World's highest skyscraper Burj Dubai to Open on January 4, 2010

The Burj Dubai will be opened on January 4, 2010, coinciding with the accession to power of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The 160-plus storey structure is considered the world’s tallest building.

Mohammad Ali Al Abbar, Chairman of Emaar real estate company said the company decided to launch the tower on this date as a gesture of gratitude towards Shaikh Mohammad, who is considered the builder of modern Dubai.

Burj Dubai became the tallest building in the world in just 1,276 days, with the help of more than 5,000 consultants and skilled construction workers.

Work on the Burj Dubai started in January 2004. The tower reached 100 levels in January 2007. A month later, it surpassed the Sears Tower in Chicago as the building with the most floors in the world.

Burj Dubai is now the world’s tallest building and tallest man-made structure, having surpassed the height of the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, USA.

The Burj Dubai houses residences and commercial spaces, apart from Giorgio Armani’s The Armani Hotel & Residences.

It also anchors Downtown Burj Dubai, a Dh73 billion mixed-use mega project, already a bustling community described as the new “heart of the city”.

What is Burj Dubai?

Currently under construction - Burj Dubai is set to be the most prestigeous square mile of real estate on the planet! At its centrepiece stands the iconic Burj Dubai Tower, set to be the worlds tallest building upon completion in September 2009. This mammoth structure will be mostly residential; but will also be home to the worlds highest observation deck at a vertigo inducing 517m high, as well as the worlds first 6 star rated Armarni Hotel. Shadowed by the tower itself, across a massive man made lake will be home to the 'Supertall' Lake Hotel, the worlds largest ever shopping mall, over 70 highrise buildings and a beautiful 'old town' style village. All of the following will be finished by the end of 2009.

Current records

Tallest structure: 818 m (2,684 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast - 628.8 m (2,063 ft))
Tallest freestanding structure: 818 m (2,684 ft) (previously CN Tower - 553.3 m (1,815 ft))
Building with most floors: 160 (previously World Trade Center - 110)
World's highest elevator installation

Worlds fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h or 18 m/s (59 ft/s)[23] (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)

Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 601 m (1,972 ft) (previously Taipei 101 - 449.2 m (1,474 ft))

Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 601 m (1,972 ft)[24] (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant - 532 m (1,745 ft)

The first world's tallest structure in history to include residential space

Note: Additional records for tallest skyscraper are considered unofficial. On 20 July

2007, the head of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Antony Wood, said "We will not classify it as a building until it is complete, clad and at least

partially open for business to avoid things like the Ryungyong [sic] project. Taipei 101 is thus officially the world's tallest until that happens."

Timeline

21 September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction
February 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower (since renamed to the Willis Tower) as the building with the most floors.

13 May 2007: Sets record for vertical concrete pumping on any building at 452 m (1,483 ft), surpassing the 449.2 m (1,474 ft) to which concrete was pumped during the

construction of Taipei 101.
21 July 2007: Surpasses Taipei 101, whose height of 509.2 m (1,671 ft) made it the world’s tallest building.
12 August 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) antenna, which stands 527.3 m (1,730 ft).

3 September 2007: Becomes the second-tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the 540 m (1,772 ft) Ostankino Tower in Moscow.

12 September 2007: At 555.3 m (1,822 ft), becomes the world's tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the CN Tower in Toronto.

7 April 2008: At 629 m (2,064 ft), surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to become the tallest man-made structure.

17 June 2008: Emaar announces that Burj Dubai's height is over 636 m (2,087 ft) and that its final height will not be given until it is completed in September 2009.

1 September 2008: Height tops 688 m (2,257 ft), making it the tallest man-made structure ever built, surpassing the previous record-holder, the Warsaw Radio Mast in

Konstantynów, Poland.

17 January 2009: Topped out at 818 m (2,684 ft).
1 October 2009: Emaar announces that the exterior of the building is completed.

Did You Know ?

Ten cranes and the world's fastest high-capacity constuction hoists - with a speed of upto 2m/sec (120m/min) are used to move men and material.

The building service/fireman's elevator will have a capacity of 5,500kg and will be theworld's tallest service elevator.

Burj Dubai will be the first mega-high rise in which certaib elevators will be programmedto permit controlled evacuation for certain fire or security events.

Parts of the tower reach upwards in a helical shape, with terraces, there are 26 intotal.

The Burj Dubai's observatory Elevators(double deck cabs) have a capacity for 21 personson each deck and will have the world's longest travel distance from lowest to highest stop.This Elevators will travel at 10 m/sec.

The Burj Dubai observation deck located 442 meters above groubd will be the highestpublicly accessible observation deck in the world.

The curtain wall of the Burj Dubai will be equivalent to 17 football(soccer) fields or 25American football fields.

The tower's peak electricity demand is estimated at 36 mVA, equivalent to roughly 360,000100-watt light bulbs all operating at the same time.

There will be 200 meters of spectacular dancing fountains at the foot of the BurjDubai.

When Completed, Burj Dubai will be the tallest building in the world in all fourcategories recognized by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat(CTBUH), which compiles and ranks the world's tallest buildings.
The tower will house one of the first armani hotels.
Samsung Corporation from South Korea is the main building contractor.
The tip of the spire can be seen by a person 95 km (60 miles) away.
At the peak cooling times, the tower will require approximately 10,000 tons of cooling per hour, which is equivalent to the capacity provided by 10,000 tons (22.4 million ibs or 10.2 million kg) of melting ice in one day.

Burj Dubai will contain the world's highest elevator installation.
The amount of rebar used for the tower is 31,400 metric tons - laid end to end this would extend over a quarter of the way around the world.
The Burj Dubai's water system will supply an average of about 946,000 liters (250,000 gallons) of water per day.

Burj Khalifa (Burj Dubai) - World's Tallest Building