Burj Dubai Opens

At the Top, Burj Dubai opens to the public on January 5

The world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa is 828 metres (2,716.5 ft) high

The world's tallest tower, developed by Emaar Properties, was unveiled to a crowd of thousands and the world in a crescendo of fireworks, lasers and fountain displays.
The official height of the tower, unveiled as 'Burj Khalifa', was announced as 828 metres (2,716.5 ft).

A closely guarded secret, the official height of Burj Khalifa was flashed onto a giant screen before an estimated crowd of more than 400,000, as lasers and fireworks lit up the night sky.

Fireworks cascaded from the tower's spire to the base and lasers blazed out from all levels leaving the crowds awestruck.

The height was disclosed in arithmetic progression, with the numbers being flashed onto the screen, one after another. The tower's height breaks all existing world records for tall buildings.



Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world according to the three main criteria of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The CTBUH ranks the world's tallest buildings based on 'Height to Architectural Top,' 'Height to Highest Occupied Floor' and 'Height to Tip.'

At 828 metres (2,716.5ft), Burj Khalifa is 320 metres taller than Taipei 101, which at 508 metres (1,667 ft) had held the record for the world's tallest building measured to the architectural top since 2004, the year the project was announced.

Burj Khalifa achieved the distinction of being the world's tallest structure - surpassing the KVLY-TV mast (628.8 metres; 2,063 ft) in North Dakota, USA - 1,325 days after excavation work started in January 2004.

The tower also beats the 31-year-old record of CN Tower, which at 553.33 metres (1,815.5 ft) had been the world's tallest free-standing structure on land since 1976.

Burj Khalifa employs a record-breaking 330,000 cubic metres of concrete, 39,000 metric tonnes of steel rebar and 142,000 square metres of glass; and it took 22 million man hours to build.

Other world records for Burj Khalifa include the highest occupied floor in the world, at over 550 metres (1,800 ft); the highest outdoor observation deck in the world - At the Top on Level 124; and the tallest service elevator, which travels to a height of 504 metres (1,654 ft).

Mr. Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said that with the unveiling of the final height of Burj Khalifa, the world now had a new reference point for high-rise developments.



"Burj Khalifa is an example of collaboration on a global scale, and the tremendous positive energy that can be generated when people from all over the world come together to work towards a common goal. Thousands of professionals and skilled workers from around the world worked on this once-in-a-lifetime project."


"More than 60 of the world's leading consultants including South Korea's Samsung Corporation and New York-based Turner Construction International realised the design for Burj Khalifa of Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM)," he said.

Burj Khalifa employed the latest advances in wind engineering, structural engineering, structural systems, construction materials and methods. All design considerations took into account the 12,000 people who will live and work in the tower. The handover to residents of the various components of Burj Khalifa will begin in February.

With a total built-up area of about 6 million sq ft, Burj Khalifa features nearly 2 million sq ft of residential space and over 300,000 sq ft of prime office space, in addition to the area occupied by the keenly awaited Armani Hotel Dubai and the Armani Residences. The tower also features modern lifestyle amenities including clubs, health and fitness facilities, gourmet restaurants and the 124th floor observation deck, 'At the Top.'

Burj Khalifa is the focal point of the 500-acre 'mega-project' by Emaar Properties, described as the new heart of Dubai. At the Top, Burj Dubai, the world's highest observation deck on Level 124 of Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, will open doors to the public from January 5, 2010.


Tickets are time stamped at 30-minute intervals, on specific days, in order to carefully manage the daily rush of sightseers.

The entrance to the experience At the Top, Burj Dubai is at the adjoining The Dubai Mall's Lower Ground level, conveniently situated among a parade of tempting restaurants. Banks of LED screens displaying Burj Dubai's distinctive three-core design in red and black greet visitors.

The reception area features a fiberglass model of the tower illuminated in blue light. Soft music plays in the background, from a score composed especially for Burj Dubai by Katia Makdissi-Warren, a Canadian artist noted for her fusion of Western and Arabian styles.

The interactive feature 'Burj Around the World' allows visitors to view Burj Dubai on the skyline of other famous cities. Two multimedia presentations, 'Burj Dubai Among the Greats' and 'Tallest Among the Tall', introduce other iconic tall buildings from around the world, forming as they do the inspiration for Burj Dubai.

Precision is a theme of the tower and it governs the experience awaiting visitors to At the Top, Burj Dubai. Past an airport-style security gate, visitors are immersed in the history of Dubai as they are escorted along a 65-metre travelator.

A multimedia display, 'Dubai Then and Now', explores the emirate's humble beginnings as a pearl diving and trading hub and traces its emergence into a world centre for tourism, commerce and finance.

A new musical passage, again by composer Katia Makdissi-Warren, accompanies the historical narrative, and her composition proceeds to change in mood and tempo as new sections of the tour are revealed.

The travelator gently deposits visitors at the 'From the earth to the sky', through which they view the tower's spire at a near vertical angle and its observation deck on the 124th floor.

Pausing at the 'From the earth to the sky', one can also absorb the 'legend' of Burj Dubai, which interprets the personality and aspirations of the world's tallest building as though it were an individual.

"I am the heart of the city and its people," the legend reads, "the marker that defines Emaar's ambition and Dubai's shining dream. More than just a moment in time, I define moments for future generations..."

An almost spiritual ambience permeates this stage of the tour. As soothing music plays in the background, futuristic back-lit glass panels display the styling cues for the tower's unique design, including its inspiration from the natural world, a freshly cut flower from the beautiful desert lily, Hymenocallis.

The next leg of the journey, 'From Vision to Reality', delves deeper into the architectural and engineering complexity inherent in the world's tallest building. A multimedia presentation tracks the evolution of the project, from the design phase through to final construction, revealing as it does so the numerous challenges the Burj Dubai's engineers overcame to deliver what will soon become a living community for as many as 12,000 people.

The final ascent to the 124th floor is by a double-deck elevator, each deck carrying up to 14 people and travelling at an amazing 10 metres per second directly to Level 124. The smoothness of the ride and the captivating effects of the elevator's interior LED screens, means one barely perceives any movement at all.

In less than 60 seconds, the elevator reaches the observation deck, the world's only public observation deck with an outdoor terrace at this height.

The view from At the Top, Burj Dubai is like that from a plane. But while an airborne passenger must observe the world below through a tiny cabin window, visitors to the Burj Dubai experience a vista through 360 degrees.

Sheikh Zayed Road is miniaturised to the scale of a matchstick model; cars and people appear ant-size. The entire city is revealed, Dubai Creek to the north, Abu Dhabi to the south, Palm Jumeirah and The World islands to the west, and the desert to the east.

Computerised telescopes, meanwhile, allow visitors to zoom in on goings on at street level, and picture the scene through the viewfinder at night or during the day, thanks to the technology's built-in memory, regardless of the time of their visit.

An invigorating taste of Dubai air 124 floors above ground can be had from the outdoor terrace.

Visitors are allowed to admire the view from At the Top, Burj Dubai for as long as they like. And when they decide to return to terra ferma, they are likely to be tempted to buy an item of official merchandise from the At the Top Retail Boutique as a keepsake.

The return to ground level, back to the point where one enters the At the Top, Burj Dubai experience, presents a cavalcade of additional fascinating facts, engineering feats, architectural firsts, and memorable images and photographs.

On leaving, visitors will be occupied by one thought - regaling friends and family with impressions of the experience at one of the highest manmade points on earth.

After a visit to the 124th floor of the Burj Dubai, it is an understatement to say that the expression 'feeling on top of the world' gains a whole new meaning.
Burj Dubai will soon be transformed into a vibrant community for thousands of residents, employees, hotel guests and tourists. Up to 12,000 people will live, work and play inside the world's tallest building.

The tower is the focal point of the 500-acre master planned community Downtown Burj Dubai, which is widely described as the most prestigious square kilometre on earth.

Burj Dubai is the development's crowing glory in every sense, a building that has pushed the boundaries of design and engineering further than many thought possible.

Excavation work for the tower began soon after the announcement of its launch, with more than 60 contractors and consultants joining forces on a project of unprecedented scale and ambition.

Burj Dubai in photos:
Burj Dubai's construction phases: Part 1
Burj Dubai's construction phases: Part 2
Downtown Burj Dubai
Burj Dubai opening: pictures from At The Top

When construction work was at its most intense, more than 12,000 people from over 100 countries were working every day at the Burj Dubai site. In total, Burj Dubai took 22 million man hours to build.

Mr. Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said Burj Dubai was a shining example of global collaboration.


"Burj Dubai shows just what can be achieved when people from all over the world come together to strive for a common purpose."



Strong foundations

Standing at more than 800 metres (2,625 ft), Burj Dubai captivates audiences with its height. But its construction underground is equally worthy of fascination. More than 45,000 cubic metres (1.59 million cubic ft) of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes, make up the tower's steel-reinforced foundations with 192 piles running to a depth of over 50 metres (164 ft).


Inspired by nature

Work on Burj Dubai's superstructure began in March 2005, with the foundation work alone taking 12 months. The distinctive triple-buttressed outline of the Burj Dubai was inspired by the desert lily Hymenocallis.


Wind factor

Extensive seismic and wind tunnel testing was carried out to perfect the design of the tower. The triple-buttressed shape of Burj Dubai allows it to manage the effect of wind vortices generated around the tower, as well as changes in atmospheric pressure between its base and spire.


Rock solid

The main construction material of Burj Dubai is reinforced concrete, specially designed to withstand the staggering pressures inherent in the world's tallest building.

In total, Burj Dubai employs a record-breaking 330,000 cubic meters (11.6 million cubic feet) of concrete; 39,000 metric tonnes of reinforced steel; 103,000 sq m (1.1 million sq ft) of double glazed glass; and 15,500 sq m (166,800 sq ft) of embossed stainless steel.


Climbing to the sky

Once the lengthy construction work of its foundation was complete, the vertical ascent of Burj Dubai was surprisingly fast. The first 100 levels of the tower were completed only 1,093 days after excavation started. A level was added every three days before the uppermost levels of the tower were reached.

In November 2007, the concrete for the highest reinforced core walls of Burj Dubai was pumped from ground level to a height of 601 metres (1,978 ft), breaking the previous record for concrete pumping held by Taipei 101. The pressure generated during the pumping work reached nearly 200 bars.


A glass act

Work on the glass and aluminium exterior cladding of Burj Dubai started in May 2007 and was completed in September 2009. Nearly 400 skilled engineers were assigned to the project. At the outset, around 20-30 cladding panels were installed each day. The daily rate of installation reached 175 panels as the project neared completion. Burj Dubai has set a new world record for the highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at 512 metres (1,679.8 ft).

A staggering total of 24,348 panels cover a curtain wall area of 132,190 square metres (1.4 million sq ft). But the Burj Dubai's shimmering exterior is designed to minimise heat transmission into the building itself, therefore saving energy. Condensation from the panels is also collected and used for landscape irrigation.


Pinnacle of achievement

Burj Dubai's spire may resemble a needle at ground level, but in reality it is a colossal structure made up of 4,000 tonnes of structural steel. Nor is it exclusively ornamental, housing as it does communications equipment for the tower.


Community spirit

With a total built up area of around 6 million square feet, Burj Dubai is set to become a living, vibrant community in the heart of Dubai. Around 2 million square feet inside the tower is dedicated to luxury residential apartments, while more than 300,000 square feet is allocated for office space. That's in addition to the sections of the tower taken up by the world-first Armani Hotel Dubai and the Armani Residences Dubai.

Countless artworks by prominent Middle Eastern and international artists, including sculptures and various contemporary installations, adorn the interiors of Burj Dubai and line Emaar Boulevard throughout Downtown Burj Dubai.


Life of luxury

A total of 57 elevators and eight escalators serve people living, working and enjoying their leisure time inside the tower. Burj Dubai has four swimming pools, a cigar lounge, residents' lounge, the fine dining restaurant 'At.mosphere', and a variety of health and fitness facilities.

Moreover, the tower's 124th floor observation deck, 'At the Top, Burj Dubai', offers 360-degree views of the city and is open to the public.

Burj Dubai features 'The Offices', a 12-storey annex of prime office space; 'The Club', a four-storey health and fitness centre; and 'Armani/Pavilion', an outdoor entertainment venue that opens onto the Burj Dubai Lake and The Dubai Fountain, described as the world's tallest 'performing fountain'.


Heart and soul

Demonstrating that Burj Dubai is more than just a building, its creators have perfected a written narrative that evokes the tower's soul.

Visitors to the 'At The Top, Burj Dubai' observation deck can read the 'I am Burj Dubai' legend once they reach the 'From the earth to the sky', section of the tour.

Its opening stanza reads: "I am the power that lifts the world's head proudly skywards, surpassing limits and expectations. Rising gracefully from the desert and honouring the city with a new glory, I am an extraordinary union of engineering and art, with every detail carefully considered and beautifully crafted..."

"I am the heart of the city and its people, the marker that defines Emaar's ambition and Dubai's shining dream. More than just a moment in time, I define moments for future generations..."

From the ''From the earth to the sky'', one can view Level 124 and the summit of Burj Dubai at a near vertical angle.

Sent by Subrata Samanta
Congratulations Dubai, but at what cost?
Led you to bankruptcy?