Burj Dubai

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Not to be confused with Bur Dubai.

Burj Dubai
Burj Dubai on 20 March 2009
Preceded by	Taipei 101
Information
Status	Topped-Out
Groundbreaking	21 September 2004
Estimated completion	2009[1]
Opening	September 2009 (est.)[2]
Use	Mixed Use
Height
Antenna/Spire	818 m (2,684 ft)[1]
Technical details
Floor count	160 habitable floors[3]
Floor area	334,000 m2 (3,595,100 sq ft)
Companies
Architect	Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Structural Engineer	Bill Baker at SOM[5]
Contractor	Turner Samsung Besix Arabtec Grocon[4] Bauer AG[4] Middle East Foundations[4] Otis[4] Lerch Bates[4] Schmidlin[4] Al Naboodah[4] Laing O'Rourke[4]
Developer	Emaar

Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي‎ "Dubai Tower"), a supertall skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the tallest man-made structure ever built. Construction began on 21 September 2004, and the tower is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy by late September 2009.^[1][2]

The building is part of the 2 km² (0.8 sq mi) development called "Downtown Burj Dubai" at the "First Interchange" along Sheikh Zayed Road at Financial Centre Road (previously known as Doha Street). The tower's architect is Adrian Smith, who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006.^[6][7] The Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm SOM is in charge of the project.^[6] The primary builders are Samsung Engineering & Construction and Besix along with Arabtec.^[8] Turner Construction Company was chosen as the construction manager.^[9]

The total budget for the Burj Dubai project is about US$4.1 billion, and for the entire new "Downtown Dubai", US$20 billion.^[10] Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the CEO of Emaar Properties, speaking at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 8th World Congress, said that the price of office space at Burj Dubai had reached $4,000 per sq ft (over $43,000 per m²) and that the Armani Residences, also in Burj Dubai, were selling for US$3,500 per sq ft (over $37,500 per m²).^[11]

Contents 1 Height 1.1 Timeline 1.2 Current records 1.3 History of height increases 1.4 Delay 2 Architecture and design 2.1 Dubai Fountain 3 Construction 4 Labour controversy 5 Purpose 6 Progression of the construction of Burj Dubai 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Height

[edit] Timeline

• 21 September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.
• February 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower as the building with the most floors.
• 13 May 2007: Sets record for vertical concrete pumping on any building at 452 m (1,483 ft), surpassing the 449.2 m (1,474 ft) to which concrete was pumped during the construction of Taipei 101.^[12]
• 21 July 2007: Surpasses Taipei 101, whose height of 509.2 m (1,671 ft) made it the world’s tallest building.^[13]
• 12 August 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower antenna, which stands 527.3 m (1,730 ft).
• 3 September 2007: Becomes the second-tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the 540 m (1,772 ft) Ostankino Tower in Moscow.
• 12 September 2007: At 555.3 m (1,822 ft), becomes the world's tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the CN Tower in Toronto.^[14]
• 7 April 2008: At 629 m (2,064 ft), surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to become the tallest man-made structure.^[15]
• 17 June 2008: Emaar announces that Burj Dubai's height is over 636 m (2,087 ft) and that its final height will not be given until it is completed in September 2009.^[2]
• 1 September 2008: Height tops 688 m (2,257 ft), making it the tallest man-made structure ever built, surpassing the previous record-holder, the Warsaw Radio Mast in Konstantynów, Poland.^[16]
• 17 January 2009: Topped out at 818 m (2,684 ft).^[17]

[edit] Current records

• Tallest structure: 818 m (2,684 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast - 628.8 m (2,063 ft))
• Tallest freestanding structure: 818 m (2,684 ft) (previously CN Tower - 553.3 m (1,815 ft))
• Building with most floors: 160 (previously Sears Tower / World Trade Center - 110)^[18][3]
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 601 m (1,972 ft) (previously Taipei 101 - 449.2 m (1,474 ft))
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 601 m (1,972 ft)^[19] (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant - 532 m (1,745 ft)^[20])
• First world's tallest structure in history that includes residential space.^[1]

Note: Additional records for tallest skyscraper are considered unofficial. On 20 July 2007, the head of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Antony Wood, said "We will not classify it as a building until it is complete, clad and at least partially open for business to avoid things like the Ryungyong [sic] project. Taipei 101 is thus officially the world's tallest until that happens."^[21]

[edit] History of height increases

Though unconfirmed, Burj Dubai has been rumoured to have undergone several planned height increases since its inception. Originally proposed as a virtual clone of the 560 m (1,837 ft) Grollo Tower proposal for Melbourne, Australia's Docklands waterfront development, the tower was redesigned with an original design by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill discussed below. Marshall Strabala, an SOM architect who worked on the project until 2006, recently said that Burj Dubai was designed to be 808 m (2,650 ft) tall.^[22] However, contradictory information abounds regarding the official height of the building, and it will only acquire the title of world's tallest building upon completion in 2009.

The design architect, Adrian Smith, felt that the uppermost section of the building did not culminate elegantly with the rest of the structure, so he sought and received approval to increase it to the currently planned height. It has been explicitly stated that this change did not include any added floors, which is fitting with Smith's attempts to make the crown more slender.^[23] However, the top of the tower has a steel frame structure, unlike the lower portion's reinforced concrete. The developer, Emaar, has stated this steel section may be extended to beat any other tower to the title of tallest.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Delay

Emaar Properties announced on 9 June 2008 that construction of Burj Dubai was delayed by upgraded finishes and will be completed only in September 2009.^[2] An Emaar spokesperson said "The luxury finishes that were decided on in 2004, when the tower was initially conceptualized, is now being replaced by upgraded finishes. The design of the apartments has also been enhanced to make them more aesthetically attractive and functionally superior."^[24]

[edit] Architecture and design

The tower is designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, which also designed the Sears Tower in Chicago and 1 World Trade Center in New York City, among numerous other famous high-rises. The building resembles the bundled tube form of the Sears Tower, but is not a tube structure. Its design is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for The Illinois, a mile high skyscraper designed for Chicago, Illinois.

According to Marshall Strabala, an SOM architect who worked on the building's design team, Burj Dubai was designed based on the 73-floor "Tower Palace Three", an all-residential building in Seoul, South Korea. In its early planning, Burj Dubai was intended to be entirely residential.^[22]

Emaar Properties has also engaged GHD,^[25] an international multidisciplinary consulting firm, to assist with the design, review and assessment involved in the construction process.

The design of Burj Dubai is derived from patterning systems^{[clarification needed]} embodied in Islamic architecture, with the triple-lobed footprint of the building based on an abstracted version of the flower Hymenocallis.^[3] 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 spiralling 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. Viewed from above or from the base, the form also evokes the onion domes of Islamic architecture. During the design process, engineers rotated the building 120 degrees from its original layout to reduce stress from prevailing winds. At its tallest point, the tower sways a total of 1.2 m (3.9 ft).^[3]

The exterior cladding of Burj Dubai will consist of 142,000 m² (1,528,000 sq ft) of reflective glazing, and aluminium and textured stainless steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins. The cladding system is designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures. Additionally, at its projected height the exterior temperature at the top of the building will be 6 °C (11 °F) cooler than at its base.^[26]

The interior will be decorated by Giorgio Armani. An Armani Hotel, the first of four by Armani, will occupy the lower 37 floors.^[27] Floors 45 through 108 will have 700 private apartments on 64 floors (which, according to the developer, sold out within eight hours of being on the market). An outdoor zero-entry swimming pool will be located on the 78th floor of the tower. Corporate offices and suites will fill most of the remaining floors, except for a 123rd floor lobby and 124th floor (about 440 m (1,444 ft)) indoor/outdoor observation deck. The spire, itself over 200 m (700 ft) tall, will hold communications equipment.^{[citation needed]}

A total of 56 elevators will be installed, the fastest rising and descending at up to 10 m/s (33 ft/s).^[28] Engineers had considered installing the world's first triple-deck elevators, but the final design calls for double-deck elevators.^[1]

The graphic design identity work for the Burj Dubai is the responsibility of Brash Brands, who are based in Dubai. Design of the global launch events, communications, and visitors centers^[29] for the Burj Dubai have also been created by Brash Brands as well as the roadshow exhibition for the Armani Residences, which are part of the Armani Hotel within the Burj Dubai, which toured Milan, London, Jeddah, Moscow and Delhi.^[30]

[edit] Dubai Fountain

Outside, and at a cost of Dh 800 million (US$217 million), a record-setting fountain system is to be designed by WET Design, the California-based company responsible for the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel Lake in Las Vegas. Illuminated by 6,600 lights and 50 colored projectors, it will be 275 m (900 ft) long and will shoot water 150 m (490 ft) into the air, accompanied by a range of classical to contemporary Arabic and world music.^[31] On 26 October 2008 Emaar announced that based on results of a naming contest the fountain would be called the Dubai Fountain.^[32]

[edit] Construction

The tower is being constructed by a South Korean company, Samsung Engineering & Construction, which also built the Petronas Twin Towers and the Taipei 101.^[33] Samsung Engineering & Construction is building the tower in a joint venture with Besix from Belgium and Arabtec from UAE. Turner is the Project Manager on the main construction contract.

The primary structural system of Burj Dubai is reinforced concrete. Over 45,000 m³ (58,900 cu yd) of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes (120,000 ST; 110,000 LT) were used to construct the concrete and steel foundation, which features 192 piles buried more than 50 m (164 ft) deep.^[1] When completed, Burj Dubai's construction will have used 330,000 m³ (431,600 cu yd) of concrete and 39,000 tonnes (43,000 ST; 38,000 LT) of steel rebar, and construction will have taken 22 million man-hours.^[6]

As construction of the tower progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to vertically pump the thousands of cubic metres of concrete that are required. The previous record for pumping concrete on any project was set during the extension of the Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant in Italy in 1994, when concrete was pumped to a height of 532 m (1,745 ft). Burj Dubai exceeded this height on 19 August 2007, and as of 8 November 2007 concrete was pumped to a delivery height of 601 m (1,972 ft).^[19]

Special mixes of concrete are made to withstand the extreme pressures of the massive weight of the tower; as is typical with reinforced concrete construction, each batch of concrete is tested and checked to see whether it can withstand certain pressures. The concrete pumps, pipelines and booms are provided by Putzmeister, of Aichtal, Germany.

The consistency of the concrete used in the project is essential. It was difficult to create a concrete that could withstand both the thousands of tonnes bearing down on it and Persian Gulf temperatures that can reach 50 °C (122 °F). To combat this problem, the concrete is not poured during the day. Instead, ice is added to the mixture and it is poured at night when it is cooler and the humidity is higher. A cooler concrete mixture cures evenly throughout and therefore is less likely to set too quickly and crack. Any significant cracks could put the whole project in jeopardy.

The unique design and engineering challenges of building Burj Dubai have been featured in a number of TV documentaries, including the Big, Bigger, Biggest series on the National Geographic and Five channels, and the Mega Builders series on the Discovery Channel.

[edit] Labour controversy

Burj Dubai is being built primarily by immigrant engineers and workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and the Philippines.^[34] Press reports indicated in 2006 that skilled carpenters at the site earned UK£4.34 a day, and labourers earned UK£2.84.^[34]

On 21 March 2006, about 2,500 workers upset over buses that were delayed for the end of their shifts rioted, damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction equipment.^[34] A Dubai Interior Ministry official said the rioters caused almost UK£500,000 in damage.^[34] Most of the workers involved in the riot returned the following day but refused to work.^[34]

As of 17 June 2008 there are 7,500 skilled workers employed in the construction of Burj Dubai.^[2]

[edit] Purpose

Burj Dubai has been designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development that will include 30,000 homes, nine hotels such as the Burj Dubai Lake Hotel & Serviced Apartments, 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) man-made Burj Dubai Lake.

The building will return the title of Earth's tallest free-standing structure to the Middle East—a title not held by the region since 1311 when Lincoln Cathedral in England surpassed the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which had held the title for almost four millennia.

The decision to build Burj Dubai is reportedly based on the government's decision to diversify from a trade-based economy to one that is service- and tourism-oriented. According to officials, it is necessary for projects like Burj Dubai to be built in the city to garner more international recognition, and hence investment. "He [Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum] wanted to put Dubai on the map with something really sensational," said Jacqui Josephson, a tourism and VIP delegations executive at Nakheel Properties.^[35]

[edit] Progression of the construction of Burj Dubai

1 February 2006	29 August 2006	21 March 2007	9 August 2007
4 December 2007	24 December 2007	20 February 2008	11 March 2008
19 October 2008	26 October 2008	4 January 2009	23 April 2009

[edit] See also

• Downtown Burj Dubai
• Skyscraper design and construction
• List of buildings with 100 floors or more
• List of tallest buildings and structures in the world
• List of tallest buildings in the world
• List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
• List of tallest structures in the world
• List of tallest buildings in Dubai
• List of tallest towers in Southwest Asia
• List of architects of supertall buildings

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Burj Dubai

• Official website
• Burj Dubai Skyscraper.com
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, architects
• Emporis page on Burj Dubai
• "The Burj Dubai Tower Wind Engineering"PDF (597 KiB) (Irwin, Baker, June 2006) STRUCTURE magazine
• "The Burj Dubai Tower - Wind Channel Testing of Cladding and Pedestrian Level"PDF (620 KiB) (Erwin, etal, November 2006) STRUCTURE magazine
• Otis Worldwide, Signature Projects, information on the project's elevators at the Otis Elevator Company
• Wind and Other Studies performed by RWDI
• CrazyEngineers Small Talk with Mr. William Baker

Records
Preceded by Warsaw Radio Mast 646.38 m (2,120.67 ft)	World's tallest structure ever built 2008 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by KVLY-TV mast 628.8 m (2,063 ft)	World's tallest structure 2008 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by CN Tower 553.33 m (1,815.39 ft)	World's tallest free-standing structure 2007 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Taipei 101 509.2 m (1,670.6 ft)	World's tallest building architectural element 2007 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent

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Coordinates: 25°11′49.7″N 55°16′26.8″E / 25.197139°N 55.274111°E / 25.197139; 55.274111