Burj Dubai
Thursday, 17th April 2008 by Rob
The Burj Dubai, upon completion, will be the tallest man-made structure on the face of the planet.
Here we can see it in a relatively early stage. From the timeline of pictures on Wikipedia, this image looks to have been taken in early 2006.
But things have changed substantially since then. Already, as of last week, it towers 639m into the sky, with 160 floors. Within the next few weeks, it will likely surpass the - now destroyed - Warsaw radio mast to become the tallest manmade structure ever built. And it won't even be finished then! It is expected to top off at around 818 metres.
The challenges of building the Burj Dubai are immense, with the incredible heat of the desert, meaning that most of the work is carried out at night, coupled with the problem of pumping concrete that high, all challenges that are overcome thanks to the extraordinary amount of money that is being poured into Dubai by wealthy Princes. It is even said that over 25% of the world's tower cranes are working on projects in Dubai.
However, the record may not stay with this tower for long, as plans are already being made for a mile-high tower nearby!
Read up on the Burj Dubai and watch its progress in pictures at Wikipedia, see a recent picture of Burj Dubai (and neighboring developments) on Flickr and see a previous post on the current tallest buildings.
Thanks to David Kelly
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Finally, a post where someone isn’t being abused, assaulted or molested!
Fine work Mr Rob. Fine work INDEED.
Think so? The imported laborers are being paid about $4 per day, according to the linked Wikipedia article, and have rioted a couple of times (unions are not allowed in Dubai).
“”Visitors will be able to see Africa from the top of the tower, the Sunday Times newspaper reports.””
Uhm, I don’t think so…..I flew into a mile above Dubai in GE and you can’t even begin to see Africa.
@Patrick: The Mile High Tower is actually being built in Jeddah, which is on the other side of Saudi Arabia, just across the Red Sea from Africa. The width of the Red Sea at this point is about 100 miles. Whatever you can see, I’m sure it will be an amazing sight to behold from the top. 🙂
Supertall towers like the Burj Dubai make little or no sense economically.
If you can afford to build a supertall tower like the Burj Dubai, I highly doubt that the economics of the building is of much concern.
While in school (I’m an engineer), we were told that, economically, building taller than around 80 stories makes little economic sense. The structural steel or concrete, elevators and utilities begin taking up too much space on the lower floors and eat away at the additional square footage the higher floors add.
Actually, the Red Sea is ~120 miles (~200 km’s) across at Jeddah. You wouldn’t be able to see the shore though from 1 mile high as the curvature of the Earth obscures it. Theoretically you could see some mountains 30 miles further into Sudan, but in practice it’s doubtful. It’s more of a marketing gimmick than anything else (you could argue the same about the tower itself, too).
people will say about economically its not good but after watching bruj dubai with his own eyes not by pictures he will come to know the era in which he is and will not argue on economic
i see bruj dubai daily from my house i fell proud to be in dubai infront of such huge manmade structure facing natural calamities in dubai i also appreciate the work of labours who spend their life and health in it
Gizmodo posted recent & amazing pictures of the Burj Dubaï : http://gizmodo.com/5038788/tallest-skyscraper-in-the-world-almost-completed-defies-belief