To find out what happens when almost unlimited amounts of money are let loose on creative people – architects and designers, consultants and planners – visit the United Arab Emirates.

The outcome is a stunning, though sometimes bizarre, collection of towers, resorts, buildings and other projects – Dubai’s sail-shaped Burj Al Arab Hotel, the various Palm Islands resorts and a mall-based indoor ski slope, to name but three. In the pipeline are an entire snow resort and an underwater hotel.