The worlds tallest building opened in a blaze of fireworks, parachute jumps and shooting streams of water from the world's tallest fountain.
At an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, the Burj Khalifa took five years to build, is more than 160 floors high and has comfortably surpassed the previous record holder in Taiwan, the Taipei 101.
More than 12,000 people will occupy its 6 million square feet, zooming up and down in 54 elevators that can reach speeds of 40 miles an hour.
It will have the world's highest mosque, on the 158th floor; the world's highest swimming pool, on the 76th floor; the highest observation deck, on the 124th floor; and the first hotel by the fashion designer Armani. Burj Khalifa also claims to hold several other world records, including: tallest free-standing structure in the world (previously held by Toronto's CN Tower); elevator with the longest travel distance in the world and most number of stories in the world.
The Burj Dubai is so tall that one can see it from 100 kilometers (63 miles) inland and sailors can see it from the ocean, 50 nautical miles out in the Gulf. The tower is so enormous that the air temperature at the top is up to 8 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) lower than at the base.
The tallest tower in the world not only entered record books on but now will make its way into many architecture and management classes as a case study.
Website: BurjDubai.com
Height: 2,717 feet
Stories: 160+ stories
Square footage: 5 million
Designer: Adrian Smith
Residences: 900
Corporate suites: 37 floors of office space
Armani Hotel: 160 guest rooms and suites
Underground parking: 3,000 spaces
Cost: $1.5 billion
"Burj Khalifa is a piece in the developing trajectory of tall buildings," Professor Peter A. Di Sabatino, Dean of the School of Architecture and Design at American University of Sharjah (AUS), said.
"With material and design advancement, buildings have increased in height and dimension over time. The Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest and it is important to understand it from a historical perspective as well as a new piece in the trend," he said.
The tower that has been constructed by Emaar Properties is a catalyst that has created a vertical neighborhood and beyond - including the 500-acre development at its base including Dubai Mall, according to the professor.
Adrian Smith, designer of the Burj Khalifa said he tried to blend the Islamic and modern Western architecture for the tallest tower.
Steps that move in an upward spiral and the view from the top or the base that evokes a shape like onion domes are influenced by Islamic architecture. As it tapers upward, one of the three lobes is shifted slightly backward about every eight floors, an effect that is reminiscent of an Islamic spiral minaret and provides the tower with 26 terraces. The triple-buttressed outline of the Burj Khalifa was inspired by the desert lily. The building was rotated 120 degrees by engineers, a deviation from the original design, to reduce stress from winds at such great heights.
The tower also has a unique 'intelligent elevator' mechanism that marks the highest installation in any building and also provides a streamlined and speedy journey across floors.
Historically, high rise structures have served as office spaces or monuments but the Burj Khalifa has moved away from the conventional and made the tower residential as well. "The fact that it is residential is fascinating and is an amazing strategy, that makes it popular," Katodrytis said.
Bringing together the thousands of workers to design and construct the tallest tower in the world is no easy feat and understanding how developers coordinated the project will be a lesson for management students at the British University in Dubai.
"In case of a project like the Burj Khalifa, packaging is essential which means you get the best people to do different aspects of the project," said Mohammed Dulaimi, Senior Lecturer for Project Management at the university.
Dubai was little more than a sleepy fishing village a generation ago, but has boomed into the Middle East's commercial hub in the past two decades on the back of business-friendly trading policies, security, and vast amounts of overseas investment.
Anyhow, building is not exactly for masjid, but they have build a masjid on one of the top floor, which makes it the highest masjid in the world. As for the architect, they are the top of the class architects. They used whoever was the best for the job. You don't know the details so it is making you uncomfortable, but the income that is coming from these projects do go to good use. UAE is a country that has one of the highest charity contributions in the world, I'm not sure if it is highest among muslim countries but it is one of the top. And income definitely helps with charity, but UAE is still behind developed countries in GDP, but it is getting there, and so is the charity work.
I'm probably just uncomfortable because Adrian Smith is a Texas Aggie from A&M and I am a Louisiana Narylander from Centenary. I can talk about A&M again since I no longer live in Texas.
There were three Aggies huddled around each other at a local bar. All of a sudden, they jumped up and yelled,
"Yeah, 45! 45!" The bartender goes down to them and asks, "45? What are you guys so excited about?"
One of the Aggies speaks up: "We just finished a jigsaw puzzle. The box said 2 to 3 years, and we did it in 45 days!"
What is the difference between an Aggie and a carp?
One is a bottom feeding scum sucker and the other is a fish.
Did you hear about the Aggie terrorist who tried to blow up the Longhorn team bus.
He burned his lip on the tailpipe.
How many Aggies does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One, but he gets 3 hours credit.
What is the difference between the Aggies and Rice Crispies?
Rice Crispies know what to do in a bowl.
Where was O.J. hiding right before the famous white Bronco Chase?
On the A&M campus, because that's the last place you'll find a football player.
Did you hear about the skeleton they found in a closet in one of the dorms at A&M?
It was the 1963 hide-and-go-seek champion!
Did you hear about the Aggie who won a gold medal at the Olympics?
He liked it so much that he decided to get it bronzed.
I'm probably just uncomfortable because Adrian Smith is a Texas Aggie from A&M and I am a Louisiana Narylander from Centenary. I can talk about A&M again since I no longer live in Texas.
I don't know about his history there, but he is considered top architect. Now he is working on two very big building projects in China.
It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and obedience to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masâkîn (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salât, and gives the Zakât, and keep their word whenever they make a promise, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of persecution, hardship, and war. Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).
I don't know about his history there, but he is considered top architect. Now he is working on two very big building projects in China.
When it comes to Tall Buildings he does have the Best reputation for building them. I believe he also had something to do with the design of our TV Antenna in ND. For a long time it was the World's Tallest Structure, Although not a building. It was quite a feat and actually serves very few people.
Our claim to fame:
Curently the world’s tallest structure built on land, but planned to drop off the podium by the end of 2010, is the KVLY-TV, a television mast that rises at 628 m (2063 ft). Used by Gargo station KVLY Channel 11, it serves a very large area (30,000 square miles) in North Dakota, USA.
KVLY mast
The KVLY-TV mast
The tower was assembled by a 11 members crew in 33 days back in 1963, which is pretty amazing for a structure that big. Only the antenna in the top weighs 9000 pounds and can be accessed via an elevator or by stairs (just imagine how it would be to climb up an iron ladder 600 metres high…) SOURCE
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