Tag Archive for 'Dubai'

Burj Khalifa – why 828 meters?

Published on January 10, 2010 in in English. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler, surprised the world on Monday with a last minute change in name:

“The world’s tallest point should be associated with big names and I hereby officially announce Burj Khalifa bin Zayed.”

Former Burj Dubai is now named after Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates. Probably the latest $10 billion Dubai received from Abu Dhabi to pay Nakheel bond on December 14, 2009 is the reason behind the name change.

Burj KhalifaPhoto by Time

Fireworks explode around the Burj Khalifa during the opening ceremony.

The official height of the tower was announced as 828 meters during the inauguration ceremony last Monday. It seems that the CEO of Emaar pushed the height (check out also my earlier post Building Burj Dubai) as according to a blog post in The National (Jan 7):

From the beginning of the design process, Mr Alabbar insisted on the incorporation of the number 8, according to Adrian Smith, the designer of the Burj Khalifa.

Alabbar also told that the project did not need any financing and Emaar made profit (via Emirates Business).

The opening ceremony was a spectacular show. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to locate the official footage in HD, but here are the opening fireworks by ITN News (the last 3 minutes are the best):

According to the media the total cost for the Burj Khalifa project was about US$1.5 billion. However a figure of US$4 billion is mentioned several times in Skyscrapercity discussions. It is interesting to note that if the 1 billion euro figure is correct, the cost is same as the world’s largest passenger vessel’s; MS Oasis of the Seas maid its maiden voyage on 5th December 2009 (photo of the ship while still in Finland).

And the world record for the highest building BASE jump was made on 8th January 2010 – 672 meters (why is there always errors in the details, like the height in this one by BBC):

Burj Dubai – 824.6m – opens today

Published on January 4, 2010 in in English. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The tallest man-made structure ever built – Burj Dubai – is to be officially opened today, 4 January 2010. The ceremony starts at 20:00 UAE. The finale will feature 10,000 firework effects on and from the tower, Ahmad Al Matrooshi, managing director, UAE, Emaar Properties, said.

Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, Emaar is pleased to announce the inauguration of the Burj Dubai on the fourth anniversary of is Highness’ Accession as the Rule of Dubai on 4 January 2010. (source)

Downtown Burj Dubai

Downtown Burj Dubai

The construction began on 21 September 2004 (excavation commenced in January 2004), with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The completion day has been delayed a few times, and the interiors are to be completed by the end of year 2010. The final height of the building will supposedly be announced too, but according to Fury on Skyscrapercity:

IMO this thing is 818.0 as per the plans measured from the floor of the ground level to the top of tier 30. The CTBUH’s height to tip will include the 6.0 meter high concourse level beneath the ground level and the ~0.6 meter high beacons on the top = 824.6 meters.

From the top of Burj DubaiPhoto by Imre

From the top of Burj Dubai

Now I need to find a live stream. Maybe Livestation?

Building Burj Dubai

Published on April 29, 2008 in Design and in English. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Just had an inspiring conversation with one friend of mine. I mentioned a documentary about skyscraper history I saw few weeks ago and want to share it now.

It is about technological innovations, seven major leaps which made Burj Dubai possible. As for now, Burj Dubai is under construction and standing 637 meter high. The structure is generally believed to top out at 818 meters, but Emaar is keeping the final height a secret. An interesting article was released in Wired Magazine, where Bill Baker (the head structural engineer at SOM) tells interesting facts of the engineering process.

Top of Burj Dubai

Burj Dubai crane shot

But back to the documentary: Channel 5’s Big, Bigger, Biggest – The Building of Burj Dubai (April 2008). Seven key inventions (elevator, materials, etc.) are presented with seven landmark buildings and clarifying animations. Many documentaries are so-so, but htis one is really worth watching. Thanks for UKHolidaydude for sharing this. Here is the first part:

And here are the rest of the parts: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.