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Facts about Burj Dubai  
(A collection of articles from various websites: Contributed by Jacob Philips, Burmingham, U.K   on 01.08.08) 
All rights of the article lie with original right holders
1. Introduction 4. The Men on the mission
2. Background 5. Interesting  Facts
3. The Inspiration 6. Video/Animation 
1. Introduction
Burj Dubai ( "Dubai Tower") is a super tall skyscraper currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Construction on the Burj Dubai started in January 2004. When it is completed in mid 2009, 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.
A computer image of the
'Burj Dubai'
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.
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. 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 :
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITxn_mrPLdQ
Burj Dubai Construction video showing  construction work in progress (Januari 2005 till September2006): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEhpcxXDxsg
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