1. Introduction:
Burj
Dubai ( "Dubai Tower")
is a super tall skyscraper currently
under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
(computer image shown on the right)
Construction on the Burj Dubai started in January 2004. When it is
completed , it is predicted to be the tallest man-made
structure
in the world..
Scheduled for occupancy in September 2009, the building is part of a
2 km²
(0.8 sq mi) development called 'Downtown Burj Dubai'
.The
total
budget for the Burj Dubai project is about $4.1 billion US and
for the entire
new 'Downtown Burj Dubai', $20 billion US.
As
of December 2007,
Burj Dubai has reached a height of 598.5 m
(1,964 ft), with 158 completed
floors. The Burj Dubai's developers have kept
the building's
final height a secret, but speculators predict it will reach 2,275 feet
(some 160
stories) by its completion .The Burj Dubai has supassed
the Taiwan's Taipei 101 (1667 feet) &
Toronto's 1,815 foot CN
Tower, which held the title of world's tallest
freestanding structure for 31
years.
The
floors 1 to 20 are
devoted to a luxury hotel, floors 20 through 110 will have penthouse
apartments
. The highest 50 floors will contain office space.The tower's
observation
deck will be located 442 metres above ground (at 124th floor), the
highest
publicly accessible observation deck in the world. The world's fastest
elevators will whisk guests to this observation deck at 40
miles per hour. The
Burj Dubai will house
around 35,000 people upon completion.
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2. Background:
Designers
originally
planned for a 90 story, three-wing building but Dubai's ruler and
mastermind,
Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, pushed the developers, Emaar
Properties,
to sensationalize the project and build a globally recognized
structure. |
The
tower is designed to withstand high winds and
seismic
events. The building
was rotated 120 degrees to allow for less stress from
the prevailing winds.
3. The
Inspiration: 
Burj Dubai
derives its
design inspiration from the desert
flower, Hymenocalis, and incorporates patterning
systems that are embodied in Islamic architecture. Designers were
motivated by
the Hymenocallis genus's spidery, layered form.
4. The
Men on the mission: The
tower's architect
is Adrian Smith
who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
(SOM) until 2006. SOM is the architecture and engineering firm in
charge of the
project. The primary builder is Samsung Engineering &
Construction, along
with Besix and Arabtac. Third party peer review has been performed by
CBM
Engineers.
More
than 30 contracting companies are working on the tower .There
are approximately 5,900 employees on site. Around 2,400 people work
onsite
every day. 1,500 work at night.
5. Some
Interesting Facts:
¶
The tip of the spire will
be visible up to 95
kilometres away.
¶
A total of 45,000 cubic
metres 
of concrete
are used in the
foundations with a weight in excess of
110,000 tonnes. The concrete used for the Burj Dubai is equivalent to:
a solid
cube of concrete 61 metres on a side, a sidewalk 1,900 kilometres long,
the
weight of 100,000 elephants.
¶
The amount of steel rebar
used for the tower is 31,400
metric tons - laid end to end this would extend
over a quarter of the way around the world.
¶
The building sits on a
concrete and steel podium with 192
piles descending to a depth
of more than 50
metres (164 feet).
¶
Its floor plates will taper
from 33,607 square feet, at the base, to 10,788 square feet at the top.
¶
The
exterior cladding is of reflective glazing with aluminium and textured
stainless steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins of stainless
steel.
The cladding system is
designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures.
¶
The total area of cladding
used to cover the Burj Dubai will be
equivalent to 17
football fields.
¶
The Burj Dubai has been
designed with highly fire-resistant concrete corridor walls and slabs.
Certain elevators
will function in emergencies to allow a controlled evacuation. And
because
people cannot easily walk down 160 flights of stairs, pressurized,
air-conditioned waiting areas are located every 25 floors to allow
evacuees the
chance to stop and rest.
¶
There are 1,210 fire
extinguishers on the site.
¶
The tower's peak
electricity demand is estimated at 36MVA, equivalent to roughly 360,000
100-watt light bulbs.
¶
At the peak cooling times,
the tower will require approximately 10,000 tonnes of cooling per hour.
¶
There will be 200 metres of
dancing fountains at the foot of the Burj Dubai.
¶
54
lifts are to be
installed in the tower
¶
The Burj Dubai will
feature
the world's first Armani Hotel.
¶
It is the Tallest
freestanding
structure:
598.5 meters (1,964 ft) (previously CN Tower
- 553.3 m i.e 1,815 ft)
¶
Burj Dubai is the Building
with most floors: 158 (previously Sears
Tower
/ World Trade Center
- 110)
¶
Burj Dubai holds the record
for highest Vertical
concrete pumping (for any construction): 601.0 m
(1,972 ft) : previously Riva del
Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant - 532 m (1,745 ft)
6. Videos/Animation:
Burj
Dubai animation
giving excellent
sunset view of the structure : Click
Here
Burj
Dubai Construction
video showing
construction work in progress (Januari 2005 till
September2006):
Click
Here
