World's tallest building opens in Dubai

BBC News ^ | 01/04/2010

[SeekAndFind]

The world's tallest building has been opened with a dramatic fireworks ceremony in the Gulf emirate of Dubai.

The Burj Khalifa was revealed to be 828m (2,716ft) high, far taller than the previous record holder, Taipei 101.

Known as the Burj Dubai during construction, the tower has been renamed after the leader of Dubai's oil-rich neighbour, Abu Dhabi.

Last month, Abu Dhabi gave Dubai a handout of $10bn (£6.13bn) to help it pay off its debts.

Construction of the Burj Dubai began in 2004, at the height of an economic boom.

Clad in 28,000 glass panels, the tower has 160 floors and more than 500,000 sq m of space for offices and flats.

The tower also lays claim to the highest occupied floor, the tallest service lift, and the world's highest observation deck - on the 124th floor.

The world's highest mosque and swimming pool will meanwhile be located on the 158th and 76th floors.

Technical challenges

The opening ceremony, held 1,325 days after excavation work started, was attended by some 6,000 guests.

Though not complete on the inside, it was officially opened by Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Burj Dubai The Burj Dubai dwarfs its neighbouring buildings

In a surprise move he renamed it Burj Khalifa - after the president of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan.

[SeekAndFind]

The Burj Dubai dwarfs its neighbouring buildings.
"This great project deserves to carry the name of a great man"
-- Sheikh Mohammed

[SeekAndFind]

BURJ KHALIFA IN NUMBERS

95: distance in km at which its spire can be seen

504: rise in metres of its main service lift

57: number of lifts

49: number of office floors

1,044: number of residential apartments

900: length in feet of the fountain at the foot of the
tower, the world’s tallest performing fountain

28,261: number of glass cladding panels on the exterior of the tower

[al baby]

I think we should fly a b 52 made into a drone into just for fun

[Sacajaweau]

They said the service elevator goes about 40 mph.

[hennie pennie]

*ping*

Any further dreams, JP?

[SeekAndFind]

1. The Burj, which stands at more than 828m high (2,716ft) and has more than 162 inhabitable floors, can be seen from 60 miles away

2. The top of the building features a public observation deck and shop. The world's highest mosque and swimming pool are located on the 158th and 76th floors

3. The tapering spire is made out of reinforced concrete, steel, stainless steel and glass. The exterior cladding of reflective glazing is designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures

4. The building contains more than 1,000 apartments and 49 floors of office space, served by 57 lifts. There are a total of four swimming pools and a private library 5. A 160-room hotel carrying the Giorgio Armani logo will occupy the lower part of the tower

6. The foundations were dug to depths of 50m (164 ft).

The Burj Khalifa, the newly-opened Dubai tower, is a multiple record breaker.

As well as becoming the tallest building in the world, the skyscraper is the tallest structure and boasts the most storeys and highest occupied floor. Its 124th floor outdoor observation deck is also the world's highest, and its elevators will travel the longest distance.

The $1.5bn tower is more than twice the size of the Empire State Building and its construction took thousands of workers six years to complete.



1. The tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. The design is said to be based on the desert flower Hymenocallis native to the region

2. The Y-shaped floor plan aims to maximize views of the Gulf. As the building rises, its floor space decreases in size

3. The building's core also features double-decker elevators, said to be some of the fastest in the world.

[zeaal]

Just why .... ?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I don't the numbers but due to economic downturns they are not projecting a high occupancy rate for this building now.

[who knows what evil?]

They said the service elevator goes about 40 mph.

The passenger elevator in Toronto's CN Tower is a real rush...when it starts down from the top; it feels like it has dropped out from under your feet...it only lasts for a couple of seconds; but that 'oh, sh*t!' feeling gets your heart racing...yahoo!

[GonzoGOP]

If a tree falls in the forest does it make any noise?

If the worlds tallest building opens in Dubai and nobody moves in does it make any money?

[SeekAndFind]

Some questions come to mind :

1) How long did it take them to build this tower from conception to completion ? Here in New York, it’s been 8 years since 911 and we still have nothing to show for it.

2) If and when we do build the New York Freedom Tower, how tall will it be compared to the Dubai Tower ?

[Red Badger]

World’s biggest terrorist target open in Dubai.................

[SeekAndFind]

Just why .... ?

Because they have ( or had ) the money. Whether it will be profitable is another question. The Oil Sheiks at neighboring Abu Dhabi are counting on higher oil prices from hereon to sustain this mad building boom.

[SeekAndFind]

Just why .... ?

Because they have ( or had ) the money. Whether it will be profitable is another question. The Oil Sheiks at neighboring Abu Dhabi are counting on higher oil prices from hereon to sustain this mad building boom.

[SeekAndFind]

Just why .... ?

Because they have ( or had ) the money. Whether it will be profitable is another question. The Oil Sheiks at neighboring Abu Dhabi are counting on higher oil prices from hereon to sustain this mad building boom.

[peteram]

Heh-heh. I was wondering how many posts would go by before this idea was floated.

[SeekAndFind]

Just why .... ?

Because they have ( or had ) the money. Whether it will be profitable is another question. The Oil Sheiks at neighboring Abu Dhabi are counting on higher oil prices from hereon to sustain this mad building boom.

[TriGirl]

I think it is freaky! I hate the tall buildings that you can almost feel them swaying in the wind! This one freaks me out!

[driftdiver]

Why? They had a bunch of slave labor sitting idle.

[goseminoles]

It won’t be a terrorist target. There is a mosque. That building is good to go.