Burj Dubai skyscraper soars into record books

by David Westley on Thursday, 19 July 2007

The Burj Dubai is set to become the tallest building in the world, with some unofficial reports claiming the building overtook the Taipei 101 on Wednesday, and others that an official announcement will be made on Saturday.

Property developers Emaar are being tight lipped on the rumours and would not confirm the stories yesterday, but if confirmed, Dubai's latest icon must now be taller than 509 metres (1,671 feet), the height of Taiwan's Taipei 101.

Burj Dubai will eventually hold the record in all four categories as recognised by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, have the highest publicly accessible observation deck, and the world's fastest lift, which will shoot along at 65km/hour (40mph).

Until Emaar's official statement - expected shortly - there is still some confusion as to which record will have been broken however, with the Sears Tower, Ostankino Tower and CN Tower potentially still claiming to be tallest under various definitions of a ‘building' and ‘tower'.

What is clear is the building itself, which is now visible from across the city of Dubai, and upon completion will be possible to see from 90km away. The last official statement was released on July 15th when the tower's height was reported to be 507.3 metres (1,664.4 feet), totalling 140 completed floors.

That suggests Burj Dubai has surpassed the Petronas Twin Towers, presently the second-tallest building in the world at 452 metres (1,483 feet).

In February 2007, the Burj Dubai surpassed the Sears Tower as the building with the most floors.

The Burj Dubai is to be the centerpiece of a city within a city. The development as a whole will include 30,000 homes, nine hotels, 6.2 acres of parkland, 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and a 30 acre man-made lake. The development will cost about $20 billion.

When Emaar does make its announcement, the Burj Dubai will still not, officially, be able to take the mantle as the world's tallest building. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat will not recognise its world-record height until it is completed.

Present records:

Building with most floors: 140 (previously World Trade Center - 110)

Tallest skyscraper to highest occupied floor: 507.3 m (1,664.4 ft) (previously Taipei 101 - 439.2 m (1,440.9 ft)

Tallest skyscraper to top of roof: 507.3 m (1,664.4 ft) (previously Taipei 101 - 439.2 m (1,440.9 ft)

Vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 507.3 m (1,664.4 ft) (previously Taipei 101 - 439.2 m (1,440.9 ft)




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65km/h or 40mph lift? Jesus! anyway congratulations Dubai on building a stunningly beautiful and iconic record holder - far more deserving than the hideously ugly Taipei 101, the somewhat ugly Sears Tower, or the beautiful but spire-cheating Petronas Towers. :)

I'm sure this is a spectacular sight but I still maintain this is a stupid peice of shit.

I'm sure this is a spectacular sight but I still maintain this is a stupid peice of shit.Would you have said the same for the Taj Mahal, St Peter's Basilica, Big Ben/Parliament, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building etc?

No - I bet when they were being built none of them looked like they'd fall over in a strong wind.

Nah, good luck to 'em; the lads've done good.

Anyone got any renders of how it'll look when it's finished?

Ridiculous, what is the point? I hope the developers go bust and it remains forever unfinished as a monument to idiocy.

No - I bet when they were being built none of them looked like they'd fall over in a strong wind.The Eiffel Tower is a lot more flimsy than this. It was built as a temporary structure and is incredibly light. I watched this programme the other day claiming that if all the metal in the Eiffel Tower was melted down to its base it would be just 6cm tall/deep! Now I'm sure a world famous firm like SOM have gotten their sums right. ;)

I cannot believe the sheer size of this! Can't wait to see it complete...

I don't think it's exactly trying to win any architectural awards, just a matter of height.

Wendingo just type it in on google images and you'll see plenty of images.

I'm not sure quite why there's so much hostility to this. The argument that there's no point to it seems odd. After all, was there any point to 99% of the buildings that have been the world's tallest? Haven't they all been built more as a show of financial muscle/ego than for any real practical reason? As for it looking flimsy, is slenderness a bad thing all of a sudden in a tall building?

Is this like what happens in football, where there's an attitude that certain clubs (Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool) have a right to win things, and other clubs (Blackburn, Middlesborough, Chelsea) should know their place? Thus, when those clubs start spending big and winning things, everyone responds with a bout of sour grapes that they don't display when the establishment clubs act in the same manner. Is it because of where this is being built that it's getting slaughtered? Is Dubai seen as a Johhny-come-lately and therefore not a place that should have such things?

Don't worry, I wasn't actually thinking it might fall over. Its just a bit too tall and a bit too thin in my mind. I think its what JDRS says worrys me most - it just seems to be desperate grab for the skies rather than having any architectural merit, and though my knowledge of Dubai is limited I'm unsure as to what social and economic benefits it is really going to bring.

I'm not sure quite why there's so much hostility to this. The argument that there's no point to it seems odd. After all, was there any point to 99% of the buildings that have been the world's tallest? Haven't they all been built more as a show of financial muscle/ego than for any real practical reason? As for it looking flimsy, is slenderness a bad thing all of a sudden in a tall building?

Is this like what happens in football, where there's an attitude that certain clubs (Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool) have a right to win things, and other clubs (Blackburn, Middlesborough, Chelsea) should know their place? Thus, when those clubs start spending big and winning things, everyone responds with a bout of sour grapes that they don't display when the establishment clubs act in the same manner. Is it because of where this is being built that it's getting slaughtered? Is Dubai seen as a Johhny-come-lately and therefore not a place that should have such things?:yes:

Is this like what happens in football, where there's an attitude that certain clubs (Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool) have a right to win things, and other clubs (Blackburn, Middlesborough, Chelsea) should know their place? Thus, when those clubs start spending big and winning things, everyone responds with a bout of sour grapes that they don't display when the establishment clubs act in the same manner. Is it because of where this is being built that it's getting slaughtered? Is Dubai seen as a Johhny-come-lately and therefore not a place that should have such things?

Bollocks. There have been proposals in London which I'd have been embarrassed to see built. Like that one that looked like a Dildo.

I'm with Andrew C, I just think it's tall for tall sake. I certainly wouldn't want to live in it or Dubai full stop for that matter. It's the Posh Spice of the Middle East.

I'm not sure quite why there's so much hostility to this. The argument that there's no point to it seems odd. After all, was there any point to 99% of the buildings that have been the world's tallest? Haven't they all been built more as a show of financial muscle/ego than for any real practical reason? As for it looking flimsy, is slenderness a bad thing all of a sudden in a tall building?

Is this like what happens in football, where there's an attitude that certain clubs (Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool) have a right to win things, and other clubs (Blackburn, Middlesborough, Chelsea) should know their place? Thus, when those clubs start spending big and winning things, everyone responds with a bout of sour grapes that they don't display when the establishment clubs act in the same manner. Is it because of where this is being built that it's getting slaughtered? Is Dubai seen as a Johhny-come-lately and therefore not a place that should have such things?

What have Boro won of note?

I'm with Andrew C, I just think it's tall for tall sake. I certainly wouldn't want to live in it or Dubai full stop for that matter. It's the Posh Spice of the Middle East.

Presumably, you wouldn't 'do' (visit) Dubai, as you wouldn't do Posh Spice?

Ridiculous, what is the point? I hope the developers go bust and it remains forever unfinished as a monument to idiocy.

Well apart from being a hotel, residence and office, the point is to put Dubai on the map, to attract business and tourism to the area, and ultimately to remove dubais dependence on oil by making it a financial/ tourist centre. There is no chance of developers going bust on this one, the ammount of cash these people have is insane.


I agree with wendigo why is there so much hostility? this is one of the more beautiful skyscrapers i've ever seen designed, don't understand objections along those lines. Obviously its gonna stay upright, no-one is so stupid that they would design a worlds tallest building without ever consulting an engineer.

The other comment i hear about this is its gonna stick out like a sore thumb, and be all alone. Well this isn't gonna be true for long, and if you start off building only 200m high buildings then you'll never be able to go this high, without looking like taipei. Actually i like the idea of being able to see a skyscraper in all its glory from miles away rather than having to be at the base to understand what the first half looks like.

Dubai will fill up, it's slowly taking over France and Italy as the most common place for the English to have a second home, and other (mainly european) nations are following suit. I think its a fascinating city and want them to keep on dreaming its crazy whats happening out there, and as a skyscraper fan i can only be excited.

Bollocks. There have been proposals in London which I'd have been embarrassed to see built. Like that one that looked like a Dildo.

I've not seen the one that looked like a dildo but I like the sound of it. Bearing in mind that skyscrapers are just penis substitutes, it would've been appealingly honest of the developers. Tall buildings, the more they look like knobs, the better as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, yeah, and while I'm at it, domes should look like breasts.

Obviously its gonna stay upright, no-one is so stupid that they would design a worlds tallest building without ever consulting an engineer.

Please, if you're refering to what I said, I wasn't actually claiming the tower might collapse.

I've not seen the one that looked like a dildo but I like the sound of it. Bearing in mind that skyscrapers are just penis substitutes, it would've been appealingly honest of the developers. Tall buildings, the more they look like knobs, the better as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, yeah, and while I'm at it, domes should look like breasts.

Best post on SSC ever :lol:

We should close the forum down now cos it doesn't get better than this!

The Eiffel Tower is a lot more flimsy than this. It was built as a temporary structure and is incredibly light. I watched this programme the other day claiming that if all the metal in the Eiffel Tower was melted down to its base it would be just 6cm tall/deep! Now I'm sure a world famous firm like SOM have gotten their sums right. ;)

yes , but at least the eiffel tower wont collapse under its own weight. it looks a stong design to me and will go on for many more years i reckon. i still have my doubts about the burj dubai lasting as long. :)

I'm with Andrew C, I just think it's tall for tall sake.

Ermmm....aren't many skyscrapers, especially the ones that have broken the record books? Would you have said the same about the empire state building when it was being built? There's obviously a debate to be had about the design and the actual merits of the tower but theres no denying that its a breathtaking architectural and engineering achievement, right up there with the best of them that have dared to push and go beyond the boundaries. The statistics are staggering...140 floors and counting, I never thought I'd see anything like that in my lifetime and the higher it goes the more I have a sense of disbelief that this structure actually exists. It competely wipes the floor with anything that has gone before and takes skyscrapers into a whole new league...I would have thought that would be reason for celebration on of all places, a skyscraper forum!

yes , but at least the eiffel tower wont collapse under its own weight. it looks a stong design to me and will go on for many more years i reckon. i still have my doubts about the burj dubai lasting as long. :)

What a strange thing to say.

I suppose all those architects should have consulted you instead of experienced and qualified engineers instead...

Would you have said the same for the Taj Mahal, St Peter's Basilica, Big Ben/Parliament, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building etc?

I can not see any logic for you to even contemplate putting it into the same league of those structures.

This building hasnt done anything to ingrain it into the pysche of the world and that requires a lot more than its current world record.

The lack of technological and social advancement to create a worlds tallest building these days means that the record means pretty much fuck all to most people. How many 'worlds tallest' buildings have we had in the past decade?! Enough to blur anyones memory. Take the Humber bridge, a world record holder but not exactly remembered and admired on the street.

You wonder why the dulled reaction? Well everyone can see the rather empty reasoning behind her creation, it would be as if someone decided to build a building that covered the UK, perfectly possible but it wouldnt mean anything.

I would have thought that would be reason for celebration on of all places, a skyscraper forum!

well yes there you have it. It is a building nerds wet dream, but to put into the iconic status as Empire State building is perfectly laughable. That building defined an era, a representation of a time. The petronas towers havent made such an impact and neither will this.

^the petronas towers took the WTB title by about an inch, and never actually looked bigger than sears. This is about to take the WTB title by around 300m, thats huge, I'm impressed, not sure why so few people are.

I'm not sure quite why there's so much hostility to this. The argument that there's no point to it seems odd. After all, was there any point to 99% of the buildings that have been the world's tallest? Haven't they all been built more as a show of financial muscle/ego than for any real practical reason? As for it looking flimsy, is slenderness a bad thing all of a sudden in a tall building?

Is this like what happens in football, where there's an attitude that certain clubs (Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool) have a right to win things, and other clubs (Blackburn, Middlesborough, Chelsea) should know their place? Thus, when those clubs start spending big and winning things, everyone responds with a bout of sour grapes that they don't display when the establishment clubs act in the same manner. Is it because of where this is being built that it's getting slaughtered? Is Dubai seen as a Johhny-come-lately and therefore not a place that should have such things?

That is a bit of a shallow analysis. If you dig under the pinprick of a single building there is a complete anti-urban movement occuring in such 'false-cities' as Dubai and those springing up in Asia. There is a lot of literature regarding the shallow representation of a city a visual entity and a place for entertainment and it was put across perfectly in a piece at the Urban exhibition in Tate Modern. You could argue why not? But there are plenty of arguments ranging from environmental to social and architectural for what is ultimately a corporate tax haven business park and leisure resort for those with no roots.

^the petronas towers took the WTB title by about an inch, and never actually looked bigger than sears. This is about to take the WTB title by around 300m, thats huge, I'm impressed, not sure why so few people are.

because like I said it doesnt mean anything, tall buildings are standard now in most parts of the world. This incredible earth-shattering difference is only measured coldly in metres not by human mind.

What a strange thing to say.

I suppose all those architects should have consulted you instead of experienced and qualified engineers instead...

edited.

Great news, I've been following Burj Dubai's construction since it's foundations were being laid. It will certainly be something this planet has never seen before, it's sheer height is sooo much greater than any other building out there. Should look fantastic when complete :)

Ermmm....aren't many skyscrapers, especially the ones that have broken the record books? Would you have said the same about the empire state building when it was being built? There's obviously a debate to be had about the design and the actual merits of the tower but theres no denying that its a breathtaking architectural and engineering achievement, right up there with the best of them that have dared to push and go beyond the boundaries. The statistics are staggering...140 floors and counting, I never thought I'd see anything like that in my lifetime and the higher it goes the more I have a sense of disbelief that this structure actually exists. It competely wipes the floor with anything that has gone before and takes skyscrapers into a whole new league...I would have thought that would be reason for celebration on of all places, a skyscraper forum!

My first post on this thread was "I'm sure this is a spectacular sight but I still maintain this is a stupid peice of shit".

The breathtaking scale of this project isn't lost on me, I just don't think much of the reasoning behind it.

I also don't think this can be compared with ESB or Eiffel tower - Paris and New York were bustling metropolis' when they were built and they were in their different ways celebrations of such power - but they also had function and style and have provided both cities with something for a good century. Dubai - and again I acknowledge my I don' know much about Dubai - to me is just a rich boys playground and this is pretty meaningless.

Some of the arguments here seem bogus. This tower is technically amazing, aesthetically beautiful, functional (more functional than the Eiffel Tower is AndrewC), and economically justified as a driver for Dubai's tourism sector. Dubai may not be a metropolis (AndrewC) but it's definitely a thriving entrepot city so I do not see any good reason why Dubai's new symbol is less valuable or meaningful than the spectacular and attention grabbing symbolic buildings of other countries.

its OK i have special dispensation from the moderaters to talk complete crap on this forum something somebody like you is unlikely to be aware of.

hopefully this bloke oo deathscer or whatever he calls himself will fuck off from where he came from very soon:hammer:

So, why exactly would one "think" the building is likely to collapse.

Are Highcliff and Summit going to be blown away in the typhoons as well?

inquisitive bugger arent you?
ok it probably wont collapse but you never know.stranger things happen but i still stand by the design of the eiffel tower which was the whole point of my post.

fuck me, its like being back at school.... :goodnight

I would have thought that would be reason for celebration on of all places, a skyscraper forum!

becuase it's not being built in the west. i suspect this is the root for the hum-hum attitude towards it. i am just glad someone out there still has the chutzpah to push the limits in engineering and the BD is going to be one amazing building when it's done.

He doesn't think its going to collapse how many times does he have to say it?
While I am impressed with the engineering prowess and sheer height of the thing I dislike it it for what it represents. Dubai had a chance to do something special like create a showcase for sustainability, a city for people. But they have gone down the route of ridiculously oversized nob extensions. major roads, shopping malls, fake islands etc. That is why I'm not impressed with BD.

inquisitive bugger arent you?
ok it probably wont collapse but you never know.stranger things happen but i still stand by the design of the eiffel tower which was the whole point of my post.

Well, that's that then.

The Eifel Tower will stand the test of time, whereas the Burj Dubai will collapse in the very first sandstorm. Why? Because metro doesn't think the design, which architects would have checked, double checked, and triple checked with qualified and experienced engineers, will hold up.

And what would you rather they did? Build a copy of the Eiffel Tower cos it's a stable design, cos metro said so?

Out of interest, do you have a Physics degree?

And you still didn't answer the Highcliff and Summit question - built on a hill at a height of approximately 100m, two slender and sleek glass towers in a region where typhoons bringing winds of up to 250 km/h are common, will those two towers also collapse?

fuck me, its like being back at school.... :goodnight

Well, let me educate you then.

well the tower has overtaken taipei 101, ive had that confirmed to me.

it looks nice, but it isn't going to have the cultural importance of many other world landmarks.

Well, that's that then.

The Eifel Tower will stand the test of time, whereas the Burj Dubai will collapse in the very first sandstorm. Why? Because metro doesn't think the design, which architects would have checked, double checked, and triple checked with qualified and experienced engineers, will hold up.

And what would you rather they did? Build a copy of the Eiffel Tower cos it's a stable design, cos metro said so?

Out of interest, do you have a Physics degree?

And you still didn't answer the Highcliff and Summit question - built on a hill at a height of approximately 100m, two slender and sleek glass towers in a region where typhoons bringing winds of up to 250 km/h are common, will those two towers also collapse?



Well, let me educate you then.

so many questions.. look, im not here here to provide a service to other members so i wont be answering any more questions on any subject, sorry about that.

ok lets get back on topic.

Never going to meet the Dec 2008 deadline if they don't hurry up with the cladding.

When I was a little kid I had dreams about a building this tall, but now it's here i'm a little disappointed. The design is just too cold and "international" for me.

I'd much rather have local architects design such culturally important buildings like this so that we get to see some more architectural styles.

Some of the arguments here seem bogus. This tower is technically amazing, aesthetically beautiful, functional (more functional than the Eiffel Tower is AndrewC), and economically justified as a driver for Dubai's tourism sector. Dubai may not be a metropolis (AndrewC) but it's definitely a thriving entrepot city so I do not see any good reason why Dubai's new symbol is less valuable or meaningful than the spectacular and attention grabbing symbolic buildings of other countries.

I agree.

Dubai's only doing what Taiwan and Malaysia did before, going for the WTB title to grab attention and prestige. Did Kuala Lumpur need twin 88 storey towers or Taipai a 101 storey tower...the answer in both cases is probably not. However all these people that are slagging Burj Dubai off for being "meaningless" or "pointless" are themselves missing one very important point of why skyscrapers like this do exist...ego. This has fuelled the desire to build these structures ever since the famous race between the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building to become the worlds tallest building. Only now this phenomemnon has gone truly global and you only need to look at the staggering number of supertalls under construction right now to realize how much of a driving force ego is to enable us to reach spectacular heights. If your going to slag Burj Dubai off for even existing then you might as well slag off much of the process by which we have come to have skyscrapers in the first place.

I'd much rather have local architects design such culturally important buildings like this so that we get to see some more architectural styles.

Sounds like a terrible idea, well in BD's case anyway. If your going to build a 180 storey building then you'd be much better off bringing in experts who have plied their trade for decades and know what they're doing. I can't think of anyone more qualified in this respect than SOM.

Ego? well yes there is usually ego involved social, artistic and economic in most things. However what we are seeing around the world (the expanded race as you put it) is more of an accelerating desperation while the global money pot hangs deceptively out of reach.

I can turn your last comment on its head; as Burj Dubai is just following the same process as lots of other forgettable buildings have gone through the previous few decades then why do expect a lot of fuss?

You need to look deeper than the record book.

I think the Burj Dubai is an incredible tower and ive enjoyed watching it grow.It only seem like it was a few months ago when we were getting photos of the site without construction.

I like this photo posted by Imre on the world forums yesterday.

Photo by Imre
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becuase it's not being built in the west. i suspect this is the root for the hum-hum attitude towards it. i am just glad someone out there still has the chutzpah to push the limits in engineering and the BD is going to be one amazing building when it's done.

I`ll put a bit of writing up later that will help you understand a little better! ie it is the same reaction that Las Vegas got when it announced it was buillding a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

....This has fuelled the desire to build these structures ever since the famous race between the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building to become the worlds tallest building...

again a bit simplistic, the skyscraper was synomonous with the cities of N. America particularly New York at this time a pretty much a time and a place of a unique flowering of a certain type of building.

anyone know what the tallest cathedral is in the world? Any one actually care?

Sounds like a terrible idea, well in BD's case anyway. If your going to build a 180 storey building then you'd be much better off bringing in experts who have plied their trade for decades and know what they're doing. I can't think of anyone more qualified in this respect than SOM.

While I don't doubt SOM's prestige and experience, most of their design work over the last 10 years has been some of the blandest shit ever built.

How cool and futuristic is this. :) Pics by AltinD. There's another 30-40 supertalls being planned for this cluster -



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Why the hell is the sky that grim?

^ A combination of construction dust and desert sand. It always seems to be like that.

yes the wonderful sunny paradise that is dubai! you forgot to mention the smog too.

amazing building. Its hilarious reading people's hostility on this forum. From reasons such as its too big, or its pointless. It reeks of jelousy and bitterness for no reason. Lol. errm hello, this is a skyscraper forum, all about tall buildings. The tallest is getting built, and some people moan its pointless? How illogical. The same comments could apply to every tall building being constructed in UK cities. What is also funny is that some of the people in this thread who say its pointless or just tall for the sake of being tall, are the same people who look for every reason under the sun no matter how obscure to defend some of the tall characterless ugly bland boxes being built in their own cities.

yes the wonderful sunny paradise that is dubai! you forgot to mention the smog too.Dubai's smog is just construction dust and fine desert sand. The city doesn't have a large enough population, and is not dense enough, to produce the large volumes of car pollution that blights so many other metropoli around the world. To be fair they cannot do much about the desert sand. It's natural. The construction dusts is manmade but then if they weren't building anything there wouldn't be any reason to visit Dubai in the first place. Dubai's attractions are manmade.

amazing building. Its hilarious reading people's hostility on this forum. From reasons such as its too big, or its pointless. It reeks of jelousy and bitterness for no reason. Lol. errm hello, this is a skyscraper forum, all about tall buildings. The tallest is getting built, and some people moan its pointless? How illogical. The same comments could apply to every tall building being constructed in UK cities. What is also funny is that some of the people in this thread who say its pointless or just tall for the sake of being tall, are the same people who look for every reason under the sun no matter how obscure to defend some of the tall characterless ugly bland boxes being built in their own cities.:yes:

Dubai's smog is just construction dust and fine desert sand. The city doesn't have a large enough population, and is not dense enough, to produce the large volumes of car pollution that blights so many other metropoli around the world. To be fair they cannot do much about the desert sand. It's natural. The construction dusts is manmade but then if they weren't building anything there wouldn't be any reason to visit Dubai in the first place. Dubai's attractions are manmade.

It actually gives shots like those a strange kind of beauty!

Dubai's smog is just construction dust and fine desert sand. The city doesn't have a large enough population, and is not dense enough, to produce the large volumes of car pollution that blights so many other metropoli around the world.
yes it does, population density is now equivalent to that of rome and is set to overtake paris in about 3 years. infact dubai has a higher amount of sulphur in it's air than houston! their motorcars are increasing by 35% a year (there's almost a million in the city) and the main reason for the cause of smog is the weather and complete lack of public transport. hot weather is very bad for car exhaust fumes. furthermore lead is still used in the petrol there and the per capita pollution loads are greater than anywhere else on the planet as is the ecological footprint. no one knows how much pollution there is in dubai as their govt refuses to actually monitor it so we dont know the precise figures but from what has been published the pollution there is actually several times worse than the dirtiest city in the usa. instead you can actually find them recieving awards that they themselves have created to recognise their contribution to the environment!

Well they are building an underground train system at least, should open next decade I'd imagine.

yes it does, population density is now equivalent to that of rome and is set to overtake paris in about 3 years. infact dubai has a higher amount of sulphur in it's air than houston! their motorcars are increasing by 35% a year (there's almost a million in the city) and the main reason for the cause of smog is the weather and complete lack of public transport. hot weather is very bad for car exhaust fumes. furthermore lead is still used in the petrol there and the per capita pollution loads are greater than anywhere else on the planet as is the ecological footprint. no one knows how much pollution there is in dubai as their govt refuses to actually monitor it so we dont know the precise figures but from what has been published the pollution there is actually several times worse than the dirtiest city in the usa. instead you can actually find them recieving awards that they themselves have created to recognise their contribution to the environment!I don't believe that Dubai's population density is anywhere close to that of Paris or Rome. Have you ever been there? Not that density is a bad thing anyway. Dense cities are the most sustainable, and sprawling cities, where driving distances are increased, where every suburban home has to be separately air conditioned or heated, and where hundreds of thousands of lawns need to be watered, are the least sustainable. 1 million motorcars is a small number and would place Dubai well down a world ranking of cities. And Dubai does have public transport. I took buses there myself.

amazing building. Its hilarious reading people's hostility on this forum..

well some of us actually like to think beyond the title of the forum.

I`ll put a bit of writing up later that will help you understand a little better! ie it is the same reaction that Las Vegas got when it announced it was buillding a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

two different things; vegas is notorious for building cheap knock offs of existing structures where as the burj dubai is a very ambitious construction project.

yes it is impressive, possibly attractive just undecided on that last point at the moment (however i dont find the rest of the skyline attractive at all so maybe this will be just a pleasing distraction)...

BUT... I dont think that the very major (only?) underlying reasons for its construction and the inescapable heavy symbology where this building represents the broad development of the area as a whole should not taint the building; it was built to be a marker and to draw us in, that was the whole point of the project!!!

So why suddenly should we empathise with that sort of blatant cynacism and manipulation?

I find it disturbing that people on here are suggesting that an almost purely statistical analysis should blanket out any further investigations; especially as true architecture is meant to be an expression of human thought and the social happenings of the time.

Sure find the engineering feat exciting but to suggest that we must all fall in love with it misunderstands the power of architecture and is completely oblivious to the human aspect of the urban tale.

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http://xs217.xs.to/xs217/07302/resort-3.jpg

http://xs217.xs.to/xs217/07302/resort-4.jpg

where did you get that from potto? i cant agree with it more.

yes it does, population density is now equivalent to that of rome and is set to overtake paris in about 3 years. infact dubai has a higher amount of sulphur in it's air than houston! their motorcars are increasing by 35% a year (there's almost a million in the city) and the main reason for the cause of smog is the weather and complete lack of public transport. hot weather is very bad for car exhaust fumes. furthermore lead is still used in the petrol there and the per capita pollution loads are greater than anywhere else on the planet as is the ecological footprint. no one knows how much pollution there is in dubai as their govt refuses to actually monitor it so we dont know the precise figures but from what has been published the pollution there is actually several times worse than the dirtiest city in the usa. instead you can actually find them recieving awards that they themselves have created to recognise their contribution to the environment!

This is why it's never a good idea to build a megacity in underdeveloped countries

where did you get that from potto? i cant agree with it more.

It was one of the displays at the Urban exhibtion at Tate Modern, I didnt note down who created it, I`ll check next time, but I thought it was an excellent piece and quite brave I thought for such an exhibit.

Is it just me or does it not really look 500m+?

once everyone is convinced by the man made climate change then we'll stop using fossil fuels and then the middle east won't seem so rich and exotic when its not with anything.
if you're into conspiracy theories then its concivable that global warming is a con to stop the need for fossil fuels and therefore stop the countries of the middle east having so much power

once everyone is convinced by the man made climate change then we'll stop using fossil fuels and then the middle east won't seem so rich and exotic when its not with anything.
if you're into conspiracy theories then its concivable that global warming is a con to stop the need for fossil fuels and therefore stop the countries of the middle east having so much power

By power presumably you mean their strategic importance to the consuming market for their products - traditionally the West - and hence our current set of geopolitical problems. If this is a conspiracy its a remarkably advantageous one for most concerned parties.

This is why it's never a good idea to build a megacity in underdeveloped countriesWith a population iof just 1.5 million Dubai is hardly a megacity. And with GDP approaching the same level as Britain it's hardly underdeveloped either. Note that less than 5% of Dubai's economy is oil related.

Is it just me or does it not really look 500m+?

Iv thought exactly the same, i no its only from photo's but still dont look
500+, but its not built to full height yet is it?

So much critic.
I think most of it is just a bit of good old jealousy though :)

I've booked my Dubai trip for December.
Can't wait!

This is an awesome vid -

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=14838602&postcount=5747

im going to dubai next easter and will be not only meeting the architects of the scheme but also given a guided tour of the building site and taken the top of the tower although itll still be under construction :)

You lucky bastard. :)

lol not lucky. getting tours of other towers in dubai too... am wondering now if i can blag my way into swiss re during openhouse weekend again this year. heh.

i agree. lucky bastard.

im going to dubai next easter and will be not only meeting the architects of the scheme but also given a guided tour of the building site and taken the top of the tower although itll still be under construction :)

i hope you'll be offsetting those carbon emmissions young man!

sounds amazing though. will you be going up in one of those open construction lift things? that'd be pretty fucking amazing if you took a video as you rose up from the ground floor to floor 1,200, or whatever it is. the edenator would like to see that.

of course i will eden :)

i have no idea what the tour will consist of. i just have a list of site tours here...

Thanks for posting those exhibition photos potto - very interesting :)

For those who couldn't be bothered to download that video, I've edited the best parts and uploaded it to YouTube -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LjTWSKbfiU

I like the visit skyscrapercity.com bit at the end of the video you inserted. :D

^^Good work. Very interesting and I have to say that that guy is a good presenter!

For those who couldn't be bothered to download that video, I've edited the best parts and uploaded it to YouTube -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LjTWSKbfiU

That video reminds me of why I hate American television. I agree the view from the top is remarkable. Thanks for posting though Will !

when its completed i want to go right up to the buildings base (hopefully they'll allow it :shifty:) at the buildings widest point and do what they do with those giant redwoods. (you know stretch your arms as wide as you can and look straight up!) :yes:

This now has a rival in Jeddah...

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=525819

... potentially 1600m. WTF


http://www.pickardchilton.com/GetImage.aspx?id=122&photo=Image&table=tblProjectDetail

Wtf. Looks like something you'd see on thunderbirds.
Would anyone here really like to live that high up? It'd be a right pain in the arse if you just wanted pop to the shop.

And the roof will be used to launch satellites.

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9283/diagramfa3.jpg

That's just insane. The base alone would be about 500m wide. :crazy:

The Burj Dubai looks like a tooth pick there.

its weird that the least dense urban spots are experimenting with such structures. The one positive thing that will come out of this is that it will provide practical knowledge to the areas of the world that do actually need such shelters! Perhaps if only to point them towards a more environmentally aware direction!

There is no chance any of those three towers will get built.The Jeddah tower is twice the size of the Burj Dubai and its a very poor design imo.

They probably will get built. You gotto love those crazy Arabs.

Freaking woah! To put it into perspective those two 'stumps' at the bottom of the mile tower are slightly taller than London Bridge Tower!

And I'm financing those towers by paying way too much money for petrol. IMO I deserve an apartment in one of those buildings.

Who wants to live in a 1600m high building with nothing to look at but desert?

Sure if your in New York and your the richest man in the world a 1600m high apartment would sound cool.

But in Jeddah?
With nothing but this to look at?
http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/uploads/national-commercial-bank-jeddah.jpg

Pass.

If memory serves correct, there was an ultratall envisioned for Chicago decades ago even taller than the Mile High behemoth in Jeddah, wasn't it the illinois at 1,731m? While 1600 m is no doubt an insane height beyond belief, even taller have been envisioned with the Aeropolis 2001 which the name suggests was to be 2001m tall and the 4,000m (around 13,000+ feet!!) tall X-seed with 800 floors taller than Mount Fuji! That's almost half the height of how high you'd be in a passenger plane. The Burj Dubai would look like nothing more than an insignificant little insect in comparison.

This has "only" about 500 ft to go... lol.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2768651650_0f2efd5103_o.jpg

:eek2:

That was extraordinary; as I scrolled down that photo and realised the scale and exactly what I was looking at I, I got genuinely dizzy!

And the roof will be used to launch satellites.

Is that a joke, cause it actually could !

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9283/diagramfa3.jpg

WTF WTF WTF WTF No No No NO Surely NO MAN can live at that speed!!!

No man.... 101000100101001010 my mind cannot process it, it just can't !

LBT is still tall, LBT is still tall.....WTF

Am sorry but that is just silly. I like a good old skyscraper race. One building is meant to go 480 meters and then next 483.3 and then so on. Not 500 meters jumping upto about 850 or what ever it is. This has taken the fun out of it.

Am sorry but that is just silly. I like a good old skyscraper race. One building is meant to go 480 meters and then next 483.3 and then so on. Not 500 meters jumping upto about 850 or what ever it is. This has taken the fun out of it.

Well, this happened in the 30s as well didn't it?
Although I do agree that at 800m building the WTB is out of reach for people wishing to make a profit. The only way to build something taller is to either have a rick oil sheikh providing the money or else for it to be part of a massive development (like the BD now) where the building can pay for itsself by adding value to the surroundings.
This means that the WTB will never again be part of a city block, etc. I'll have to be a stand alone tower like this one.

Oh and BTW, the chances for the following towers to get built are the following IMO:

Mubarak Tower - <1%
Mile High Tower - <1%
Al Burj - maybe 3 or 4%

:)

Interesting article here on some of the other towers competing for the world's tallest -

http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3124932

It begs the question: When will it all end? How tall can they go?

Now its just getting silly:lol:

Yes - the way they're competing is just insane. It reminds me of a "Looney Tunes" cartoon, where the 2 main characters keep producing bigger and bigger weapons from their pockets to hit each other... until they're resorting to things like tanks, battleships, nuclear missiles... :crazy: :nuts:

i'm so glad i chose not to invest in an apartment at burj dubai. ;) who the f*ck will buy one now. :nuts:

I was reading a structural engineering book in the library; and the limit of modern day height for a standard skyscraper (no spire/plant floors - just offices) is about 150 stories. The design is similar to a wedding cake although nothing has been built in this style before - as towers this tall simply don't exist.

Here's the book: Skyscrapers: Form and Function (David Bennett) I've taken some photos (no particular order):

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0222.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0219.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0220.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0226.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0225.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0224.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0223.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0229.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0228.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSCF0227.jpg

can't stitch together, sorry!

This has "only" about 500 ft to go... lol.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2768651650_0f2efd5103_o.jpg


Oh my Allah, i would puke up every morning if i lived on the top floor, simply from having altitude sickness.

i know what it's like to have altitude sickness. i never thought of this!

when i arrived in mongolia in the capital which is 1,350 metres above sea level, i hadn't had much sleep. the altitude caused me to almost black out after about 6 hours after arrival. i couldn't see or hear properly and had to hit the sack. perhaps the top penthouse will need more than air con.

http://www.everestmax.com/images/24_5oxygen.jpg

I was wondering if you can open your window and let in some fresh air/ozone into your apartment on the top floors of Burj Dubai, or is it airtight?

I love this, the new 1km tall building announced for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Ver sleek and with such a clean profile compared to the over complicated Burj Dubai, my opinion of course! Very good chance it will be built too as its backed by the Saudi royal family and they could probably build 100's of these if they wanted and still have loose change to buy a premiership club...or two.


Photo credit to SaudiGuy.
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4807/p1060459kw6.jpg

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/6886/p1060461hz1.jpg

that looks like a pole :nuts:

i know what it's like to have altitude sickness. i never thought of this!

when i arrived in mongolia in the capital which is 1,350 metres above sea level, i hadn't had much sleep. the altitude caused me to almost black out after about 6 hours after arrival. i couldn't see or hear properly and had to hit the sack. perhaps the top penthouse will need more than air con.

http://www.everestmax.com/images/24_5oxygen.jpg

1350 metres? That's nothing. What would happen when you go to Bolivia or somewhere where you're at 4000m+ above sea level most of the time?

1350 metres? That's nothing. What would happen when you go to Bolivia or somewhere where you're at 4000m+ above sea level most of the time?

my skin would probably boil due to all the oxygen bubbles. :nuts:

must have been something else. nobody gets altitude sickness at 1350m :nuts:

some of those just look ugly

must have been something else. nobody gets altitude sickness at 1350m :nuts:

it can if you have had extreme sleep deprevation, which i had. for normal people altitude sickness can occur at 2000 metres, so if you are unwell or haven't slept for 30 hours then i can't see why not. also, i arrived at that altitude by plane, so no time to get accustomed. :puke:

I was in Mexico City for the large part of a year and that was above 2000. I could handle it because I am actually the next stage of evolution. The chances of this happening are 5 to 1.

i lived on k2 for a couple of years

for normal people altitude sickness can occur at 2000 metres

Actually altitude sickness occurs above 2400 metres.:)

Actually altitude sickness occurs above 2400 metres.:)

keep reading the rest of the wikipedia page. :dizzy:

:D

i know what it's like to have altitude sickness. i never thought of this!

when i arrived in mongolia in the capital which is 1,350 metres above sea level, i hadn't had much sleep. the altitude caused me to almost black out after about 6 hours after arrival.

Eh? Are you sure about that? That's lower altitude than most European ski resorts...

That's about 4'440 ft which would be like going to the top of Ben Nevis. Shouldn't really be a problem.

I've never had altitude sickness, but I did get chest pains at the top of the Kitzsteinhorn in Austria.

When I went to South America five years ago, I flew from Lima (sea level) to La Paz (4,000 metres). I was going to take it easy on my first night at altitude, but my friends who I met up with there took me out to a peña, where I had alpaca steak and beer, and was dragged onto stage to dance with the women in traditional dress. I didn't notice any ill effects, so didn't worry about altitude for the rest of the holiday. I had to laugh later when I was told off for running on the Inca Trail, at only 2,500 metres.

Topped out!

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=534013&page=747

:dizzy:

I hate this building. I hate everything it stands for.

Cheap Labour, Oil Money, Unsustainable Development, Ego.

Edit: MERGED THE TWO POSTS

Do Lloyds have a share in the Burj then? (I do not know the relevance of Lloyds to this building, have I missed something?)

Architecturally, this tower is pretty cool, I can admit that. But it is too tall, has completely destroyed the Skyscraper Race, and, if built in London for example would have it's own transport links (ala shard, london bridge station, pinnacle, liverpool street) but what does this have?

Edit: Wills post about Lloyds disappeared, wrong thread or something?

Delete

Er... I posted in the wrong thread. :) I've deleted my post now.

I hate this building. I hate everything it stands for.

Cheap Labour, Oil Money, Unsustainable Development, Ego.


Architecturally, this tower is pretty cool, I can admit that. But it is too tall, has completely destroyed the Skyscraper Race, and, if built in London for example would have it's own transport links (ala shard, london bridge station, pinnacle, liverpool street) but what does this have?




I'm in two minds about this tower. On the one hand, I agree with the things you say. On the other hand, it's a spectacular engineering achievement. It really sets a new benchmark for skyscraper construction.

Yeh 818m is hardly underwhelming

Nothing in Dubai is mind you :(

It most certainly is a testament to Human Achievement, though it does also remind us that one way to get things done, is cheap/slave labour, which is not a good message to convey.

I'm in two minds about this tower. On the one hand, I agree with the things you say. On the other hand, it's a spectacular engineering achievement. It really sets a new benchmark for skyscraper construction.
I'm the same as you on this. Part of me hates all this new Dubai egotistical, tacky, wanna-be, show-boating, oil money, cheap labour 'fad' that's been going on these last few years. But on the other hand...well, the sheer size of this thing, it's just crazy, and I can't help but admire the human ingenuity and skill that has gone into planning, engineering and building this skyscraper. It's like something out of a Star Wars city.

Somehow I think Taipei 101 was more of an achievement than Burj Dubai is.
The thought of building a 500m+ skyscraper in an earthquake zone just blew my mind at the time.

The threat of 1000m Dubai proposals hasn't really helped the PR of Burj Dubai either. Nobody is going to get that excited about something if you constantly say that there will be bigger and better things just around the corner.

If you want to live in this building, surely its because you can say you live in the worlds tallest building...right?

So why would anyone want to buy an apartment on any of the lower floors.?

Kind of defeats the object, doesn't it.?

Anyway, as an engineering exercise i can admire it, but from a moral and aesthetic point of view....YUK!!!!

The lower floors are offices and a hotel.

We all go on about the crazy structures of the past like the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, some European cathedrals, the pyramids.

A lot of these were built by slave labour despite being amazing structures. Burj Dubai is basically in the same league as those apart from they weren't quite slaves!

Having said that, they are all amazing structures and we can still go 'wow'!

I hate this building. I hate everything it stands for.

Cheap Labour, Oil Money, Unsustainable Development, Ego.
Many famous skyscrapers have been built on the same principles, including the empire state building.

The tower is officially opened today -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8439618.stm



Oh, and...


:uh:



http://i46.tinypic.com/23hnf3m.jpg

I love the sneaky bailout condition, in order for Dubai to recieve the $10bn emergency bailout loan from Abu Dhabi they had to rename the tower after Abu Dhabis leader Khalifa. So now its the Burj Khalifra.

X-Ha30Fid74