Burj Dubai

Encyclopedia : B : BU : BUR : Burj Dubai

This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures.
It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the building approaches completion.

Burj Dubai

Artist's rendition.
Technical Data
Structural height 808 m (2,651 ft) (est.)
Height to tip 808 m (2,651 ft) (est.)
Height to roof 630 m (2,066 ft) (est.)
Height to top floor 624 m (2,045 ft) (est.)
Floors (Above ground) 162 [link]
Floors (Under ground) 2 [link]
Groundbreaking September 21, 2004
Topout December 30, 2008 (est.)
Opening February, 2009 (est .)
Gross floor area 344,000 m² (3.7M sq ft)
Companies
Developer Emaar
Architect SOM
Construction Contractor Samsung Constructions /
BESIX / Arabtec

The Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي for "Tower of Dubai") is a skyscraper currently under construction, since April 15, 2005, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at [25°11′58.34″N, 55°16′20.66″E]. Its final height is officially being kept a secret due to competition; however, figures released by a contractor on the project have suggested a height of "around 810 m."[Project information], doka- The Formwork Experts, retrieved May 04, 2006 . The total number of habitable floors stands at around 160, in spite of numerous unofficial claims to other figures, which are unconfirmed and contradictory to official statements. As of July 10, 2006, the Burj is at 53 stories and about 190 metres high. See [link] and [link].

Contents

1 Size
2 Architecture and design
3 Purpose
4 Race for the top
5 Labor controversy
6 Additional images
7 References
8 See also
9 External links

Size

Upon its completion in 2008 the Burj Dubai will likely become the tallest building in the world. It will beat out the current title holder, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, as well as numerous other proposals including the Freedom Tower at New York City's World Trade Center. In addition, it will assume the title of the world's tallest structure, surpassing the freestanding Toronto CN Tower and the guyed KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, the latter setting a minimum height for the tower at almost 630 m.

Though unconfirmed, Burj Dubai has been through several height increases since its inception. Originally proposed as virtually a clone of the 560 m Grollo Tower proposal from Australia, the tower was soon redesigned to an original Skidmore Owings and Merril design seen above and discussed below. This design stood approximately 705 meters tall. The lead architect, Adrian Smith, felt that the design of the top did not culminate very well, so he sought and received approval to increase it to the currently planned height. It has been explicitly stated that this did not include an addition of more floors [Cityscape Daily News], Cityscape, September 18, 2005, retrieved May 05, 2006, which is fitting with Smith's attempts to make the crown more slender. However, the top of the tower, from the 156th floor onward or from 575 meters to the top, will be a steel frame structure, unlike the lower portion's concrete. The developer, Emaar, has stated this steel section may be extended to beat any other tower to the title of tallest, however once the tower is complete the height cannot be changed.

Architecture and design

The tower is designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, who also designed the Sears Tower and the Freedom Tower, among numerous other famous high-rises.

The design of Burj Dubai is derived from the geometries of the desert flower, which is indigenous to the region, and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture. 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 spiraling 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.

The interior will be decorated by Giorgio Armani. An Armani Hotel (the first of its kind) will occupy the lower 37 floors. Floors 45 through 108 will have 700 private apartments in 64 floors (which, according to the developer, sold out within eight hours of going on sale). Corporate offices and suites will fill most of the remaining floors, except for a 123rd floor lobby and 124th floor indoor/outdoor observation deck. The spire will also hold communications equipment. An outdoor zero-entry swimming pool will be located on the 78th floor of the tower.

It will also feature the world's fastest elevator, at 18 m/s (40 mph). [Burj Dubai will have world's highest elevator installation], by Moushumi Das Chaudhry, BurjDubaiSkyscraper, March 12, 2006, retrieved March 25, 2006 The world's current fastest elevator is in the Taipei 101 office tower, Taipei, Taiwan, at 16.83 m/s (37.5 mph).

Purpose

The Burj Dubai has been designed to be the center of a large-scale, mixed-use development that will include 30,000 homes, 9 hotels, 6 acres of parkland, 19 residential towers, and 12 hectare Burj Dubai Lake. The complete development will cost about US$ 8 billion. Once completed, the tower will cover a total of 2 million m² (22 million ft²) of development.

The Burj Dubai will be the latest feather in the cap of Dubai, also home to the world's tallest hotel, the Burj al-Arab, the (soon to be completed) world's largest man-made marina, the Dubai Marina; the (soon to be completed) world's largest artificial island, The Palm, Deira which surpasses its sister 'Palm Islands' developments The Palm, Jumeirah and The Palm, Jebel Ali. There is also the (soon to be completed) Dubai Waterfront; and the (soon to be built) world's largest mall, the Dubai Mall. In addition, there is the planned world's first underwater hotel Hydropolis, as well as the exclusive island projects The World (archipelago) and The Lagoons.

The silvery glass-sheathed concrete building will restore to the Middle East the honor of hosting the earth's tallest structure—a title lost circa 1300 when Lincoln Cathedral upset the 38-century reign of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.

Rendition of Downtown Dubai upon the Burj's completion in December 2008

The decision to build Burj Dubai and other skyscrapers is reportedly based on the government's decision to diversify from a trade-based (and oil-reliant) economy to one that is service- and tourism-oriented. While many champion Dubai's strides at changing its core economy, others have raised questions about the necessity of building the world's tallest building in Dubai. Currently, Dubai has a population of just over one million residents (1,070,779 according to a [2004 estimate] on the [Dubai government website]), with many areas of it still being desert land (covering over 90% of the 1,517 mile² country [Dubai - Global Talent Magnet], by John Hagel, Edge Perspectives, December 11, 2005, retrieved April 10, 2006), or very less occupied. However, others feel it is necessary for projects like Burj Dubai to be built in the city, so that Dubai can get more recognition in the outside world. "He (Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum) wanted to put Dubai on the map with something really sensational," says Jacqui Josephson, who is the Tourism and VIP delegations executive at Nakheel. ["In Dubai, the Sky's No Limit"], by Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2005, retrieved March 26, 2006. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, founder and chairman of Emaar remarked:
"This region is way behind all the regions of the world, except sub-Saharan Africa. There’s no time to stop, the world is so advanced compared to us, we’ve been sleeping for so long."
While non-nationals cannot own real-estate in the UAE, condominiums in the Burj Dubai will work around this law by selling "lifetime" leases -- reportedly up to 99 years in length.

Race for the top

Burj Dubai's main competitor now is actually proposed at a location 50 km (30 miles) away from the Burj Dubai site. This tower, Al Burj, is being developed by Al Nakheel and is keeping the height under wraps. Also said to be at least 700 m tall, this is a formidable threat to Burj Dubai's world's tallest building status. Also competing with the Burj Dubai, a proposed 1001 metre-high skyscraper may be erected in Kuwait as part of a new city development project called Madinat al-Hareer ("City of Silk"). However, the building, if built, would take up to 25 years to construct according to some reports ["Architects plan kilometre-high skyscraper"], by Will Knight, NewScientist.com, December 9, 2005, retrieved March 25, 2006, compared to Burj Dubai's current progress rate of 7 days per floor (which is expected to pick up as the tower gets closer towards the top); the entire development incorporates an Olympic Stadium, residences, hotels, and retail facilities.

Labor controversy

Burj Dubai is being built primarily by immigrant engineers & workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Press reports indicate that skilled carpenters at the site earn £4.34 (US$7.60) a day and labourers £2.84 (US$4.00). ["Workers Riot at Site of Dubai Skyscraper"], Jim Krane, breitbart.com, March 22, 2006, retrieved March 24, 2006 [Riot by migrant workers halts construction of Dubai skyscraper], by Brian Whitaker and agencies, The Guardian, March 23, 2006, retrieved March 25, 2006 Unions were forbidden in the United Arab Emirates previously, but the government recently announced steps to allow construction unions. ["UAE to allow construction unions"], BBC News, March 30, 2006, retrieved April 20, 2006

On March 21, 2006, tensions boiled over at the construction site as workers employed by Al Naboodah who were building the Dubai Mall next to Burj Dubai, rioted over low wages and poor working conditions. They damaged cars, offices, computers, and construction tools. At Dubai International Airport, construction workers staged a sympathy strike. News reports about the riots conflicted with each other in regards to whether or not the riots affected work at the Burj Dubai itself, with the majority of reports claiming that it did. However, the development manager for Samsung Corp., the South Korean conglomerate that is chief contractor on the Burj Dubai, said construction of the skyscraper was moving ahead, and not affected by the labour dispute, in which builders on adjacent towers are asking for better pay and employment conditions.["Labourers at Burj Dubai site halt work for second day"], Khaleej Times, March 23, 2006, retrieved March 28, 2006 The United Arab Emirates has received considerable attention recently with regard to its labour laws. Several groups have cited widespread abuse of workers and appalling working conditions.

Additional images

Image:Burj-dubai-june-24-04.jpg|June 24, 2006 Image:planssection.jpg|Cross-section plan of the Burj from the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. Image:Burj dubai render comparison.jpg|Comparison between the new and the old renders.

References

External links

[Official website]
[Burj Dubai (Downtown Dubai)] - The tower and its surroundings
[Burj Dubai Skyscraper] - Construction photos & Information
[Dubai Development & Investment Authority]
[Skyscraper City discussion topic]
[SkyscraperCity database entry]
[SkyscraperPage database entry for Burj Dubai]
[Panoramic view of a part of downtown Dubai, leading to Burj Dubai]
[Burj Dubai renders]
[April construction photos]
[Otis Worldwide, Signature Projects] - Information on the project's elevators at the Otis Elevator Company

Supertall structures

Destroyed: World Trade Center | Construction suspended: Ryugyong Hotel

Visions: 7 South Dearborn | Pyramid City | Sky City 1000 | The Illinois | X-Seed 4000

Oil platforms: Petronius Platform | Troll Platform | Hibernia Oil Platform

Other proposed structures

Self-supporting structures or proposed structures which are, were, or will be at least 300 meters in height

[ v]·[ d]·[ e]

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Technical Data
Artist's rendition.
Structural height	808 m (2,651 ft) (est.)
Height to tip	808 m (2,651 ft) (est.)
Height to roof	630 m (2,066 ft) (est.)
Height to top floor	624 m (2,045 ft) (est.)
Floors (Above ground)	162 [link]
Floors (Under ground)	2 [link]
Groundbreaking	September 21, 2004
Topout	December 30, 2008 (est.)
Opening	February, 2009 (est .)
Gross floor area	344,000 m² (3.7M sq ft)
Companies
Developer	Emaar
Architect	SOM
Construction Contractor	Samsung Constructions / BESIX / Arabtec