Burj Khalifa
From Towrs
Contents |
Overview
When completed, this building is intended to be the tallest in the world. Originally, it was in the running with the Freedom Tower in New York, however, the Burj Dubai has the advantage of actually having begun construction while the New York project has been bogged down in political and sentimental interests.
Just how tall the tower will be remains to be seen. With any skyscraper, there is a certain amount of "fudge room" where the actual height of the construction may not be exactly what was anticipated. With a project as massive as this, more flexibility is called for in the design, planning, and execution. At this time, the tower is expected to be 2,683 feet tall (818 meters) over 189 stories. However, those numbers have changed in the past and are likely to change again. This web site will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.
Dubai is no stranger to monumental skyscrapers, but this one sets a new standard. Aesthetically, the Burj Dubai is a brilliant shard of glass piercing the Arabian sky. It is formed by three main shafts arranged in a Y shape. Their setbacks taper in a spiral pattern until the Burj Dubai is merely a spire in the sky. In any city, this would be a monumental structure. On the flat plain of Dubai, it is a shock to behold, likely to be visible for miles and miles. One can only imagine the views possible from those living and working inside. Floors one through 37 are expected to be a hotel. The 45th through 108th floors are expected to be residential, with the remaining 52 floors being offices, except for floors 123 and 124, which will hold the observation deck.
But this tower does not stand on its own. It is part of a planned 500-acre complex of offices, hotels, shops, lagoons, and public space that will be a technological, economic, and social oasis all on its own.
Statistics
- Also known as: Tower of Dubai
- Built: 2004-2009
- Cost: US$900,000,000.00
- Designed by: Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill
- Type: Skyscraper
- Stories: 200 (estimated)
- Maximum height: 2625 feet / 800 meters (estimated)
- Location: No. 1, Burj Dubai Boulevard, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- January 21, 2009- Burj Dubai Reaches Full Height
Trivia
- The building was designed by Adrian Smith.
- The building was commissioned by Emaar Properties.
- The foundation is made up of 192 concrete and steel pilings more than 164 feet (50 meters) deep. They are joined by a 12-foot-thick raft upon which the skyscraper rests.
- 45,000 cubic meters of concrete was used in the foundation.
- The hotel in the Burj Dubai is going to be an Armani-branded hotel. In keeping with Islamic custom it will have separate hours for women and men at the pool.
- The footprint of this building is in the shape of a hymenocallis, a desert flower native to the area.
- Construction of the lower floors was at a rate of one floor every five days. The rate for upper floors is one every three days.
- It is estimated that on a clear day it will be possible to see for 62 miles / 100 kilometers from the Burj Dubai's public observation deck.
Timeline
- January, 2004 - Construction begins.
- 20 September, 2004 - The first concrete is poured for the foundation.
- 26 June, 2005 - Gulf News reports that the estimated total cost for the Burj Dubai complex rises to US$5,500,000,000.
- 16 July, 2005 - Construction Week magazine reports that the designers of the Burj Dubai are reconsidering their decision to use stainless steel on the exterior of the tower because prices have jumped from US$400 a ton to $2,200 in just two years.
- March 23, 2006 - The Associated Press reports that 2,500 construction workers rioted because of low pay and poor treatment doing an estimated US$1,000,000 damage. Thousands of construction workers at other Dubai projects also went on a sympathy strike.
- April 16, 2006 - AME Info reports that the Burj Dubai is going to be at least 200 stories tall.
- September 1, 2006 - Construction reaches 70 stories.
- October 1, 2006 - Construction reaches 75 stories.
- October 31, 2006 - Construction reaches 80 stores and 850 feet / 259 meters. That height makes it taller than the tallest building in Europe.
- November 11, 2006 - ITPBusiness reports that construction of the tower is being delayed by a shortage of exterior cladding material.
- August, 2007 - The Burj Dubai passes the CN Tower to become the tallest free-standing structure on the planet.
- October 26, 2007 - Emirates Today pegs the eventual height at 2,683 feet / 818 meters.
- January 4, 2010- The Burj Dubai has it's Grand Opening today as the world's tallest building and free-standing structure.
- January 4, 2010- The Burj Dubai gets renamed Burj Khalifa on it's opening day. It was named after the United Arab Emirates President.
- February 4, 2010- The Burj unfortunately closes due to spewing smoke in the elevators, leaving tourists and visitors stranded on the 124th Floor Observation Deck.
