Dubai set to open world's tallest building today
Monday, 04 January 2010 09:03
DUBAI is set to open the world's tallest building amid tight security today, celebrating the tower as a bold feat on the world stage despite the city state's shaky financial footing.
But the final height of the Burj Dubai — Arabic for Dubai Tower — remained a closely guarded secret on the eve of its opening. At more than 800m, it long ago vanquished its nearest rival, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan.The Burj's record-seeking developers didn't stop there.
The building boasts the most stories and highest occupied floor of any building in the world, and ranks as the world's tallest structure, beating out a television mast in North Dakota. Its observation deck on floor 124 also sets a record.
"We weren't sure how high we could go," said Bill Baker, the building's structural engineer, who is in Dubai for the inauguration. "It was kind of an exploration. ... A learning experience." Baker of Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, said early designs for the Burj had it edging out the world's previous record-holder, the Taipei 101, by about 10m. The Taiwan tower rises 508m.
The Burj's developer, Emaar Properties, kept pushing the design higher even after construction began, eventually putting it about 300m taller than its nearest competitor, Baker said. He is keeping quiet about the exact height. Dubai's ruler will open the tapering metal-and-glass spire with a fireworks display tonight. Security is expected to be tight. More than 1,000 security personnel, including sharpshooters, will be deployed.
Work on the Burj Dubai began in 2004 and continued rapidly. At times, new floors were being added almost every three days, reflecting Dubai's raging push to reshape itself over a few years from a small-time desert outpost into a cosmopolitan urban giant packed with skyscrapers.AP
