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Burj Dubai
Burj Dubai
	File:2008-10-26 burjdubai.jpg Aerial view of Burj Dubai on October 26, 2008
General information
Status	Topped-out
Estimated completion	2009
Opening	September 2009 (est.)
Height
Antenna spire	818 m (2,684 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	160 habitable floors
Floor area	334,000 m2 (3,595,100 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Developer	Emaar
Engineer	Bill Baker at SOM

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Revision as of 23:59, 10 March 2009

Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي "Dubai Tower") is a supertall skyscraper under construction in the Business Bay district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, despite being incomplete. Construction began on September 21, 2004 and is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy in September 2009.^[1]^[3]

The building is part of the 2 km² (0.8 sq mi) development called "Downtown Dubai", at the "First Interchange" (aka "Defence Roundabout") along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street. The tower's architect is Adrian Smith who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006.^[6]^[7] The 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 sq m) and that the Armani Residences, also in Burj Dubai, were selling for $3,500 per sq ft (over $37,500 per sq m).^[11]

Height

Timeline

September 21, 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.
February 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower as the building with the most floors.
May 13, 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]
July 21, 2007: Surpasses Taipei 101, whose height of 509.2 m (1,671 ft) made it the world’s tallest building. ^[13]
August 12, 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower antenna, which stands 527.3 m (1,730 ft).
September 3, 2007: Becomes the second-tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the 540 m (1,772 ft) Ostankino Tower in Moscow.
September 12, 2007: At 555.3 m (1,822 ft), becomes the world's tallest freestanding structure on land, surpassing CN Tower in Toronto.^[14]
April 7, 2008: At 629 m (2,064 ft), surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to become the tallest man-made structure.^[15]
June 17, 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.^[3]
September 1, 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]
January 17, 2009: Topped out at 818 m (2,684 ft).^[17]

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]^[2]
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) (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant - 532 m (1,745 ft)^[19])

Note: Additional records for tallest skyscraper are considered unofficial. On July 20, 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."^[20]

History of height increases

Burj Dubai compared to some other well-known tall structures.

A visual comparison of Burj Dubai's (far right) height with that of surrounding buildings at dusk.

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 (2,651 ft) tall.^[21] However, although contradictory information abounds regarding the official height of the building, the structure will acquire the title of world's tallest structure 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.^[22] 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]}

Delay

Emaar Properties announced on June 9, 2008 that construction of Burj Dubai was delayed by upgraded finishes and will be completed only in September 2009.^[3] 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".^[23]

Architecture and design

The tower is designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, who also designed the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Freedom Tower 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. The design of Burj Dubai is reminiscent of the Frank Lloyd Wright 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. ^[24]

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.^[2] 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).^[2]

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]}

It will also feature the world's fastest elevator, rising and descending at 18 m/s (59 ft/s).^[28] The world's current fastest elevator (in the Taipei 101) travels at 16.83 m/s (55.2 ft/s). Engineers had considered installing the world's first triple-decker elevators, but the final design calls for double-deck elevators.^[1] A total of 56 elevators will be installed that can each carry 42 people at a time.^[6]

Dubai Fountain

File:Dubai Fountain 20090216.jpg

Dubai Fountain under construction

Outside, and at a cost of Dh 800 million (US $ 217 m), 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 (902 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.^[29] On October 26, 2008 Emaar announced that based on results of a naming contest the fountain would be called the Dubai Fountain.^[30]

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.^[31] 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 short tons; 110,000 long tons) 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 short tons; 38,000 long tons) of steel rebar (enough to extend over a quarter of the way around the world if laid end-to-end); 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 now holds this record as of August 19, 2007, as it has a height of 536.1 m (1,759 ft), to hold the record for concrete pumping on any project; and as of November 8, 2007 concrete was pumped to a delivery height of 601 m (1,972 ft).^[32]

Special mixes of concrete are made to withstand the extreme pressures of the massive weight of the tower; as typical with reinforced concrete construction, each batch of concrete is tested and checked to see whether it can withstand certain pressures. The head of Concrete Quality Checking on the Burj Dubai project is Alam Feroze, who is in charge of concrete on the whole project. The concrete pumps, pipelines and booms are provided by Putzmeister, of Aichtal, Germany.

The consistency of the concrete on the project is essential. It was difficult to create a concrete that could withstand the thousands of tonnes bearing down on it and also withstand 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.

Labour controversy

Burj Dubai is being built primarily by immigrant engineers and workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and the Philippines.^[33] Press reports indicate that skilled carpenters at the site earn US$7.60/day, and laborers earn US$4.00.^[33]^[34]

On March 21, 2006, around 2,500 workers upset over buses that were delayed for the end of their shifts rioted, damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction equipment.^[33] A Dubai Interior Ministry official said the rioters caused almost US$1m in damage.^[33] Most of the workers involved in the riot returned the following day but refused to work.^[33]

As of June 17, 2008 there are 7,500 skilled workers employed in the construction of Burj Dubai.^[3]

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 silvery glass-sheathed concrete 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 CE 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]

Progression of the construction of Burj Dubai

2006-02-01
2006-08-29
2006-11-11
2007-03-21
2007-08-09
2007-12-24

2007-12-24
2008-02-20

2008-02-20
2008-03-11
2008-10-19

2008-10-19
2009-01-21

2009-01-21

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Burj Dubai, Dubai, at Emporis.com". Retrieved 2007-03-01.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "No more habitable floors to Burj Dubai". Derek Baldwin. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Emaar increases height of Burj Dubai; completion in September 2009". Emaar. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
^ "Engineer Bill Baker Is the King of Superstable 150-Story Structures". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower) and Dubai Mall, United Arab Emirates
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "EMAAR Press Release - Burj Dubai reaches a record high, Dubai, UAE, July 21, 2007". Retrieved 2008-11-24. Cite error: The named reference "Record High" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ "Architect Magazine: Adrian Smith Leaves SOM, Longtime Skidmore partner bucks retirement to start new firm".
^ Burj Dubai - SkyscraperPage.com
^ Turner Construction Company
^ Dubai Travel Desk
^ "Emirates Business 24/7 - Burj Dubai offices to top $4,000 per sq ft". Arab Media Group. Retrieved 2004-04-25. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
^ Burj Dubai: Unimix sets record for concrete pumping
^ "Burj Dubai Official Website". Emaar. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
^ "CN Tower dethroned by Dubai building". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
^ "Burj Dubai surpasses KVLY-TV mast to become the world's tallest man-made structure". Emaar. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
^ "Burj Dubai now a record 688m tall and continues to rise". Emaar. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
^ "Burj Dubai all set for 09/09/09 soft opening". Emirates Business24/7. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
^ Burj Dubai
^ Putzmeister - History - 1994 - World record: 532 m
^ "Burj Dubai Height Overtakes Taipei 101". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
^ "Secret of Burj Dubai height revealed". Arabian Business. 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-12-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Template:PDFlink Cityscape, 2005-09-18, retrieved 2006-05-05
^ "Burj Dubai completion delayed by another eight to nine months". Gulf News. 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-06-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "Secret of Burj Dubai height revealed". Arabian Business. 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-12-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "GHD Projects".
^ [1]
^ Armani Hotel At Burj Dubai, United Arab Emirates
^ Burj Dubai will have world's highest elevator installation, by Moushumi Das Chaudhry, BurjDubaiSkyscraper, 2006-03-12, retrieved 2006-03-25
^ "Emaar brings world-class water, light and music spectacle to Burj Dubai Lake". Emaar Properties. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
^ "'Dubai Fountain' is winning name of Emaar's water spectacle in Downtown Burj Dubai". Emaar. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
^ "Samsung E&C Projects".
^ "Putzmeister AG - News - Burj Dubai".
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Workers Riot at Site of Dubai Skyscraper", Jim Krane, breitbart.com, 2006-03-22, retrieved March 24, 2006
^ Riot by migrant workers halts construction of Dubai skyscraper, by Brian Whitaker and agencies, The Guardian, 2006-03-23, retrieved 2006-03-25
^ "In Dubai, the Sky's No Limit", by Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times, 2005-10-13, retrieved 2006-03-26

External links

Official website
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, architects
Burj Dubai Skyscraper, construction photos and information
Emporis page on Burj Dubai
Template:PDFlink (Irwin, Baker, June 2006) STRUCTURE magazine
Template:PDFlink (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

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 (under construction) 2007 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent

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

[Emporis-1] "Burj Dubai, Dubai, at Emporis.com". Retrieved 2007-03-01.

[Baldwin-2] "No more habitable floors to Burj Dubai". Derek Baldwin. Retrieved 2008-05-01.

[Emaar20080617-3] "Emaar increases height of Burj Dubai; completion in September 2009". Emaar. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-10-17.

[4] "Engineer Bill Baker Is the King of Superstable 150-Story Structures". Retrieved 2008-03-11.

[Contractors-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower) and Dubai Mall, United Arab Emirates

[Record_High-6] "EMAAR Press Release - Burj Dubai reaches a record high, Dubai, UAE, July 21, 2007". Retrieved 2008-11-24. Cite error: The named reference "Record High" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).

[7] "Architect Magazine: Adrian Smith Leaves SOM, Longtime Skidmore partner bucks retirement to start new firm".

[8] Burj Dubai - SkyscraperPage.com

[9] Turner Construction Company

[10] Dubai Travel Desk

[11] "Emirates Business 24/7 - Burj Dubai offices to top $4,000 per sq ft". Arab Media Group. Retrieved 2004-04-25. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

[12] Burj Dubai: Unimix sets record for concrete pumping

[official_site-13] "Burj Dubai Official Website". Emaar. Retrieved 2008-03-08.

[CBC-14] "CN Tower dethroned by Dubai building". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2007-09-13.

[Emaar20080407-15] "Burj Dubai surpasses KVLY-TV mast to become the world's tallest man-made structure". Emaar. Retrieved 2008-04-07.

[16] "Burj Dubai now a record 688m tall and continues to rise". Emaar. Retrieved 2008-09-01.

[Biz24720090117-17] "Burj Dubai all set for 09/09/09 soft opening". Emirates Business24/7. Retrieved 2009-01-17.

[18] Burj Dubai

[19] Putzmeister - History - 1994 - World record: 532 m

[CTBUH-20] "Burj Dubai Height Overtakes Taipei 101". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 2007-07-22.

[21] "Secret of Burj Dubai height revealed". Arabian Business. 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-12-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[22] Template:PDFlink Cityscape, 2005-09-18, retrieved 2006-05-05

[23] "Burj Dubai completion delayed by another eight to nine months". Gulf News. 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-06-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[24] "Secret of Burj Dubai height revealed". Arabian Business. 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-12-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[GHD_Projects-25] "GHD Projects".

[26] [1]

[27] Armani Hotel At Burj Dubai, United Arab Emirates

[28] Burj Dubai will have world's highest elevator installation, by Moushumi Das Chaudhry, BurjDubaiSkyscraper, 2006-03-12, retrieved 2006-03-25

[29] "Emaar brings world-class water, light and music spectacle to Burj Dubai Lake". Emaar Properties. Retrieved 2008-06-13.

[30] "'Dubai Fountain' is winning name of Emaar's water spectacle in Downtown Burj Dubai". Emaar. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.

[Samsung_E&C-31] "Samsung E&C Projects".

[Putzmeister-32] "Putzmeister AG - News - Burj Dubai".

[breitbart-33] "Workers Riot at Site of Dubai Skyscraper", Jim Krane, breitbart.com, 2006-03-22, retrieved March 24, 2006

[34] Riot by migrant workers halts construction of Dubai skyscraper, by Brian Whitaker and agencies, The Guardian, 2006-03-23, retrieved 2006-03-25

[35] "In Dubai, the Sky's No Limit", by Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times, 2005-10-13, retrieved 2006-03-26

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v t e Future Dubai skyscrapers
On hold	Dubai Creek Tower Dubai Pearl Elite Towers Entisar Tower Marina 106 Pentominium
Approved	Jumeirah Lake Towers
Proposed	Burj Jumeirah Dynamic Tower Signature Towers Uptown Dubai Tower 1
See also: Dubai skyscrapers and List of tallest buildings in Dubai