Global Arab Network | Burj Khalifa - The multiple record breaker opens in Dubai

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Burj Khalifa - The multiple record breaker opens in Dubai

Global Arab Network - - George Haddad

Tuesday, 05 January 2010 01:03

Burj Khalifa is the new name for Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, which officially opened in Jan. 4, 2010.
Burj Khalifa, which translates to the Khalifa Tower, is renamed after UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed, after it had always been referred to as Burj Dubai.

Dubai ruler Mohammed Bin Rashid inaugurated the tower in a opining ceremony as he unveiled a plaque at the tower's base, kicking off inaugural festivities that included traditional Gulf Arab dance performances and skydivers landing parachutes emblazoned with the colors of the United Arab Emirates flag near the tower's base.

Thousands of residents and tourists have crowded around the tapering half-mile high tower, which stands at least 160 stories high.

Burj Khalifa is a multiple record breaker, as well as becoming the tallest building in the world, the skyscraper is the tallest structure and boasts the most storeys and highest occupied floor. Its 124th floor outdoor observation deck is also the world's highest, and its elevators will travel the longest distance.

The $1.5bn tower is more than twice the size of the Empire State Building and its construction took thousands of workers six years to complete. The Burj's developers say they are confident in the safety of the tower.

The tower is the centrepiece of a 500-acre development and contains luxury apartments and offices, and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani.
Construction began in 2004 and building is said to have so far taken 22 million man hours.

Burj_Khalifa_dubai_uae

1. The Burj, which stands at more than 828m high (2,716ft) and has more than 162 inhabitable floors, can be seen from 60 miles away
2. The top of the building features a public observation deck and shop. The world's highest mosque and swimming pool are located on the 158th and 76th floors
3. The tapering spire is made out of reinforced concrete, steel, stainless steel and glass. The exterior cladding of reflective glazing is designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures
4. The building contains more than 1,000 apartments and 49 floors of office space, served by 57 lifts. There are a total of four swimming pools and a private library
5. A 160-room hotel carrying the Giorgio Armani logo will occupy the lower part of the tower
6. The foundations were dug to depths of 50m (164 ft).

1. The tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. The design is said to be based on the desert flower Hymenocallis native to the region
2. The Y-shaped floor plan aims to maximize views of the Gulf. As the building rises, its floor space decreases in size
3. The building's core also features double-decker elevators, said to be some of the fastest in the world. (Emaar, Reuters, AP, huffingtonpost)

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