Burj Al Arab hotel
Posted on 01/03/2010 12:49:36 AM PST by bruinbirdman
The world’s tallest building opens for business this week — if it can find any
For years, Dubai boasted that whatever bling project it embarked upon, from carving its coastline into palm-tree-shaped resorts to building vast ski domes in the sand, it would be the “number one in the world”. After the credit crunch, however, it looked like the only record the Gulf city state would claim is the biggest boom and bust.
Burj Al Arab hotel
Tomorrow, though, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al- Maktoum, the emirate’s ruler, will celebrate at least one global milestone he can be proud of when he opens the tallest building on the planet.
The £1 billion Burj Dubai is at least 2,683ft from its base to the tip of its spire — that’s more than half a mile, the equivalent of three-and-a-half Canary Wharf towers or two Empire State buildings stacked up. Its final height is being kept secret until tomorrow, but architects who have worked on the building have hinted it could break the 2,700ft mark.
The tower is more than 1,000ft higher than its nearest inhabited rival, Taiwan’s 1,671ft Taipei 101. It is also the tallest man-made structure in the world, surpassing the 2,063ft KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, America.
The steel-ribbed, glass-clad structure looks like a giant hypodermic needle piercing the desert sky. As the 169-floor building rises, it passes through several climatic zones. The temperature at the top is up to 10C cooler than at the bottom.
It has the highest swimming pool in the world, on the 76th floor, and the most elevated place of worship with plans for a mosque on the 158th floor.
The Burj Dubai — “burj” means tower in Arabic — is the culmination of Sheikh Mohammed’s vaulting ambition for the
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
We should have built this in NYC. Instead we have a hole in the ground that serves as a monument to the complete and total capitulation of the West to the barbarians.
Is that thing ugly or what?
Babel 2?
Who even cares if it’s the tallest. It’s in MuzzieLand. You couldn’t pay me to take a office there.
I remember seeing a show on a cable channel about this building, and based on that, I wouldn’t be surprised if it fell down on its own. Apparently, the Arabs do not have even the slightest concept of quality control, and the third world people they brought in to do the real work weren’t much better. The western contractors were the only people trying to do things right, and they were running ragged trying to fix all of the problems.
I didn’t have the opportunity to see it up close, but I did see it from the airport a couple weeks ago. I can’t see this thing lasting, given the geology where it’s built. It’s all sand dune. The locals told me that the Palms and the other man-made islands are already sinking.
The things empty? Aren’t there enough camel salesmen who need showrooms in Dubai? Who in their right mind would rent space in that area of the world? However, if you do, make sure you and your staff have stainless steel turtlenecks and flak jackets.
Here I am, innocently freeping, when I come across post 14 on this thread just as my 10-year-old walks by.
Thanks for giving the whole family a good laugh - we’re still chuckling (and now my kids want to know why *I* can’t do anything that cool with my computer).
The article's rationale was that once you get above a certain height, the extra costs of building each additional floor (especially the added costs of pumping water, fire protection systems, etc.) -- coupled with the loss of net floor area on the lower floors due to the need for larger building columns -- actually offset the additional lease revenue from the additional floor.
I'm sure there are some dense urban areas where commercial real estate lease rates are high enough to add some other considerations that make this general statement incorrect, but I found it fascinating nonetheless.
And, it’ll probably wind up mutilated. Thanks martin. Probably could house the entire population of United Arab Emirates. ;’) Okay, no, “4,798,491” sez the CIA WFB.
...2,683ft from its base to the tip of its spire — that’s more than half a mile, the equivalent of three-and-a-half Canary Wharf towers or two Empire State buildings stacked up. Its final height is being kept secret until tomorrow, but architects who have worked on the building have hinted it could break the 2,700ft mark.Okay, now, imagine something twenty times this tall, and you're on the way to the space elevator. ;')
LOL!
If you can remember the Sixties, you weren’t there.
Added that link to my, uh, kinda oversized links page. :’)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
