another mile (high) stone…ok not quite a mile

Burj Dubai (a.k.a the world’s tallest skyscraper) officially opens tonight. “Burj” is the Arabic word for tower. Apparently this building was designed by Norman Foster, the same fellow who did the Gherkin in London and the Burj Al Arab Hotel, but I haven’t been able to confirm this.

We will be having dinner on the Creek tonight and will hopefully be able to see the fireworks from there. I will take some photos if this is the case, and post them tomorrow.





In the interim I thought I would share some interesting facts and pictures with you, courtesy of the Gulf News Special Infographic Poster which was in the paper yesterday (yes I had to cut it up and scan it for you, oh the sacrifices I make).

Oh but first, some numbers. The tower is over 800 metres tall (the actual height will be revealed tonight ta-da). It has more than 160 floors. Here are some other records that will be set by the tallest building….IN THE WORLD (said in a Jeremy Clarkson type voice):

95 – the distance in kilometres at which the spire can still be seen. 124 – the location, in floors, of ‘At The Top, Burj Dubai’, the world’s highest and only publicly accessible observation deck with an outdoor terrace. 160 – the number of luxury hotel rooms and suites. 605 – the vertical height, in metres, to which concrete was pumped in the construction. 504 – the ‘rise’, in metres, of the main service lift. 49 – the number of office floors. 58 – the number of elevators. 1,044 – the total number of residential apartments. 3,000 – the number of underground parking spaces. 5,500 – the capacity, in kilograms, of the service lift. 31,400 – the amount of steel re-bar, in metric tonnes, used in the structure. 28,261– the number of glass cladding panels making up the exterior. 15,000 – the amount of water, in litres, collected from the tower’s cooling equipment that will be used for landscaping irrigation (excellent idea). 900 – the length, in feet, of the world’s tallest performing fountain, The Dubai Fountain, that lies at the foot of the tower. 19 – the number of hectares of lush green landscaping that envelops the foot. 12,000 – the numbers of workers on site during the peak of construction.

Now keeping all that glass on the outside clean will be a mammoth task, as you can well imagine. The bulk of the building will be kept dust (and streak?) free using custom made Building Maintenance Units (BMU), however the pinnacle will be done by hand (well the hand’s of specialist rope technicians at least). In all there will be 18 BMUs in operation. The whole procedure will take 2 to 3 months to complete (just in time to start all over again). In fact Roofs 1-5 will be used for a water tank and to house this window washing system.



Over 40 wind tunnel tests were conducted to examine the effects of the wind on the building and occupants. The tests ranged from establishing the wind climate of Dubai to pressure tests on the façade of the building.

The Burj has 58 elevators and 8 escalators. The kinetic energy from the descending elevators is to be harnessed and used to power those going up, to save on energy usage (another great idea). The service/fireman’s elevator will have a capacity of 5,500kg and is the world’s tallest (longest). The observation elevators (on the outside of the building) are double decker cabs and hold 12-14 people each. Travelling at 10m/second they have the world’s longest travel distance. The building itself weighs about 500,000 tonnes and rests on a 3.7m thick triangular frame foundation, which is supported by 192 rounded steel piles measuring 1.5m in diamter and extending 50m below the ground, making the total foundation 70m including the basements.




The architects of the Burj Dubai incorporated Islamic traditional patterns and modern sophistication to design a structure that will stand the test of time. The hymenocallis desert flower was the main source of inspiration; this shape also reduces wind forces on the building and ensures everyone has a great view. The use of arches further reflects Islamic influences on the design.


The Armani Suites consist of the hotel and residences, occupying 11 and 8 floors respectively. The Hotel will cover 40,000 square meters and includes 8restaurants and a 12,000 square meter spa. There will also be a Club, Ballroom, Cigar Club and 4 swimming pools. Sounds impressive, and very expensive :-).

Truly this is a very impressive building, I can’t wait to travel up to the observation deck, although at the advertised price of 210 dirhams a trip I may wait until the initial rush is over.

See you up there.