Burj Dubai (Burj Khalifa) opens ..!

[einstain]

World's tallest building opens for business

 

 

The Burj Dubai, designed by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), opens this week and, at 2,683ft from its base to the tip of its spire, is officially the world’s tallest building. It has been recognised as such in all four categories determined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which compiles and ranks the world’s tallest buildings.

Anthony Wood, CTBUH Executive Director, said: “The Burj Dubai opening marks the culmination of an incredible technical and architectural adventure. Never before has the world’s tallest building been exceeded by another building by more than approximately 60 metres, but here we see the realisation of a building more than 300 metres taller than the previous record holder. It is also the first time that a predominantly residential building has taken the title, though a residential function actually lends itself better to achieving great height if that is the driving force for the project (smaller floor plates, fewer elevators required, etc).” When asked to comment on the sustainability of the superscraper, Wood added: “Denser cities are an important part of the solution to combat energy use/climate change, and tall buildings have a role to play in that. It is perhaps unfair to judge a building conceived almost a decade ago by today’s fast-changing environmental-technological standards and it is thus in the concentration of population on smaller footprints of land that Burj Dubai contributes to the debate on creating more sustainable patterns of life.”

The Burj Dubai sits at the centre of a large scale, mixed-use development comprised of residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with open green spaces, water features, pedestrian boulevards, a shopping mall and a tourist-oriented old town. The design of the tower combines historical and cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve a high-performance building. Its massing is manipulated in the vertical dimension to induce maximum vortex shedding and minimize the impact of wind on the tower's movement.

George Efstathiou, SOM Managing Partner for the project, commented, “Becoming the world’s tallest free-standing structure is a pretty big deal, especially since the CN Tower held this record for more than three decades.” Bill Baker, SOM Structural Engineering Partner, added: “We invented a new structural system, the ‘Buttressed Core’, that enabled us to reach these heights economically. SOM is known for our experience with super-tall buildings such as the Sears Tower in Chicago and Jin Mao in Shanghai. The goal of the Burj Dubai, though, is not simply to be the world’s tallest building; it’s to embody the world’s highest aspirations. Working on the Burj Dubai is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved with the project.”

 

[worldarchitecturenews.com]

 

here video

[ihabkal]

people don't feel at ease living 800 meters high.

I prefer to live in a stable.

[hkbasravi]

Primarily residential, eh? I heard that New York City did some reseach on highrise residential units and found that there was a very real concern about buildings swaying in the wind. Sometimes the sway was so much it couldn't be ignored by highrise condo-dwellers.

 

I wish I remembered the source, here. But it was one of those vids I watched in second year at architecture school.

[XKP]

i would never ever live that high it's just not normal but wow what an accomplishment this building is

[luckyluc]

quote:

"Working on the Burj Dubai is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved with the project.”

 

I can see this is great for the architect and the Dubai rich people. And I would also like to see it sometimes.

 

But it would have been even better if the people who build this had been paid more then 3,5 to 5 dollars a day.

There is money enough in Dubai. But I don't see real democracy or a social mind there.

[Nic H]

what a disgusting building

hope it falls over, would make for some excellent pictures.

[Stephen Thomas]

[Kyle]

It's a landmark building I think, be interesting to see how it actually gets used in time and what defining impact it has in Dubai.

Here's a bit more info on the building about how it is lit etc.

http://acdc.monito.co.uk/jpems/display.php?t=s&id=5016_23_16_8yhnrwa5jy