Wikipedia

Burj Khalifa

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Template:Future building

Burj Dubai
File:Newrender.JPG
Artist's rendition.
Technical Data
Structural height 805 m (2,625 ft) (est.)
Height to tip 800 m (2,625 ft) (est.)
Height to roof 705+ m (2,313 ft) (estimate)
Height to top floor Unknown
Floors (Above ground)   167 [1]
Floors (Under ground) 2 [2]
Groundbreaking Sep. 21, 2004 [3]
Topout 2008 (est.)
Opening Unknown
Gross floor area Unknown
Companies
Developer Emaar
Architect SOM
Construction Contractor Samsung Constructions /
BESIX / Arabtec

The Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي for "Tower of Dubai") is a skyscraper currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 25°11′58.34″N 55°16′20.66″E / 25.1995389°N 55.2724056°E / 25.1995389; 55.2724056. Its exact final height remains a closely-guarded secret, but is believed to be at least 705 metres (2,313 ft).

Expected to be completed in 2008, the Burj Dubai is a formidable threat to other bids to the title of world's tallest building. These include the 547 m (1,776 ft) Freedom Tower in New York City, the Shanghai World Financial Center, the planned Fordham Spire in Chicago, Illinois, and the current record holder, Taipei 101; as well it would also usurpe the record for tallest free standing structure from Toronto's CN Tower. The Burj Dubai's developer Emaar Properties has suggested that the Burj Dubai will become the tallest manmade structure of any kind in history. The highest structure to date was the 645.4 m (2,120 ft) Warsaw radio mast which was built in 1974 and which collapsed during renovation work in 1991. The current tallest man-made structure on land is the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota at 2,063 ft (628.8 m), while the tallest free-standing man-made structure on land (i.e. without supporting cables) is the CN Tower in Toronto at 1,815 ft (553.33 m).

The Burj Dubai has been designed to be the center of a large-scale, mixed-use development that will include commercial, residential, shopping, entertainment, and leisure outlets. The complete development will cost about US$ 8 billion.

The Burj Dubai will be the latest feather in the cap of Dubai, also home to the the world's tallest hotel, the Burj al-Arab, the (soon to be completed) world's largest man-made marina, the Dubai Marina; the (soon to be completed) world's largest artificial island, the Palm Islands; the (soon to be completed) Dubai Waterfront; and the (soon to be built) world's largest mall, the Dubai Mall.

Developers say the silvery glass-sheathed concrete building will restore to the Middle East the honor of hosting the earth's tallest structure—a title lost circa 1300 when Lincoln Cathedral upset the 38-century reign of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.

An Armani Hotel (the first of its kind) will occupy the lower 37 floors. Floors 45 through 108 will have 700 private apartments in 64 floors (which, according to the developer, sold out within eight hours of going on sale). Corporate offices and suites will fill most of the remaining floors, except for a 123rd floor lobby and 124th floor indoor/outdoor observation deck. The spire will also hold communications equipment. An outdoor infinity-edge swimming pool will be located on the 78th floor of the tower.

The interior will be decorated by Giorgio Armani.

Architecture

The design of Burj Dubai is derived from the geometries of the desert flower, which is indigenous to the region, and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture.

The tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat desert base, setbacks occur at each element in an upward spiraling pattern, decreasing the cross section of the tower as it reaches toward the sky. At the top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a finishing spire. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes views of the Persian Gulf.

Questions of necessity

The decision to build Burj Dubai and other skyscrapers is reportedly based on the government's decision to diversify from a trade-based (and oil-reliant) economy to one that is service- and tourism-oriented. While many champion Dubai's strides at changing its core economy, others have raised questions about the necessity of building the world's tallest building in Dubai. Currently, Dubai has a population of just over one million residents (1,070,779 according to a 2004 census on the Dubai government website). In 2005, the United Arab Emirates as a whole had an estimated population of 4.3 million Template:Mn including more than 3.2 million non-nationals, compared to a total population of 300 million (2006 est.) of the United States. However, due to the population density of Dubai, 293.94/km², many feel that there is a justified need for such skyscrapers to be built in the city. While non-nationals cannot own real-estate in the UAE, condominiums in the Burj Dubai will work around this law by selling "lifetime" leases -- reportedly up to 99 years in length.

Race for the top

Burj Dubai's main competitor now is actually proposed at a ___location 50km (30 miles) away from the Burj Dubai site. This tower, Al Burj, is being developed by Al Nakheel and is keeping the height under wraps. Also said to be at least 700m tall, this is a formidable threat to Burj Dubai's world's tallest building status. Also competing with the Burj Dubai, a proposed 1001 metre-high skyscraper may be erected in Kuwait as part of a new city development project called Madinat al-Hareer ("City of Silk"). However, the building, if built, would take up to 5 years to build according to some reports; the entire development, which incorporates an Olympic Stadium, residences, hotels, and retail facilities, would take a total of 25 years to construct.Template:Mn In addition, there are several projects that have been designed previously which would have surpassed the projected height of the Burj Dubai. These include X-Seed 4000, The Illinois (proposed in 1956 by Frank Lloyd Wright with a sketch that looks very similar to Burj Dubai), Sky City 1000, and Millennium Tower.

Labor Controversy

The labor practices used in the construction of Dubai's projects has caused some controversy. They have been built almost entirely by vast numbers of poorly paid construction workers, mainly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Most of these workers are forced to give up their passports upon entering Dubai, making it very difficult to return home. NPR reports that workers "typically live eight to a room, sending home a portion of their salary to their families, whom they don't see for years at a time." Others report that their salary has been withheld to pay back loans, making them little more than indentured servants. Local newspapers have carried stories of construction workers allegedly not being paid for months on end. Template:Mn Template:Mn

Pictures

References

See also


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