Thursday, October 20, 2011

Burj Dubai (Burj Khalifa)

Burj Dubai (Burj Khalifa) is currently the tallest man-made building in the world, though it is not yet completely finished. It is scheduled for completion in September of 2009, but when last measured for height in January of 2009, it was about 2,684 feet (818 meters) tall and it became the tallest building in the world. It has at the moment 162 floors. This amazing piece of architecture is currently under construction in the Burj Dubai District of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The total cost for the project was about US$1.5 billion; and for the entire "Downtown Dubai" development, US$20 billion. In March 2009, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of the project's developer, Emaar Properties, said office space pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m²) and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500 per m²).

The project's completion coincided with the global financial crisis of 2007–2010, and with vast overbuilding in the country, led to high vacancies and foreclosures. With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions, the government was forced to seek multibillion dollar bailouts from its oil rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening ceremony, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa, said to honour the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support.

Due to the slumping demand in Dubai's property market, the rents in the Burj Khalifa plummeted 40% some ten months after its opening. Out of 900 apartments in the tower, around 825 were still empty at that time.

Burj Dubai Current records
  • Tallest skyscraper (to top of spire): 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m/1,671 ft)
  • Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m/2,121 ft)
  • Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m/2,063 ft)
  • Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m/1,815 ft)
  • Building with most floors: 160 (previously Willis Tower – 108)
  • Building with world's highest occupied floor: 160th floor
  • World's highest elevator installation (situated inside a rod at the very top of the building)
  • World's fastest elevators: 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)
  • Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m/1,474 ft)
  • First world's tallest structure in history to include residential space
  • World's highest outdoor observation deck: 124th floor at 452 m (1,483 ft)
  • World's highest mosque: 158th floor
  • World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass facade: 512 m (1,680 ft)
  • World's highest nightclub: 144th floor
  • World's highest restaurant (At.mosphere): 122nd floor at 442 m (1,450 ft) (previously 360, at a height of 350 m/1,148 ft in CN Tower)
  • World's highest New Year display of fireworks.
  • World's second highest swimming pool: 76th floor (world's highest swimming pool is located on 108th floor of Ritz-Carlton Hotel at International Commerce Centre, Hong-Kong).

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