury hotels, 4,000 homes and more than 50 tourist attractions in the Heart of Europe, including the iconic Floating Seahorse Villas.
Visit the gallery to learn more about the project.
Coral Reef Dubai