Tom Wright (born 18 September 1957) is a British architect. His most famous design is the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Born in Croydon, a town in Greater London, United Kingdom on 18 September 1957, Wright studied at the Royal Russell School and then later at the Kingston University School of Architecture. Qualified in 1983, Wright went on to become a director of the architectural practice Lister Drew Haines Barrow, which was taken over in 1991 by Atkins,[1] for whom he has worked since then.
While some believe he is a Christian because he "constructed the largest Christian cross in the world" in the Burj Al-Arab, he says on his website that he is agnostic. [2]
The Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) was conceived in October 1993 and finished in 1999. The brief was to create an icon for Dubai: a building that would become synonymous with the area, as the Sydney Opera House is with Sydney and the Eiffel Tower is with Paris. The hotel is built in the shape of a modern yacht sail to reflect Dubai′s seafaring heritage combined with a modern aspect moving forwards into the future.
Since 1999 Tom Wright has continued to work for Atkins as Head of Architecture from the Atkins H.Q. in Epsom, London. Here he has assisted design projects for some of the most prestigious international clients. The current portfolio includes work throughout Australasia, the Far East, the Middle East, Europe and the USA. Example projects include the Al-Rajhi Tower in Riyadh, and the Lakeside Hotel, Tunisia.