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Construction progress - November, 2008 - Photograph courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Image © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Image © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Construction progress - November, 2008 - Photograph courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - November, 2008 - Photograph courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - November, 2008 - Photograph courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - October, 2007 - Photograph by Imre, courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - October, 2007 - Photograph by Imre, courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - October, 2007 - Photograph by Imre, courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - October, 2007 - Photograph by Shiba, courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - September, 2006 - Photograph by AltinD, courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
Construction progress - January, 2006 - Photograph by AltinD, courtesy of Burj Dubai Skyscraper
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Also known as: Tower of Dubai
Built:
2004- 2009
Cost: $4,100,000,000
Designed by: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Type: Skyscraper
Stories: 206
Location: No. 1, Burj Dubai Boulevard
City: Dubai
State: Dubai
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W
hen completed, this building is intended to be the tallest in the world. Originally, it was the only skyscraper in the race for that title. But before it could even be topped out a number of other competitors announced plans to top it and a few even began construction. So its "world's tallest" title, while well-earned, may be brief.
The actual height of this building was a mystery for years. The people involved with the development and construction concealed its exact height to keep competitors guessing. Eventually a rumor slipped out that the goal was 818 meters (2,683 feet). It turned out to be true. When Samsung contractors placed a spire and a beacon on top of the building in late December, 2008 construction crews confirmed to local media that the spire reached the 818 meter height.
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.
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.
**Architect: Adrian Smith
**Developer: 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.
**According to an interview in Construction Week, the air conditioning chillers installed on the 155th and 159th floor are so high that their design had to take into account the thinner air at that elevation.
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 **When this building opened, its interior was decorated with more than 1,000 original works of art.
 "The tower design created by celebrity architect Adrian Smith for Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings and Merrill is inspired from the geometrics of the desert flower and the patterning systems employed in Islamic architecture. It combines these historical and cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve a high performance building which will set the new standard for development in the Middle East and become the model for the future of the city of Dubai." - Robert Booth, Executive Director, Emaar Properties.
"The tower goes up in steps in a spiralling way. In Islamic architecture, this symbolises ascending towards the heavens." - Architect Adrien Smith, Turkish Weekly, August 10, 2005.
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