When complete next year the Burj Dubai will be taller than three Canary Wharf towers
balanced on top of each other
Posted on 04/06/2008 1:15:21 PM PDT by yankeedame
Last updated at 15:21pm on 6th April 2008
It is the tallest man-made structure in the world – and it is still growing.
When complete next year the Burj Dubai will stretch half a mile into the sky over the United Arab Emirates, taller than three Canary Wharf towers balanced on top of each other.
Already 2,200ft tall, and the result of 22million man hours of labour, the Burj is the pinnacle of skyscraper engineering.
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When complete next year the Burj Dubai will be taller than three Canary Wharf towers
balanced on top of each other
This £2 billion marvel, designed by American architect Adrian Smith, is packed with technological innovations, including double-decker lifts that can carry 42 people at a record-breaking 40mph to the observation platforms, robotic window-cleaning platforms and a system of pipes to collect condensation from the windows.
It will provide about 15million gallons of water per year – equivalent to nearly 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
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The Burj will be the height of luxury. Some of the space will be used for offices but the lower
37 floors will house the world's first Armani Hotel
The water will be pumped into the site's irrigation system for use on the landscaped areas.
Because of its size – more than 6,000 miles of girders, enough to stretch a quarter of the way round the world, have gone into making its 160 floors – evacuation in a fire could be too slow.
Therefore pressurised air-conditioned refuges to allow heat or fumes to escape are situated on every 25th floor, the stairwells are fireproofed and there is a special lift for firefighting equipment.
The Burj will be the height of luxury. Some of the space will be used for offices but the lower 37 floors will house the world's first Armani Hotel.
There are also 700 private apartments, and residents will be able to swim in an outdoor pool on the side roof of the 78th floor.
The Y-shape plan of the tower, copied from Islamic designs on mosque roofs, maximises views of the Persian Gulf.
The Boy Scouts had it right.. BE PREPARED...
I ran across some comments on the tube the other day that led me to believe Dubai may have been involved with some unsavory things. I’d rather let it be vague for now until I’ve had a chance to look into it further. Sorry to not be of more help on the matter.
Plus the Gulf countries have been banking and trading centres for millenia before Islam — for example, Bahrain used to be a trading post between the Sumerians in Iraq and the Indus Valley civilisation in India, dating back to 3,000 BC
yes, that’s true — the Emir of Dubai has been a visionary. The other Emirs in the United Arab Emirates (which consists of quite some Emirates, including Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi etc.) are getting into the act now
I wish Americans wouldn't have this attitude. We are the ones that should have the tallest buildings. Manhattan alone should have more skyscrapers than the rest of the world combined.
We just don't have enough skyscrapers in the United States and the few we have aren't tall enough either.
By now, we should have skyscrapers over a mile high. In fact, we should have entire cities contained within skyscrapers so that people never have to touch the ground their entire lives.
Imagine this: A city with 22,500 skyscrapers over 100 stories tall. 8,000 over 200 stories tall and 650 over 500 stories tall. All these skyscrapers connected together by bridges at varying heights.
The upshot is that you can spend your entire life within this skyscraper city and never get bored. Without even going to the ground floor, you will have access to hundreds of shopping malls, amusement parks, movie theatres, stadiums, and so forth. Thousands upon thousands of restaurants, coffee shops, bars, etc., all above ground level.
Imagine TEN Manhattans combined only all above ground level. This is what I'm talking about and this is what should be possible in the United States of America.
Doesn’t look safe.
Take some comfort in the fact that this building IS of American design. Or at least the architect is American.
And the recovering the condensation from the windows: Very cool!
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