tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21096169123163520312024-03-13T08:15:18.941+08:00Burj DubaiThe Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي "Dubai Tower") is a super tall skyscraper currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. When it is completed in 2009, it will 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 Dubai.twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.comBlogger505125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-55360318005030382402010-01-24T17:59:00.000+08:002010-01-24T17:59:00.220+08:00Miami Skyscraper Would Dwarf Dubai's Burj Khalifa<p><a href="http://dubai-tower.blogspot.com/" style="display: inline;"><img style="width: 399px; height: 452px;" alt="Miapolis" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341c730253ef0120a7f72860970b" src="http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c730253ef0120a7f72860970b-800wi" title="Miapolis" border="0" /></a></p> <p>Developer Guillermo Socarras has been in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration to secure approval for the height of the tower in this superstructure proposed for Miami, called Miapolis :</p> <p>"The 160 storey building would be more than 183 metres higher than the Burj Khalifa if built and would house an amusement park, observatory, restaurants, 1.96 million sq ft of shops, over 1000 apartments, 1 million sq ft office space and a 792 room hotel."</p><p>The project has been around for 10 years but the FAA movement is new, apparently.</p><p>Check out the planned location, AFTER THE JUMP... </p> <a href="http://dubai-tower.blogspot.com/" style="display: inline;"><img style="width: 398px; height: 323px;" alt="2_miapolis" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341c730253ef012876fa3e30970c" src="http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c730253ef012876fa3e30970c-800wi" title="2_miapolis" border="0" /></a>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-22088418176268080332010-01-23T17:56:00.000+08:002010-01-23T17:56:00.450+08:00Burj Dubai renamed as height revealedThe tallest tower in the world was officially inaugurated this evening by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. And in a surprise announcement, the Burj Dubai was officially unveiled as the Burj Khalifa, named after the UAE President and ruler of Abu Dhabi. The tower's official height was declared to be 828 metres, 10 metres taller than previous estimates had suggested.<br /><br />Construction work on the newly named Burj Khalifa began in early 2004, and by July 2007, with the building of the 141st storey, it was the world's tallest building, surpassing the 448m Taipei 101 in Taiwan.<br /><br />The building topped out in January 2009 with the completion of the spire. Over 110,000 tonnes of concrete were used to construct the foundations, while 330,000m3 of concrete and 39,000 tonnes of steel rebar were used for the tower, according to developer Emaar.<br /><br />The tower's final look differs greatly from the initial photo released by Emaar and its total height was a closely guarded secret throughout.<br /><br />The tower itself includes the Armani Residences and the Armani Hotel, private apartments, restaurants and the observation deck on level 124, which will be accessible to the general public.twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-11820945071000294622010-01-22T17:05:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:08:53.044+08:00Burj Dubai SkyscraperBurj Dubai Skyscraper, a heads up building has been inaugurated today, the investors, property advisors, economists, and financial analysts has developed lot of expectations from the Burj Dubai Skyscraper to bring economic stress level down to get out of problematic situation and to grab the attention of the world once again. Although Burj Dubai Skyscraper is a great piece of art but the economic crises Dubai is going through has threaten Dubai to be under debt as tall as Burj Dubai Skyscraper. <p><span id="more-9289"></span></p> <p>Burj Dubai Skyscraper, the world’s tallest building with 200 stories placed at the world’s one of most advanced and richest location Dubai. The building has been inaugurated at a time when Dubai is facing the worst economical crises which can lead it the international bank defaulter and heavy debts.</p> <p>Emaan is the company who built the building and the Chairman of the company has hoped a lot from the Burj Dubai Skyscraper. He said crises do come and go but this building will help to raise property prices in Dubai and that will help to say goodbye to the Crises.<br /><br />Well, its really not understandable that why they spending such a huge amount of money to build such kind of huge buildings, the world got attracted in the past toward Dubai and paid sufficiently, there was a time when the property in Dubai has seen the highest jump value around back in 2005 and now it has fallen down to 86% the lowest in the history but they are still committed to bring more unique buildings. <p>The palm tree shaped island has eaten the money like anything and now it’s under debts of around $20 billion and the situation is getting worst.</p>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-90316975668080693112010-01-22T05:37:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:39:14.052+08:00See Burj Dubai Burj Khalifa in Google Earth<p>Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, recently opened publicly. It has been renamed as <strong>Burj Khalifa</strong>.</p> <p>Here are five most interesting facts about Burj Dubai:</p> <ul><li>It is the tallest man-made structure on the Earth. </li><li>Burj Dubai has 160 storeys. Total height 828 m. </li><li>Burj Dubai hold many records, which includes World’s fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (18 m/s). </li><li>It is a part of <a title="read at wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Burj_Khalifa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Downtown Burj Khalifa</a> flagship development project. </li><li>It is also the highest outdoor observation deck in the world! </li></ul> <p>[source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Dubai" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>]</p> <h4>How to see Burj Dubai in Google Earth?</h4> <p> <img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 399px; height: 518px;" title="Burj Khalifa in Google Earth" alt="Burj Khalifa in Google Earth" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0qGhDLOwoFs/S0ONYFftpsI/AAAAAAAAAd0/AlimvuEyUR4/s800/burj-dubai-khalifa-on-google-earth.png" /> </p> <p> </p> <p>Follow these steps:</p> <ul><li><a href="http://earth.google.com/" target="_blank">Install Google Earth</a> (if you don’t have it already). </li><li>Download <a href="http://www.gearthhacks.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&act=down&id=34095" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this KML file</a>. </li><li>Open KML file with Google Earth. </li><li>Google Earth will automatically load the location as you open the downloaded file. </li></ul>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-27849773377740209712010-01-20T17:19:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:20:18.268+08:00The Dubai Tower and What We Build In LifeOn January 4th, the Burj Dubai, arabic for the Tower of Dubai, was officially opened as the tallest building in the world. The Burj Dubai is 2717 feet tall, 160 stories. It is roughly as tall as the two World Trade Center towers placed one on top of the other. It is a beautiful building, designed by an architect from Chicago.<br /><br />The Burj Dubai was built at the height of the global real-estate boom. It cost 1.5 billion dollars to build and due to the real estate crash, it is currently mostly empty. With a hotel, apartments and office space, the tower flooded Dubai with more residential and commercial space than the market can possibly bear. This beautiful tower will probably remain mostly empty for years to come.<br /><br />The Burj Dubai can be a metaphor for pursuing goals in life that ultimately prove empty, like the current tower itself. In the recent terrific film “Up in the Air,” George Clooney works for a firm that a company hires in order to fire its employees. Clooney travels over 250 days a year, going from city to city, company to company, following a script to fire people and “ease their transition.”<br /><br />As Clooney is alone and has a soul-destroying job, he finds an outlet in another goal, reaching 10 million American Airlines miles, a feat only accomplished by seven other people. When Clooney finally reaches that goal, he receives a special platinum card and a visit from the head pilot of American. Sitting together in first class, Clooney says to the pilot something like: “I’ve been thinking about this moment for years, what I would say to you. But now my mind is empty.”<br /><br />In a sense, Clooney’s character built his own empty tower, 10 million American Airlines Miles tall, but like the tower in Dubai, it is empty. When we set our goals in life of building higher, acquiring, or hoarding, these material goals may not provide us with the satisfaction that we desire. Even if each of us won the lottery, and could stack up dollars bills in a tower that reached towards the sky, we all know that money does not buy happiness.<br /><br />If we want to build something, we should not strive for a 160-story skyscraper. Each of us has plenty of work to do to build and strengthen our relationships with family members and friends. If we want to build something, let’s build our communities, seeking to strengthen our town and our connections to others.<br /><br />The pursuit of material goods and taller buildings is perhaps only a form of self-aggrandizement and it can never provide us with ultimate satisfaction. It is when we shift the focus away from ourselves and to others, to strengthening the bonds of family, to building community and to helping those in need, then we have the potential to build something meaningful and lasting in our lives.twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-21732686995370865012010-01-19T05:44:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:50:18.104+08:00Dubai Tower<div class="entry"> <p><img style="width: 398px; height: 234px;" src="http://www.newluxuryitems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dubai-tower.jpg" alt="dubai-tower.jpg" /></p> <h3>Dubai tower:</h3> <p><strong>Dubai tower</strong> or Burj Khalifa is the largest structure in the world. It is about 2625 feet high and has more than 160 stories. It took five years to complete the construction of this building (from September 2004 to October 2009). It was opened on 4th January 2010. It is the exquisite masterpiece of Downtown Burj Dubai. It is surrounded by various shopping centers and hotels. It stands as a marvelous example of Dubai’s role in the changing world. </p> <p>Burj Khalifa was designed by Louis Skidmore, Nathaniel Owings and John Merril of Chicago. More than 110,000 tons of concrete were used to construct this building. The total cost for completing this project was about $1.5 billion. It achieved a world record for installing the highest façade made up of aluminum and glass. It has the highest outdoor observation deck, which is located on level 124 of the tower.<br /><br /><strong>Dubai</strong> tower is supported by a strong concrete mat, which is supported by reinforced piles made of concrete. A high density concrete was used in the foundations and cathodic protection system was used under the mat to reduce the harmful effects from the corrosive chemicals in the ground water. </p> <p>The exterior cladding of the tower is made with aluminum and textured stainless steel panels. Nearly 26,000 hand cut glass panels were used in the exterior cladding. It is specially designed to withstand the extreme hot weather in Dubai. </p> <p>The mechanical floors in Burj Khalifa abode the electrical sub stations, air handling units and water tanks, which are indispensable for the operation of the tower. The telescopic spire is the most important attraction of this tower. It comprises of more than 4000 tons of steel. It was built from inside the structure. It houses communication equipment and offers an overwhelming appearance to the tower.</p> <p>The structural core of Burj Khalifa was designed in Y shape to reduce the wind forces on the tower. The central core of the tower provides resistance against torsion. The corridor walls resist the wind shears. A beautiful park of greenery and water features serve as an outdoor living space and entry to the <strong>Dubai tower</strong>.</p> </div>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-32026075140179918902010-01-11T17:27:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:30:22.590+08:00The World's Tallest Skyscaper, Burj Dubai Unveiled<img src="http://www.ampedasia.com/imguploader/1872814066user_photo.fake_innocent.jpeg" alt="[Image: 1872814066user_photo.fake_innocent.jpeg]" border="0" /><br /><br />The world's tallest tower 'Burj Khalifa' developed by Emaar Properties stands tall at nearly 2,718 ft; its twice the height of the Empire State Building in New York City.<br /><br />The grand opening ceremony for the 11-hectare skyscaper was unveiled on January 4, 2010 in Dubai, U.A.E. to a crowd of thousands and the world in a crescendo of fireworks, lasers and fountain displays.<br /><br />Fireworks cascaded from the tower and lasers blazed out from all levels leaving the crowds awestruck.<br /><br />Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, said that the tower represented a symbol of hope to the Arab world and a shining example of human achievement.<br /><br />"Thousands of people from more than 100 countries have contributed to the realisation of 'Burj Khalifa'. The tower embodies the spirit and optimism of global collaboration, and shows to the world what can be achieved when communities work in partnership."<br /><br />'Burj Khalifa' features luxury residences and offices, the world's first Armani Hotel, and the world's highest observation deck, 'At the Top', which is located on the tower's 124th floor. Around 90 percent of the tower's offices and apartments have been sold.<br /><br />'At the Top' opens officially to the public on January 5. The handover of offices and apartments starts in February, and the Armani Hotel Dubai will be opened by its designer, Giorgio Armani, on March 18.twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-63630045810734189372010-01-10T17:21:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:25:54.495+08:00The amazing Burj Dubai<div class="PostContent"> <p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-890" src="http://www.hotelsearch.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/burj-dubai1.jpg" alt="burj-dubai1" height="280" width="400" /></p> <p>Since the birth of the Chicago School in the late nineteenth century, which sought not only to try to reach heaven but solve problems of space, massive structures that have emerged so far had not exceeded 700 meters. When we speak of the Burj Dubai (Khalifa) in the UAE, we will associate the word with a height of almost a thousand meters, specifically 828. It has a total floor number of 186, whose highest point is at 768 meters, and it will include more than one thousand luxury apartments and offices, a luxury hotel designed by <strong>Giorgio Armani</strong>, plus spas and restaurants.</p> <p>The<strong> Burj Khalifa</strong> is only the central part of the development known as the Downtown Burj Khalifa (previously Downtown Burj Dubai, “Burj Dubai Center”in English), which along Sheikh Zayed Road, form a complex of two square kilometers,crossing the complete city in a transversal way.</p> <p>The Chicano (half mexican half north-american) <strong>Adrian Smith</strong> was the chief architect, who worked with the firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006. Burj Khalifa had a budget estimated at more than 4,000 million dollars, which were increased to 20,000 million for the full development of the Downtown Burj Khalifa, part of the cost financed by the family of the Emir Mohammed<br />bin Rashid Al Maktoum, among which his nephew Fuad bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Alvarez, just 20 years old, supported the idea by giving 25 million dollars.</p> <p><strong>Challenging the conditions of workers:</strong></p> <p>The project has been criticized by several <strong>human rights groups</strong> that say workers have been exploited since the beginning of 2004, most of them earning less than 10$ an hour and an average of 468 dirhams per month ($ 169). For the construction of the building it took more than 12,000 workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (mostly), many of them taking advantage of<br />the situation by staying overnight in the same building (dormitories), perhaps not wanting to lose more than half an hour to get down to the first floor. Environmentalists for their side have not been happy with the construction of what they think will be a black hole of energy consumption and something that will significantly increase the country’s carbon footprint.</p> <p>With controversy or not, the fact is that this new building of the <strong>UAE</strong> has become the symbol of the country’s recovery<br />and is now considered a relique for the inhabitants of Dubai, increasingly proud of what is being built in their city.</p> </div>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-47916700721665702252010-01-09T17:52:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:55:58.294+08:00How Do They Clean The Burj Dubai?<p>The Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai had its official opening ceremony on Monday although it was hardly a grand unveiling as you cant hide a 828 meter tall building behind a curtain. The Burj Khalifa (also known as the Burj Dubai) is the tallest man made structure ever built and has the world’s fastest elevators which travel at 40 mph. The building is so high that those visiting the top of it’s needle like tower are treated to the kind of views you would only otherwise see on a flight to Dubai.</p> <p>One thing which always fascinates me about large buildings is the amount of effort required to maintain them. Very often large structures, in particular bridges, require constant cleaning so once those doing the work get to the end they start from the beginning again. Most skyscrapers require a lot of window cleaning as they tend to have floor to ceiling windows. The window cleaners who work on the Burj Dubai have to be fearless and fast as this video shows:</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HHVQLIyJ5Gg&rel=0&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=1"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HHVQLIyJ5Gg&rel=0&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="400"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>The building has 24,830 windows which total 120,000 square meters of glass. The cleaners use normal soapy water according to Dale Harding of Cox Gomyl</p> <blockquote><p> “It’s the same as an average shop front cleaner would use — there’s nothing complex about it at all,” </p></blockquote> <p>The top floors of the building require a more complex system than men dangling by ropes with a sponge in their hands. An Australian firm called Cox Gomyl were tasked with working out a way to keep the views from the top clear. They went through a series of ideas before designing a series of machines which emerge from the building a run on tracks along its outer edge. The 12 machines carry up to 36 windows cleaners who do their thing in the traditional manner. </p> <p><a href="http://wordsaboutthings.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/burj-dubai-window-cleaning-machine.jpg"><img src="http://wordsaboutthings.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/burj-dubai-window-cleaning-machine.jpg?w=500&h=425" alt="" title="burj-dubai-window-cleaning-machine" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-512" height="425" width="500" /></a></p> <p>The equipment required cost around $7.3 million and each machine weighs in at 13 tonnes. As well as the 12 moving platforms there are six smaller machines which clean the exterior of floors 21 and up. You can see these in action on Cox Comyl’s info page here.</p> <blockquote><p>To service the facades of the 828 m high structure, 3 permanent parapet mounted BMUs were installed at each of Levels 40, 73 and 109. These track-mounted and telescoping systems are operate on a horizontal track which has been installed on Burj’s exterior façade. The machines are very flexible in their operation and are able to luff, telescopic, hoist, slew and travel. The average outreach of these machines is 10 m, retracting to 5 m for the parking configuration.</p></blockquote>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-62273226571717379582010-01-07T17:39:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:41:01.081+08:00Burj Dubai Burj Khalifa and records<p>The Burj Dubai (Burj Khalifa) tower officially opened its doors on January 4, 2010, six years after the commencement of construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower previously known as Burj Dubai was renamed Burj Khalifa in honor of the current President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa. </p> <p>Some of the records made by the $4.1 billion, half-mile-high skyscraper are: </p> <ul><li>Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: Taipei 101 – 509.2 m (1,671 ft)) </li><li>Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m (2,121 ft)) </li><li>Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m (2,063 ft)) </li><li>Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: CN Tower – 553.3 m (1,815 ft)) </li><li>Building with most floors: 160 (previous record: both 1 and 2 World Trade Center – 110) </li><li>World’s highest elevator installation </li><li>World’s fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previous record: Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s) </li><li>Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previous record: Taipei 101 – 449.2 m (1,474 ft)) </li><li>Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previous record: Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant – 532 m (1,745 ft)) </li><li>The first world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space </li><li>Highest outdoor observation deck in the world </li><li>World’s highest mosque (located on the 158th floor) </li><li>Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world </li><li>Tallest service elevator in the world </li><li>World’s highest installation of an aluminum and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft) </li></ul> <p><a href="http://blog.xnepali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/BurjDubai2.jpg"><img style="border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 408px; height: 111px;" title="Burj Dubai 2" alt="Burj Dubai 2" src="http://blog.xnepali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/BurjDubai2_thumb.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-40484537076353089142010-01-06T03:50:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:52:21.290+08:00Burj Dubai Khalifa numbers and records<p><strong>Burj Dubai (Khalifa)</strong> was built in 5 years, and now it is tallest building on Earth. In this article I’ll try to present most interesting numbers and records for this amazing building.</p> <ol><li>Burj Dubai Khalifa has 828 meters or 2,716.5ft (it was estimated to have 10 meters less before construction);</li><li>Burj Dubai Khalifa is 320 meters taller than Taipei 101 (building which held this world record since 2004 with 508 meters).</li><li>Burj Khalifa employs a record-breaking 330,000 cubic meters of concrete, 39,000 metric tonnes of steel rebar and 142,000 square meters of glass; and it took 22 million man hours to build.</li><li>Burj Khalifa held also word record for highest occupied floor in the world with 550</li><li>Other world record: tallest service elevator (it travels to a height of 504 meters)</li><li>Other World record: the highest outdoor observation deck in the world – At the Top on Level 124</li><p><span id="more-79"></span></p><li>Burj Khalifa has 160 floors.</li><li>It is 2,17x taller then Empire State Building (which is 381m taller).</li><li>The construction of Burj Dubai is estimated at 1,5 billion dollars.</li><li>The building can be seen from 95 kilometers (if the sky is bright).</li><li>Burj Khalifa has 57 elevators</li><li>28,261- the number of glass cladding panels making up the exterior of tower and<br />its two annexes</li><li>15,000 – the amount of water in litres collected from the tower’s cooling equipment that will be used for landscaping irrigation</li><li>160 – the number of luxury hotel rooms and suite, 1,044 – the total number of residential apartments inside Burj Dubai and 3,000 – the number of underground parking spaces</li><li>Financial crisis affected Burj Khalifa too which value decreased with 50% in the past year.</li></ol>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-21856179893934035112010-01-05T17:41:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:44:11.021+08:00Burj Dubai Tall promises unfulfilled<span id="inner"><p>With the opening today of the Burj Dubai, at 160 stories the world's tallest tower, we are reminded of regional promises unfulfilled.</p> <p>The crown jewel of the United Arab Emirates, a high-rise that surpasses all high-rises in the world, opens with many vacancies among the 1,000-plus luxury apartments, Armani hotel and 37 floors of office and retail space in the spire designed by a Chicago-based firm. It's a symbol of the credit crunch that stalled the world's economy even as developers in exuberant Dubai were erecting the $1.1-billion tower.</p> <p><a href="http://dubai-tower.blogspot.com/"><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"></span></a><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a onclick="window.open('http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2010/01/03/Burj%20Dubai.html','popup','width=700,height=1024,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false"><img src="http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2010/01/03/Burj%20Dubai-thumb-300x438.jpg" alt="Burj Dubai.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="438" width="300" /></a></span></p> <p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It's also a reminder that just two years ago, the former American president started a hopeful tour of the Middle East in these environs - calling on Arab leaders throughout the region to rebuke Iran for its nuclear ambitions, and also calling on them to support a renewed peace initiative in Israel.</p> <p> Former President George W. Bush, who passed through Dubai in January 2008 and deliivered a challenge to the region in Abu Dhabi, hoped to see Israeli and Palestinian leaders sign the framework of a peace agreement by the year's end.</p> <p>The Burj Dubai is 26 percent vacant. With its residential quarters featuring fitness facilities, a residents' library, a cigar club, valet parking and a gourmet market, it was to provide "an unparalleled lifestyle.''</p> <p>The "two-state solution'' is even emptier.</p> <p>Designed by Adrian Smith of Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Burj Dubai has overtaken Taipei 101 as the world's tallest. It includes 37 floors of office and retail space, 1,044 apartments and 160 hotel rooms designed by Giorgio Armani. It also holds the world's highest mosque and swimming pools on the 158th and 76th floors.(The tower is pictured here with laser beams lighting it Sunday, on the eve of its opening, in a Tribune photo by Kuni Takahashi.)</p> <p> The ground where it stands serves as a reminder too of a still elusive promise of peace in the Middle East, which Bush outlined in an address at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi in January 2008 as he was beginning his tour of the Middle East. That also is the world's most expensive hotel - it cost $3 billion to build. In Dubai, And Bush had lunch with leaders atop another symbol of U.A.E. excess, a high-rise built in the shape of a sailboat. (This is a nation with an indoor ski slope.)</p> <p> "A great new era is unfolding before us,'' Bush said in his address in Abu Dhabi. "This new era is founded on the equality of all people before God. This new era is being built with the understanding that power is a trust that must be exercised with the consent of the governed -- and deliver equal justice under the law. And this new era offers hope for the millions across the Middle East who yearn for a future of peace and progress and opportunity. ...</p> <p> "For most of the world,'' Bush said then, "there's no greater symbol of America than the Statue of Liberty. It was designed by a man who traveled widely in this part of the world -- and who had originally envisioned his woman bearing a torch as standing over the Suez Canal. Ultimately, of course, it was erected in New York Harbor, where it has been an inspiration to generations of immigrants. One of these immigrants was a poet-writer named Ameen Rihani. Gazing at her lamp held high, he wondered whether her sister might be erected in the lands of his Arab forefathers. Here is how he put it: "When will you turn your face toward the East, oh Liberty?''</p> <p>The U.A.E. address was the centerpiece of an eight-day tour of the Middle East in which Bush promoted his vision of a lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians and exhorted Arab leaders to pressure Iran to stand down from its nuclear ambitions. </p> <p>The ruler of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, who met and dined with Bush, called the American's initiative in the Middle East "a historical opportunity'' for "the realization of your vision for the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state, side-by-side with Israel, at a time such a vision being demanded by word's conscience.... We are hopeful that these aspirations will be realized.''</p> <p>Yet, with the opening of the world's highest high-rise today - a symbol, in its own right, as emblematic of one nation's aspirations as the Statue of Liberty - the vacant quarters of the tower remain as empty as the promise of peace in the Middle East, which looms large in an agenda of unfinished international business.</p> <p>President Barack Obama has vowed to take up the challenge of Middle East peace, embracing the two-state solution that his predecessor pursued. But, with renewed American focus on terrorist threats stemming from the al Qaeda-sponsored attempt to attack a U.S.-bound airliner on Christmas Day, the ability of the U.S. to get those Middle East peace talks back on track appears as elusive, for now, as full occupancy for the soaring new Burj Dubai.</p></span>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-65494489532387458872010-01-05T01:08:00.000+08:002010-01-22T18:10:08.344+08:00The View from the Top of Burj Dubai the World’s Tallest Skyscraper<p>From “At the Top,” the name given to the observatory on the Burj Dubai, you can see the faint outline of the Middle East’s pariah-state Iran on the other side of the Persian Gulf. But at the media opening of the skydeck close to the top of the world’s tallest skyscraper Monday, you could just make out the undeveloped islands that make up the offshore Dubai World project that is synonymous with the sheikdom’s collapsing real estate industry.</p> <p>After taking the brief ride to the 124th floor in one of the smoothest elevators I’ve ever travelled in, visitors are met with a bird’s eye view of the sprawling city - patches of desert, skyscrapers that appear tiny from such a height, unfinished buildings, the city’s Sheik Zayed road and interchanges - and perhaps the most impressive view of all - the Burj’s own shadow stretching out to the sea. “It’s like a huge sundial,” I heard one reporter say.</p> <p>Even though you’re almost 2600 feet in the air, it surprisingly doesn’t feel that high. Despite my own fear of heights, I felt more grounded than I have done on other vertical tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building. Perhaps the dirty windows helped. I was told that they had been cleaned just days before but that given their height they are prone to attracting dirt. I was also told that it takes six months to clean the towers windows from top to bottom so I couldn’t complain too much.</p> <p>Inside the skydeck, there isn’t much to see. There is the obligatory souvenir shop and some trick viewing binoculars which allow you to see the view by day or by night, or in a live shot, but little else. Some information on what you can actually see from the viewing platform may be welcomed by the untrained eye, but like most things in Dubai, I put the lack of information down to the fact that the building is being opened when it’s not 100% complete.</p><div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: left;"> <dl class="wp-caption alignright caption-alignright" style="width: 272px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://dubai-tower.blogspot.com/"><img class="size-full wp-image-5" src="http://online.wsj.com/media/burjdubaishadow_DV_20100104101018.jpg" alt="" height="394" width="262" /></a></dt></dl> </div>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-15467544202072555172010-01-04T17:31:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:36:43.542+08:00Burj Dubai history has now risen<p>UAE. Dubai announced Burj Dubai to the world with the claim, ‘History Rising’. Six years on and history has most certainly ‘risen’. </p> <p>Burj Dubai will soon be transformed into a vibrant community for thousands of residents, employees, hotel guests and tourists. Up to 12,000 people will live, work and play inside the world’s tallest building.</p> <p>The tower is the focal point of the 500-acre master planned community Downtown Burj Dubai, which is widely described as the most prestigious square kilometre on earth.</p> <p>Burj Dubai is the development’s crowing glory in every sense, a building that has pushed the boundaries of design and engineering further than many thought possible.</p> <p>Excavation work for the tower began soon after the announcement of its launch, with more than 60 contractors and consultants joining forces on a project of unprecedented scale and ambition.</p> <p>When construction work was at its most intense, more than 12,000 people from over 100 countries were working every day at the Burj Dubai site. In total, Burj Dubai took 22 million man hours to build.</p> <p>Mr. Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said Burj Dubai was a shining example of global collaboration. “Burj Dubai shows just what can be achieved when people from all over the world come together to strive for a common purpose.”</p> <p>Strong foundations<br />Standing at more than 800 metres (2,625 ft), Burj Dubai captivates audiences with its height. But its construction underground is equally worthy of fascination. More than 45,000 cubic metres (1.59 million cubic ft) of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes, make up the tower’s steel-reinforced foundations with 192 piles running to a depth of over 50 metres (164 ft).</p> <p>Inspired by nature<br />Work on Burj Dubai’s superstructure began in March 2005, with the foundation work alone taking 12 months. The distinctive triple-buttressed outline of the Burj Dubai was inspired by the desert lily Hymenocallis.</p> <p>Wind factor<br />Extensive seismic and wind tunnel testing was carried out to perfect the design of the tower. The triple-buttressed shape of Burj Dubai allows it to manage the effect of wind vortices generated around the tower, as well as changes in atmospheric pressure between its base and spire.<br /><br />Rock solid<br />The main construction material of Burj Dubai is reinforced concrete, specially designed to withstand the staggering pressures inherent in the world’s tallest building. </p> <p>In total, Burj Dubai employs a record-breaking 330,000 cubic meters (11.6 million cubic feet) of concrete; 39,000 metric tonnes of reinforced steel; 103,000 sq m (1.1 million sq ft) of double glazed glass; and 15,500 sq m (166,800 sq ft) of embossed stainless steel. </p> <p>Climbing to the sky<br />Once the lengthy construction work of its foundation was complete, the vertical ascent of Burj Dubai was surprisingly fast. The first 100 levels of the tower were completed only 1,093 days after excavation started. A level was added every three days before the uppermost levels of the tower were reached.</p> <p>In November 2007, the concrete for the highest reinforced core walls of Burj Dubai was pumped from ground level to a height of 601 metres (1,978 ft), breaking the previous record for concrete pumping held by Taipei 101. The pressure generated during the pumping work reached nearly 200 bars.</p> <p>A glass act<br />Work on the glass and aluminium exterior cladding of Burj Dubai started in May 2007 and was completed in September 2009. Nearly 400 skilled engineers were assigned to the project. At the outset, around 20-30 cladding panels were installed each day. The daily rate of installation reached 175 panels as the project neared completion. Burj Dubai has set a new world record for the highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at 512 metres (1,679.8 ft).</p> <p>A staggering total of 24,348 panels cover a curtain wall area of 132,190 square metres (1.4 million sq ft). But the Burj Dubai’s shimmering exterior is designed to minimise heat transmission into the building itself, therefore saving energy. Condensation from the panels is also collected and used for landscape irrigation.</p> <p>Pinnacle of achievement<br />Burj Dubai’s spire may resemble a needle at ground level, but in reality it is a colossal structure made up of 4,000 tonnes of structural steel. Nor is it exclusively ornamental, housing as it does communications equipment for the tower.</p> <p>Community spirit<br />With a total built up area of around 6 million square feet, Burj Dubai is set to become a living, vibrant community in the heart of Dubai. Around 2 million square feet inside the tower is dedicated to luxury residential apartments, while more than 300,000 square feet is allocated for office space. That’s in addition to the sections of the tower taken up by the world-first Armani Hotel Dubai and the Armani Residences Dubai. </p> <p>Countless artworks by prominent Middle Eastern and international artists, including sculptures and various contemporary installations, adorn the interiors of Burj Dubai and line Emaar Boulevard throughout Downtown Burj Dubai.</p> <p>Life of luxury<br />A total of 57 elevators and eight escalators serve people living, working and enjoying their leisure time inside the tower. Burj Dubai has four swimming pools, a cigar lounge, residents’ lounge, the fine dining restaurant ‘At.mosphere’, and a variety of health and fitness facilities.</p> <p>Moreover, the tower’s 124th floor observation deck, ‘At the Top, Burj Dubai’, offers 360-degree views of the city and is open to the public.</p> <p>Burj Dubai features ‘The Offices’, a 12-storey annex of prime office space; ‘The Club’, a four-storey health and fitness centre; and ‘Armani/Pavilion’, an outdoor entertainment venue that opens onto the Burj Dubai Lake and The Dubai Fountain, described as the world’s tallest ‘performing fountain’. </p> <p>Heart and soul<br />Demonstrating that Burj Dubai is more than just a building, its creators have perfected a written narrative that evokes the tower’s soul.</p> <p>Visitors to the ‘At The Top, Burj Dubai’ observation deck can read the ‘I am Burj Dubai’ legend once they reach the ‘From the earth to the sky’, section of the tour.</p> <p>Its opening stanza reads: “I am the power that lifts the world’s head proudly skywards, surpassing limits and expectations. Rising gracefully from the desert and honouring the city with a new glory, I am an extraordinary union of engineering and art, with every detail carefully considered and beautifully crafted...”</p> <p>“I am the heart of the city and its people, the marker that defines Emaar’s ambition and Dubai’s shining dream. More than just a moment in time, I define moments for future generations…”</p> From the ‘‘From the earth to the sky’’, one can view Level 124 and the summit of Burj Dubai at a near vertical angle.twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-6974085287833614202010-01-04T17:10:00.000+08:002010-01-22T17:19:09.963+08:00Burj Dubai Renamed After UAE PresidentThe main story's at the Washington Post, "Dubai opens half-mile-high tower, world's tallest." And it turns out the building's been renamed. From the Wall Street Journal, "Burj Dubai To Be Called Burj Khalifa Bin Zayed After UAE Pres." But I actually wanted to share a cool architecture review from the Los Angeles Times, by Christopher Hawthorne, " The Burj Dubai and architecture's vacant stare":<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><img style="width: 400px; height: 599px;" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j186/DonaldDouglas/Americaneocon/Burj_Dubai-Dubai3214-1.jpg" /></em></span></div><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>One of the odder, more complicated moments in the history of architectural symbolism will arrive Monday with the formal opening of the Burj Dubai skyscraper. At about 2,600 feet high -- the official figure is still being kept secret by developer Emaar Properties -- and 160 stories, the tower, set back half a mile or so from Dubai's busy Sheikh Zayed Road, will officially take its place as the tallest building in the world.<br /><br />Designed by Adrian Smith, a former partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Burj Dubai is an impossible-to-miss sign of the degree to which architectural ambition -- at least the kind that can be measured in feet or number of stories -- has migrated in recent years from North America and Europe to Asia and the Middle East. It is roughly as tall as the World Trade Center towers piled one atop the other. Its closest competition is Toronto's CN Tower, which is not really a building at all, holding only satellites and observation decks, and is in any case nearly 900 feet shorter.<br /><br />Monday's ribbon-cutting, though, could hardly come at a more awkward time. Dubai, the most populous member of the United Arab Emirates, continues to deal with a massive real estate collapse that has sent shock waves through financial markets around the world and forced the ambitious city-state, in a significant blow to its pride, to seek repeated billion-dollar bailouts from neighboring Abu Dhabi. Conceived at the height of local optimism about Dubai's place in the region and the world, this seemingly endless bean-stock tower, which holds an Armani Hotel on its lower floors with apartments and offices above, has flooded Dubai with a good deal more residential and commercial space than the market can possibly bear.<br /><br />And so here is the Burj Dubai's real symbolic importance: It is mostly empty, and is likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Though most of its 900 apartments have been sold, virtually all were bought three years ago -- near the top of the market -- and primarily as investments, not as places to live. ("A lot of those purchases were speculative," Smith, in something of an understatement, told me in a phone interview.) And there's virtually no demand in Dubai at the moment for office space. The Burj Dubai has 37 floors of office space.<br /><br />Though Emaar is understandably reluctant to disclose how much of the tower is or will be occupied -- it did not reply to e-mails sent this week on that score -- it's fair to assume that like many of Dubai's new skyscrapers it is a long, long way from being full. In that sense the building is a powerful iconic presence in ways that have little directly to do with its record-breaking height. To a remarkable degree, the metaphors and symbols of the built environment have been dominated in recent months by images of unneeded, sealed-off, ruined, forlorn or forsaken buildings and cityscapes. The Burj Dubai is just the latest -- and biggest -- in this string of monuments to architectural vacancy.<br /><br />The combination of overbuilding during the boom years, thanks to easy credit, and the sudden paralysis of the financial markets in the fall of 2008 has created an unprecedented supply of unwanted or under-occupied real estate around the world. At the same time, rising cultural worry about environmental disaster or some other end-of-days scenario has produced a recent stream of books, movies and photography imagining cities and pieces of architecture emptied of nearly all signs of human presence. </em></span></blockquote>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-21915123502447518952010-01-03T18:05:00.000+08:002010-01-22T18:07:51.490+08:00<p>At the opening of the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest skyscraper, there were 10,000 fireworks, a dancing fountain, traditional Emirati dancers, skydivers and an impressive light show — but the biggest surprise of the evening came from Dubai’s ruler, Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.</p> <p>Shortly after making his signature entrance in his white G55 Mercedes, number plate 1, Sheik Mohammed stopped to make a brief speech, saying that the tower, which has so far been known as Burj Dubai, would be renamed Burj Khalifa, after the president of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan. It is perhaps the most expensive naming rights deal in history and likely a reward for Abu Dhabi’s $10 billion bailout of Dubai in December after the emirate admitted it was struggling to deal with more than $80 billion of debt.</p> <p>Once the initial shock had settled, the audience was then treated to a dramatic fireworks and light show around the mammoth structure. A series of skydivers branded in the country’s national colors dropped from the sky to kick off the celebrations, followed by a video showing the construction of the tower and its exact height of 828 meters (2,716 feet), which had previously been kept under wraps.</p>Spectacular fireworks lit the length of the tower, while the Dubai Fountain, the world’s largest water feature, danced and played traditional Arabic music. The event was a reminder of what Dubai does best. But what is likely to stick in the mind of those watching is that Abu Dhabi had paid for the festivities.<br /><div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: left;"> <dl class="wp-caption alignright caption-alignright" style="width: 262px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://dubai-tower.blogspot.com/"><img class="size-full wp-image-5" src="http://online.wsj.com/media/dubai6999_DV_20100104163716.jpg" alt="" height="394" width="262" /></a></dt></dl></div>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-46355291395722452922009-12-06T17:06:00.000+08:002009-12-06T17:06:00.299+08:00Towering follies the Dubai architecture you couldn’t make upThe kilometre-high skyscraper, the underwater hotel, the cloud on stilts ... Steve Rose mourns the eye-popping erections that should never have been commissioned<br /><br />Pundits have been lining up to say "I told you so" over the bursting of Dubai's construction bubble, so now it's my turn. I did tell you so, a year ago. But what now? In architectural terms, Dubai has surely been the story of the decade. We're just not sure if it's a comedy, a tragedy or some surreal, hallucinogenic fairy tale.<br /><br />On the other hand, the Dubai experiment has undeniably expanded the realms of what it is possible to build. Before the Palm Jumeirah and its ilk, or The World, who would have contemplated works on such a scale? Reclaiming land from the sea is nothing new, but only Dubai had the imagination to make pretty patterns with its coastline, to shape the earth to such a colossal degree that you need Google Earth to appreciate it.<br /><br />Other countries have evidently been eyeing Dubai's coastline, too. In Russia, for example, Eric van Egeraat has designed Sochi Island, an artificial resort island in the Black Sea. Bahrain is developing a similar type of offshore resort, and Abu Dhabi is making good use of its previously undeveloped islands, such as Saadiyat Island, which will soon house a very different collection of wonders to Dubai in the form of new museums and galleries designed by Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel and Tadao Ando. Even Boris Johnson's recent proposals for a new airport in the Thames estuary had a touch of Dubai about them.<br /><br />Foreign architects have had a riot in Dubai, at least until recently. It's been the place where you can get away with anything. No matter how outlandish or oversized the idea, no one seemed to be saying no, and somebody else was always paying. As a result, the emirate has been waging some sort of architectural arms race with itself, each new development trying to outdo the last, while the rest of the world looked on with a mix of disdain and envy.<br /><br />The Dubai dream was ultimately unsustainable on many levels, environmental as well as financial, and it's safe to assume that most of the crazy ideas proposed for the city will never happen now, given Dubai's dire credit situation. So here are some of the craziest highlights from a future that will probably never arrive – but, you never know, still just might.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nakheel Harbour and Tower</span><br /><br />Bad timing for SOM's Burj Dubai, which is due to open on 4 January 2010, just when a conspicuous symbol of Dubai's hubris was needed. But in the Dubai spirit of one-upmanship, plans were afoot to build an even taller skyscraper with an even shorter name: Al Burj. Originally designed by Pei Partnership, the tower was taken over by Australian architects Woods Bagot, and renamed Nakheel Harbour and Tower after its backers, the state-owned property group Nakheel, which is at the heart of Dubai's current woes. The sentiment behind this stupendous tower seemed to be: "I see your 800-metre-high Burj Dubai, and raise it to over 1km. How d'you like that?"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trump International Hotel and Tower</span><br /><br />Surely a frontrunner in any competition for the ugliest skyscraper the world has ever seen, this 60-odd-storey atrocity, designed by Atkins, was supposed to be the centrepiece of the famous Palm Jumeirah and super-luxurious addition to the Trump brand. It looks like it was inspired by one of those 1980s vases you find in a pound shop. Mercifully, construction has been on hold for a year or so.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dubai Towers</span><br /><br />In the same way the peacock's tail evolved into a flamboyantly useless appendage, Dubai skyscrapers have had to resort to ludicrous contortions to stand out. From the "ignore them, they're just trying to get attention" school of design comes a quartet of bendy skyscrapers supposedly inspired by the movement of candlelight – or perhaps Jedward's hair.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hydropolis Underwater Hotel</span><br /><br />Why reach for the sky when you can plumb the depths? This German-designed scheme would offer 220 bubble-shaped transparent suites, 66 metres below the surface, so guests can enjoy a privileged view of Dubai's spectacular coastal dredging operations.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dynamic Tower</span><br /><br />A nice idea: each of this tower's 70 floors revolves independently around its central core, so everyone lives in a revolving apartment and gets a 360-degree view of Dubai's cranescape. And from the outside, the building changes shape all the time. And it's all powered by green energy from wind turbines and solar panels. All perfectly possible, architect David Fisher assures a sceptical world.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dubai Opera House</span><br /><br />Not even Dubai had the stomach for French superstar Jean Nouvel's idiosyncratic formal experiment – a strange cross between an oil rig, a greenhouse and a psychedelic light show. Nouvel's pretentious accompanying text didn't help: "It is a little like the clouds. Each person can see what attracts them, what makes them question. The architect plays only the role of provocateur, claiming innocence." Nouvel is at least building the new Louvre, in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, which promises to be stunning.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Cloud</span><br /><br />A poetic but preposterous scheme imagining a resort landscape of lakes, palaces and floating gardens, raised 300 metres in the air on slanting columns. The brainchild of Lebanese architect Nadim Karam, it's been described as "a bridge suspended between dreams and reality". Why not put a gigantic pie on stilts instead?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Waterfront City</span><br /><br />A whole city for 1.5 milliion inhabitants on an artificial island twice the size of Hong Kong. Rem Koolhaas's OMA were behind the plan. Reckoning that nobody in the Gulf watched Star Wars, he put a replica of the Death Star as its centrepiece – or was that his idea of architectural satire?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dubailand</span><br /><br />A vast landscape of leisure, twice the size of Florida's Disney World, proposed for the interior of the emirate. Highlights include four theme parks, five golf courses, life-size replicas of some of the world's landmarks, a zillion hotels, a Beauty Museum, and, of course, another "world's largest shopping mall".twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-78600132421904407932009-12-05T16:48:00.000+08:002009-12-05T16:48:00.349+08:00Dubai Debt Debacle Validation of "Skyscraper Index<p>In light of the current concern over Dubai’s debt, the inevitable questions are beginning. Might the market have seen this coming?</p> <p>Sure, looking back on it, it seems like there were probably some red flags.</p> <p>For example, that indoor ski slope, in hindsight, looks a bit, shall we say, frothy. And yes, a particularly prescient observer might have cited the creation of that string of palm-shaped islands off Dubai’s coast, as a manifestation of irrational exuberance.</p> <p>But if you were looking for a reason to get worried about Dubai over the past few years, you needed only look at the Burj Dubai — the world’s tallest skyscraper — according to the “skyscraper index.”</p> <p>Credited to a 1999 report penned by Andrew Lawrence, then an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort, the skyscraper index argues that there is a correlation between the construction of the world’s tallest buildings and the impending end of business cycles.</p> <p>Back in 2006, BNY Mellon’s Chris Sheldon, director of investment strategy, applied the skyscraper indicator to Dubai:</p> <p>Groundbreakings for the worlds tallest buildings typically have taken place after a long period of sustained economic growth. Optimism is high, credit is easy to obtain, and the sky is the limit. A new worlds tallest building also has proven to be a predictor of a booms end. Returning to Dubai, the Burj Dubai, at 2,313 feet tall, will be 40% higher than the current record holder, Taipei 101, which was completed in 2004.</p> <p>A story in the Journal in August pegged the completed height of the Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower, at 2,684 feet. Interestingly, another Dubai skyscraper, called the Nakheel Tower, was supposed to be even taller than the Burj Dubai. But construction was suspended back in January, as the company worked to adjust the plans “‘to better reflect the current market trends and match supply with demand.”</p>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-54161862228027330342009-12-04T17:19:00.000+08:002009-12-04T17:28:39.027+08:00Burj Dubai PhotosHere are pictures and videos of the 7 star Burj Dubai, the tallest skyscraper in the world surpassing the KNLY-TV mast and costing an estimated $1billion to build.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNioeXuT0-uYtcGUhtdqAL4yrFJ3p57HX4O_ZRj5slnweNu6XwDHMzSAnsRJl8nqkq5QSCUnOHoDV-REpJgreWpGxNAjyy1pdFbvPcLrOINaT3pdrQli3iimZGKtc_hGej6CmZTjexOGk/s1600/Burj-Dubai-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 348px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNioeXuT0-uYtcGUhtdqAL4yrFJ3p57HX4O_ZRj5slnweNu6XwDHMzSAnsRJl8nqkq5QSCUnOHoDV-REpJgreWpGxNAjyy1pdFbvPcLrOINaT3pdrQli3iimZGKtc_hGej6CmZTjexOGk/s640/Burj-Dubai-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Towering high above the Dubai skyline, Burj Dubai, the world's tallest man-made construction, edges closer to completion.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpKBpu2pY7K6x-MSi_27oBgtRlXxhbBhMyqMHwGqkV-Csb-A8Ip_7w8v4fd2wJarENXcYMQtpWgq3BmxTruKmnNXpX0tq_ioueYCjSoAiSiOKObraEiF-Dg5eXxqy_Ip_8Xr47CInWaM/s1600/Burj-Dubai-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 337px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpKBpu2pY7K6x-MSi_27oBgtRlXxhbBhMyqMHwGqkV-Csb-A8Ip_7w8v4fd2wJarENXcYMQtpWgq3BmxTruKmnNXpX0tq_ioueYCjSoAiSiOKObraEiF-Dg5eXxqy_Ip_8Xr47CInWaM/s640/Burj-Dubai-2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">These stunning aerial and exclusive interior images provide a glimpse into the lavish creation which has cost an estimated UD$1 billion to build, with a further three billion budgeted for the entire complex.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRKglrKEl60BVv8TJvTgOy2P-pW_UmUREZkw0yoBx9vY0vIZqY8bGJL9HDLCh12C0k_UA7Gz1mkLqvMaBEsVXx1T0XGyT6R7Hfn3aV79i7oVkKEtzTCFvoQDOytcWJBhBLsM1zAcrTO4/s1600/Burj-Dubai-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 363px; height: 363px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRKglrKEl60BVv8TJvTgOy2P-pW_UmUREZkw0yoBx9vY0vIZqY8bGJL9HDLCh12C0k_UA7Gz1mkLqvMaBEsVXx1T0XGyT6R7Hfn3aV79i7oVkKEtzTCFvoQDOytcWJBhBLsM1zAcrTO4/s640/Burj-Dubai-3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Standing at a reported 818 m (the official height will not be revealed until next year) and consisting of 162 floors above ground, the giant tower - described as the 'jewel of the Gulf regions' - is an awesome sight to behold.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaLbIFL32Ge5Llir1hDqkgDey7L_qXRFdxet36-81y6D8bCbfqhzgcZlJVItVb0lhRSVyxQ21GK1z0-p2bjiIUqHrWeZWiXk0Np101DkMWP-kL5f3Icbk6tkBq1BIoT_-J3agXO7lA6g/s1600/Burj-Dubai-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 336px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaLbIFL32Ge5Llir1hDqkgDey7L_qXRFdxet36-81y6D8bCbfqhzgcZlJVItVb0lhRSVyxQ21GK1z0-p2bjiIUqHrWeZWiXk0Np101DkMWP-kL5f3Icbk6tkBq1BIoT_-J3agXO7lA6g/s640/Burj-Dubai-4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But while the exterior of the building has taken shape, interior shots suggest there is still some way to go before the official unveiling in January 2010.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa_yVQZe2bUpS3YYhU3GEYFRNmoPD51uIPMINJBfW8iCz3Y8_MRBJ642w6q5j5Mu52lPrvCnAfjXNHdRo3w9EzjgeAHiIQO4UJKftbNuWfRxnRwoHUg1o1ppm0nP8-4K8P3a4aUvgPXo/s1600/Burj-Dubai-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa_yVQZe2bUpS3YYhU3GEYFRNmoPD51uIPMINJBfW8iCz3Y8_MRBJ642w6q5j5Mu52lPrvCnAfjXNHdRo3w9EzjgeAHiIQO4UJKftbNuWfRxnRwoHUg1o1ppm0nP8-4K8P3a4aUvgPXo/s640/Burj-Dubai-5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Taken in November 2009, interior images display giant office spaces from the lofty 125th floor with vertigo-inducing views.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywfbg9g4gfGwIrYfgSRiZVOgvYwoRu02JWceSGjOpzfdpWhyIAwJjTSKhTriqI1LhGrwyrEL0nB-TZcaRdoxz6pSGvh6zfys-XEOl0H3hyw0ss8kF38WQSj1v2akICsf7CybSZGq_iQo/s1600/Burj-Dubai-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 409px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywfbg9g4gfGwIrYfgSRiZVOgvYwoRu02JWceSGjOpzfdpWhyIAwJjTSKhTriqI1LhGrwyrEL0nB-TZcaRdoxz6pSGvh6zfys-XEOl0H3hyw0ss8kF38WQSj1v2akICsf7CybSZGq_iQo/s640/Burj-Dubai-6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">On floor 39, a luxury bathroom and entertainment area from the Armani Hotel provide an insight into what the rich and famous can expect upon their lavish stay.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAOr6lp7r9zDcaSZ4-IsjDJfxvYWC-itAWFJCeOxEq5Xb6bqNU35eZehOMcCqCBXYIhZv2sveNB26b-ALu1Wbbx99Ddk1JhwuKMparPVWxP81pN0PQs6gNji8do5f4zkF7gaj_c4cxJ8/s1600/hotel-terrace_1531542i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 328px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAOr6lp7r9zDcaSZ4-IsjDJfxvYWC-itAWFJCeOxEq5Xb6bqNU35eZehOMcCqCBXYIhZv2sveNB26b-ALu1Wbbx99Ddk1JhwuKMparPVWxP81pN0PQs6gNji8do5f4zkF7gaj_c4cxJ8/s640/hotel-terrace_1531542i.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Made up of 175 rooms, the 40,000 sq. m Armani Hotel, will be the first of its kind to open in the world.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6yQVCxhCYhTvWxLmQi0QLc63iYIcP0HLRIvVbnOnDdDrneNpKVCa61uaaV2Tr-Q2L240cEi8KiSZHTSKtnkyxYfMKObfWwh7NXMk6etUQucO5Qc12LM8LEalNK2qHDhy80r9V4iAgiw/s1600/Burj-Dubai-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 354px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6yQVCxhCYhTvWxLmQi0QLc63iYIcP0HLRIvVbnOnDdDrneNpKVCa61uaaV2Tr-Q2L240cEi8KiSZHTSKtnkyxYfMKObfWwh7NXMk6etUQucO5Qc12LM8LEalNK2qHDhy80r9V4iAgiw/s640/Burj-Dubai-7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Reports have suggested that Giorgio Armani himself will oversee all aspects of content, design and style, including interiors and amenities. And the fashion guru will be incorporating the his exclusive label's designs into the furnishings.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjU0bRcBBrORkA5KK8EJC4Z7AletD5k42OZ24QC3apUwzxWTE3infarmNydh0hLCP3FvVqtqrTNWXxQEzeLM-KKajLIJ4-An7PP7lzX4KHxlFko8z4aHlumlK82xOKI2U1eS1wkZI2ZU/s1600/Burj-Dubai-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 340px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjU0bRcBBrORkA5KK8EJC4Z7AletD5k42OZ24QC3apUwzxWTE3infarmNydh0hLCP3FvVqtqrTNWXxQEzeLM-KKajLIJ4-An7PP7lzX4KHxlFko8z4aHlumlK82xOKI2U1eS1wkZI2ZU/s640/Burj-Dubai-8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The statistics behind the mega structure are as impressive as the building itself. The rods that reinforce the structure weigh a total 31,400 tonnes alone. Laid end to end they would stretch more than a quarter of the way around the world.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RtRoYGhhobEoTHxsnxFyFA0F-EFORlmnQqxAkISR70zOO2Nxpnw0dV-5Cf-USwqjNCIcO-6SZK2rgu9sIPZnaRy0WIxmr8iVH5efbyJJU3XGsXXNDhNxmoyjcwiKa-Oi3ihEr50kTIk/s1600/Burj-Dubai-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 338px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RtRoYGhhobEoTHxsnxFyFA0F-EFORlmnQqxAkISR70zOO2Nxpnw0dV-5Cf-USwqjNCIcO-6SZK2rgu9sIPZnaRy0WIxmr8iVH5efbyJJU3XGsXXNDhNxmoyjcwiKa-Oi3ihEr50kTIk/s640/Burj-Dubai-9.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The water system will supply 250,000 gallons each day and the tower's external surface is the size of 17 football fields. The building will have the worlds fastest elevators at speeds of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s).<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbqtc23X0wRRP5YKaJo5fUuNNKTcRf1TbihGhq3msvIQHpSgrPuWrlrEXm-aqoya2_j7N3x0ESbi13ucUve7cnrVPnX3X3od0VNGBZeKes4DYBGBX5o3MkKOetgJlgx1ykrNHHs4O2Bo/s1600/Burj-Dubai-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 379px; height: 379px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbqtc23X0wRRP5YKaJo5fUuNNKTcRf1TbihGhq3msvIQHpSgrPuWrlrEXm-aqoya2_j7N3x0ESbi13ucUve7cnrVPnX3X3od0VNGBZeKes4DYBGBX5o3MkKOetgJlgx1ykrNHHs4O2Bo/s640/Burj-Dubai-10.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The tower will include 800 private apartments and an observatory 442 metres above the ground on the 124th floor - the highest public observation desk in the world. There will be a club on floors 144 to 146.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ncLCjqLYc-Gt33SG8falvB7Jzp3OKlB-JjM4QXc6Saa0-l0QFwwfpqPGRV-756iv4JSzrtjbdekr5sblVRoslmV-3rvsQ367LTuXAaqkx4jZFLpSWO_B8Q_6hWNeVb81ZvNVwHQzu4c/s1600/Burj-Dubai-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 386px; height: 386px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ncLCjqLYc-Gt33SG8falvB7Jzp3OKlB-JjM4QXc6Saa0-l0QFwwfpqPGRV-756iv4JSzrtjbdekr5sblVRoslmV-3rvsQ367LTuXAaqkx4jZFLpSWO_B8Q_6hWNeVb81ZvNVwHQzu4c/s640/Burj-Dubai-11.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sitting at the foot of the tower is the 500 acre Downtown Burj Dubai development, which when completed is expected to cost around US$20 billion, offering 30,000 homes and the world's largest shopping mall - the Dubai Mall - covering 836,000 square metres. The Burj Dubai Mall will have areas for leisure, including a world-class aquarium, fashion show arena, a souk and an ice rink.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47AZmIe1xRkXKxIL5ynMX6r_DMBCzB1hRpfS6QfAUoQsEIaP0zzNqVtjc_IytYrI1jZDDO9DvdvcCOhRtGUene71rndxFvCJUum1B6-n3nK3yHeMSSoJZJiiB9Ct_1YzqLkdftGTN2YM/s1600/Burj-Dubai-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 324px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47AZmIe1xRkXKxIL5ynMX6r_DMBCzB1hRpfS6QfAUoQsEIaP0zzNqVtjc_IytYrI1jZDDO9DvdvcCOhRtGUene71rndxFvCJUum1B6-n3nK3yHeMSSoJZJiiB9Ct_1YzqLkdftGTN2YM/s640/Burj-Dubai-12.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Burj Dubai has been designed to be the centre of a large-scale, mixed-use development that will include 30,000 homes, 9 hotels, 6 acres of parkland, 19 residential towers, and the 12 hectare Burj Dubai Lake.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHp66BsQpzdMF7F26duysWXPFN2Lzx7ADUdDh19UFn-wW7kCjt4MmQ5oRfTAIrRCzU0Gpbw_jJ_u2CpbfMtzO5WVBzIy16lpdpRaAMeHIRRYdJYzi1E-tHraemD61FWANh2tPTkR9oD8/s1600/Burj-Dubai-13.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 310px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHp66BsQpzdMF7F26duysWXPFN2Lzx7ADUdDh19UFn-wW7kCjt4MmQ5oRfTAIrRCzU0Gpbw_jJ_u2CpbfMtzO5WVBzIy16lpdpRaAMeHIRRYdJYzi1E-tHraemD61FWANh2tPTkR9oD8/s640/Burj-Dubai-13.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></div>The mega structure has already achieved the distinction of being the world's tallest, surpassing the KNLY-TV mast (628.8m, 2,063ft) in North Dakota, USA<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjKl48AolV6PsOiIdjTaRrNYqqn6TvpMZi4k6vxmT9mjNccpIBEAnCs5tiQxklGEVxJuRwd8tLAnFA7wKgYuASUhX88yRImr9uEaiGAymLfNWPb1HwqUe_Pqv4kVpuhLbeVKR8FJIYE0/s1600/Burj-Dubai-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 319px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjKl48AolV6PsOiIdjTaRrNYqqn6TvpMZi4k6vxmT9mjNccpIBEAnCs5tiQxklGEVxJuRwd8tLAnFA7wKgYuASUhX88yRImr9uEaiGAymLfNWPb1HwqUe_Pqv4kVpuhLbeVKR8FJIYE0/s640/Burj-Dubai-14.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">However, Dubai has been hit hard by the global downturn. This week, Dubai World, one of the emirate's main state holding companies, said it was asking for a delay on major parts of its debt repayments until at least May 30<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTJ6O0xBSy5kA9CAwe-6ZGk-fiwSi6yAZkvJAWrVaI8oatQjfZnAE6tikLQeHXbI9TvAhJbRmODwJNkPYMnhG6Uz_9-wOa0LtZOqnLqnkFoq7mXOPQ6Sl3C89HwBdqtFY1IWQr5M7RBs/s1600/Burj-Dubai-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 358px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTJ6O0xBSy5kA9CAwe-6ZGk-fiwSi6yAZkvJAWrVaI8oatQjfZnAE6tikLQeHXbI9TvAhJbRmODwJNkPYMnhG6Uz_9-wOa0LtZOqnLqnkFoq7mXOPQ6Sl3C89HwBdqtFY1IWQr5M7RBs/s640/Burj-Dubai-15.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dubai was among the most dramatic victims of the credit crunch, with property prices halving from their highs in September 2008, leaving a huge overhang of debt<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjI7r3lMpIL7zmZuTFV7AzPBcS0shXAbaTwJUu245OBPqpZIwnIkzGyLYgsLS3x6K0H57ujl7BZHC1_8mOyGNY744jwVbwvyOKhQ-XF5DVksLhhM0qouyJTjL4aq3v3ZIiS6-oBYTYz8/s1600/Burj-Dubai-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 324px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjI7r3lMpIL7zmZuTFV7AzPBcS0shXAbaTwJUu245OBPqpZIwnIkzGyLYgsLS3x6K0H57ujl7BZHC1_8mOyGNY744jwVbwvyOKhQ-XF5DVksLhhM0qouyJTjL4aq3v3ZIiS6-oBYTYz8/s640/Burj-Dubai-16.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dubai borrowed $80bn in a four-year construction spree designed to turn its economy into a Middle Eastern powerhouse of finance and tourism<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVsj0BpG5yg0acp4dx-YopGyTMmerQumeWmmtwblNuGh_siJRR6TsGUpBAmuXdDkWAOQEYHS2ch045W9ztBrvLdh74jN_I-Jn5PKrwtto-thYXbAIHETlYYPWWpmq7wezSMS4_btNfbw/s1600/Burj-Dubai-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVsj0BpG5yg0acp4dx-YopGyTMmerQumeWmmtwblNuGh_siJRR6TsGUpBAmuXdDkWAOQEYHS2ch045W9ztBrvLdh74jN_I-Jn5PKrwtto-thYXbAIHETlYYPWWpmq7wezSMS4_btNfbw/s640/Burj-Dubai-17.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div>Burj Dubai has also been hit by press reports of the poor conditions faced by its labourers, mostly immigrants from South Asiatwicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-6989917963215808052009-12-04T15:56:00.000+08:002009-12-04T16:04:14.578+08:00World’s tallest building, Burj Dubai Tower, opens as a golden era closes<!--endclickprintexclude--> <!-- end story tools--> <div id="story-body-media-content"> <div id="vertical-pic-slot"> <img src="http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/wp-content/assets/6/1685/vertical1.jpg" width="205" /><p class="vert-photo-caption">Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower, will be the world's tallest building.</p> <hr /> </div> </div> <p>Burj Dubai Tower, the world’s tallest building, is a spire of superlatives.</p> <p>The 160-story skyscraper will open on January 4, the fourth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum’s rule in Dubai.</p> <p>Under the Sheikh, Dubai has seen a boom in record breakers, impressive firsts, and baffling spectacles. For example, the city is or will be home to the , a twirling tower, the world’s largest arch-supported bridge, and artificial islands in the shape of the world map.</p> <p>And Burj Dubai boasts more surprising bullet points than simply being the world’s tallest tower:</p> <p>• At 2,700 feet tall, the skyscraper can be seen from 10 miles away.</p> <p>• The building will sport the fastest elevators in the world, traveling at 10 meters per second (22 miles per hour). They will also be double-decker elevators, with each deck supporting up to 21 people.</p> <p>• To keep out the desert heat, 10,000 tons of coolant with flow through the tower every hour.</p> <p>• 230,000 cubic meters of concrete form the building’s core, enough to pave 1,180 miles of sidewalk.</p> <p>• Dubai Tower will be the highlight of the worlds’ largest indoor shopping center, with space for 1,200 shops nestled among 30,000 apartments.</p> <p>But Dubai is a very different place this month than it was in 2004 when construction began on the tower. As AFP reports:</p> <p>Plunging property prices and weak demand had already put a dampener on new schemes even before last week’s shock announcement by state-owned giant Dubai World that it wants to halt debt payments for six months.</p> <p>“It’s not exactly going to improve investor confidence,” said Matthew Green, associate director at property agency CB Richard Ellis, which has reported a 55 percent year-on-year drop in downtown Dubai commercial rental rates and a 67 percent fall outside the centre.</p>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-36125041414630306952009-12-02T16:52:00.000+08:002009-12-04T16:59:10.009+08:00Dubai Sends a Reminder to All InvestorsIn just about any endeavor, complacency can be detrimental to continued success. Many of the most successful companies in the world have risen to the top of their respective industries by always being on the lookout for encroachments on their domain. For investors, when they get used to their environment for too long, they tend to stop noticing the potential dangers that might come out of seemingly nowhere. <p>That is just what has occurred recently with the announcement by Dubai that they would no longer be paying interest on loans made to two of its state owned companies as they have run into financial trouble. Recall it was just a few short years ago that another Dubai state owned company – Dubai World – had wanted to buy several US ports. That only fell through due to congressional and popular opposition. </p> <p>The news of Dubai’s debt deferment shocked many investors who had thought that by now problems associated with the credit markets had become all but old news. Many investors had been shaken out of their complacency and all of a sudden risk mattered again. They reacted by selling off stocks and seeking the safety of the US dollar. However, as the markets began to sort the facts from fiction and Dubai received support from the United Arab Emirates, things have seemed to settle down and all is quiet – for now.</p> <p><a href="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpmagazinedaily/Dubai.png"><img style="width: 281px; height: 454px;" src="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpmagazinedaily/Dubai.png" alt="" border="0" height="588" width="684" /></a></p> <p><em>Dubai's skyline with the world's tallest building - the Burj Dubai.</em></p> <p>The key lesson from this episode is that investors should always be on the lookout for the potential of being blindsided and to be able to ask themselves how their portfolio would hold up should the unexpected happen. </p> <p>In Dubai’s case, the fact that things have unraveled for them is no surprise at all. Throughout the last several decades, we have seen country after country receive huge capital inflows through lenders all too willing to provide loans and foreign investment racing in to take advantage of some future potential mega project. The issue is that investors never seem to learn their lesson. </p> <p>The internet is rife with numerous slideshows making their way by email showing Dubai’s progress and the unfathomable statistics relating just how much construction activity was under way. The statistics certainly were impressive but seldom – if ever – did we see any objective analysis of whether or not these exciting construction projects are economical, will they be able to stand up to a global blindsiding such as we have seen over the last two years or if they even made sense. When debt is available cheaply, enthusiasm tends to get the best of even the most rational investor.</p> <p>In short, complacency was on display as banks continued to make loans for projects that may not be economical for a very long time. Amazingly, some banks seemed to have thought that in the event of default, the government would simply pick up the tab. To their dismay, they are realizing that the governments of Dubai and the UAE are not going to simply step up and pay the bills. Today, many of the developments have stopped construction and the rulers of Dubai are left to wonder “What happened?” The amazing aspect to this story is that it has been repeated in country after country. In the 1980s, most of South America was left with a debt hangover, in the 1990s it was Mexico and most of Asia and today it is Dubai. Investors might want to ask where might the next unknown come from?</p>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-16049847412034430872009-12-02T16:34:00.000+08:002009-12-04T16:36:04.493+08:00Burj Dubai World’s tallest buildingThe world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, is set to open on Jan. 4, 2010 despite the financial crisis its home-city is currently facing.<br /><br />The Burj Dubai was topped out early in 2009 at a record-breaking 2,684 ft. The building broke eight world records; it is currently the tallest freestanding structure in the world, the building with the most floors and, once completed, will feature the highest elevator installation in the world. During its construction, its final height was increased multiple times. Originally, the tower was planned to stand only 1,837 ft. The exterior of the building was completed early last month and work has now shifted to the interior of the building in order to prepare it for when its first occupants move in early next year.<br /><br />The tower is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai has recently experienced an economic downturn as the construction boom that has driven its economy for many years halts. Dubai recently announced that it was unable to pay interest on its $59 billion debt. Despite the economic crisis currently facing Dubai, the Burj Dubai is still planned to open as scheduledtwicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-6104994893476848612009-12-02T16:04:00.000+08:002009-12-04T16:09:44.436+08:00first peek inside the towering Burj DubaiThe Burj Dubai, the tallest man-made building in the world at 2,684 ft., is set to be completed in the United Arab Emirates in January of 2010. The UK's <em>Telegraph </em>website recently posted some rare photos from inside the nearly-finished superstructure, along with some incredible facts about the project. Among them: <ul><li>The Burj Dubai will have the world's fastest elevators at approximately 40 miles per hour.</li><li>The external surface of the skyscraper is the equal to the size of 17 football fields.</li><li>Like to "get high" when you party? The Burj Dubai will have a club on floors 144 through 146.</li><li>The building is estimated to cost roughly $4 billion, about three times more than the new Yankee Stadium.</li></ul><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz9nt4w3GOI40ef-OsvaP2qdUxdgsRm2ZNIjkRHbNuMnJZibLYOjTFwhMJhyPQoEdGFtal_FsBhapi0qgKpShkIhchYl6kcyGjXrOFNmIYFoMBQRsiyLTMFGbyybgUR9_9wLZyTnQ7nVQ/s1600-h/hotel-terrace_1531542i.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz9nt4w3GOI40ef-OsvaP2qdUxdgsRm2ZNIjkRHbNuMnJZibLYOjTFwhMJhyPQoEdGFtal_FsBhapi0qgKpShkIhchYl6kcyGjXrOFNmIYFoMBQRsiyLTMFGbyybgUR9_9wLZyTnQ7nVQ/s400/hotel-terrace_1531542i.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411289511294331890" border="0" /></a>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-48594837492493712562009-11-29T00:36:00.000+08:002009-12-04T16:44:22.041+08:00Burj Dubai Getting Struck By LightningA tipster sent along this spectacular photo of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest, most absurdly ostentatious building, getting struck by lightning. While checking for newness, I noticed something amazing: This happens all the time.<br /><br />Well, not all the time, since storms aren't exactly a daily occurrence in Dubai. In a way, though, that makes the sheer number of occasions this has been caught on film all the more impressive.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxdjxJn4o9SAMuDpVMqqbRYdIQ-9WWnsAzc2yc_lwdgy8fh1JoaPvgxfua_o_3WHd0JvPSDHybSn45UvkB9QnsAypGKTUouHfSknkz9gYu79rzpFEfhyT6SmgkkZ1A922fzBNxnYKwaWK/s1600-h/burj-lightning-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxdjxJn4o9SAMuDpVMqqbRYdIQ-9WWnsAzc2yc_lwdgy8fh1JoaPvgxfua_o_3WHd0JvPSDHybSn45UvkB9QnsAypGKTUouHfSknkz9gYu79rzpFEfhyT6SmgkkZ1A922fzBNxnYKwaWK/s400/burj-lightning-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411298055673880322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8vJP-HPPUOUGCcMJ47T74TeEhQTpykNs_1y6pTjUoFfqTkG0e127b0ouFShyphenhyphenhytktdl-4U4rNflCgHze4tx7KaQ-goKb9-w6xHCYmwNPiuDXMvTf7L0ZCc3PwsnqTVg1iSpLjd42usT8/s1600-h/burj-lightning-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8vJP-HPPUOUGCcMJ47T74TeEhQTpykNs_1y6pTjUoFfqTkG0e127b0ouFShyphenhyphenhytktdl-4U4rNflCgHze4tx7KaQ-goKb9-w6xHCYmwNPiuDXMvTf7L0ZCc3PwsnqTVg1iSpLjd42usT8/s400/burj-lightning-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411298051463113202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqjqM2ax3R9B8SnedgC0xHYoFyBdJwaJuzsAASECpymow9fXFfWBUJfpwXZJoVnT-PHcK6zFgJF_ARiyf7X5DgsGyMf3JSuoOidRsVoghVW3YMBfW3DAp6x3GlaPT4bwEp-xEYEPFzwvH/s1600-h/burj-lightning-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqjqM2ax3R9B8SnedgC0xHYoFyBdJwaJuzsAASECpymow9fXFfWBUJfpwXZJoVnT-PHcK6zFgJF_ARiyf7X5DgsGyMf3JSuoOidRsVoghVW3YMBfW3DAp6x3GlaPT4bwEp-xEYEPFzwvH/s400/burj-lightning-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411298043145682050" border="0" /></a>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109616912316352031.post-43291953857111851682009-11-27T16:10:00.000+08:002009-12-04T16:14:04.488+08:00Burj Dubai Fountains<p>Probably the best thing of the whole Burj Dubai oasis: the free fountain spectacle running each 15 minutes or so to the inexorable pleasure of the tourist and shoppers. Running on par with its different soundtracks, the simple blow of the jets breaking the water’s surface adds to the rhythm of the performance. Like canons simply amplifying the auditory magnitude of the show. </p> <p>The kids go cra<em>zay</em> when the wind makes the falling water rain over to the mall’s boardwalk. Running back and forth from the railing to their respective parents, they scream to the idea of water and music dancing together so beautifully.</p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUhCDiDCp4h_iqH1-byJ8CV9Ei0pFxLXUTQnjvLNJYtNR_59BWHSrVw-PdP6_pSW7dJ54mBfr8lfgD_jZ3j_5pYavMC5sjCiPx1O736O7gavtQD7ju3PnoK5o7d4RC5oViGAx3n4PYH_f/s1600-h/20091204fountains06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUhCDiDCp4h_iqH1-byJ8CV9Ei0pFxLXUTQnjvLNJYtNR_59BWHSrVw-PdP6_pSW7dJ54mBfr8lfgD_jZ3j_5pYavMC5sjCiPx1O736O7gavtQD7ju3PnoK5o7d4RC5oViGAx3n4PYH_f/s400/20091204fountains06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411291026872311650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxS8Z9pFsNJXNuNO-ScLD-M2j3qTn9B9sd9dBs7aPDuL598QWYydVQe8mF-dvZ_1j4AIaMlkpiV1h0xwO8VuaOzE8UYsQhDSdplks6iPbTyP0FlvXAPGKnF-7ZrqTzkByXKnlzrym0UFl/s1600-h/20091204fountains04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxS8Z9pFsNJXNuNO-ScLD-M2j3qTn9B9sd9dBs7aPDuL598QWYydVQe8mF-dvZ_1j4AIaMlkpiV1h0xwO8VuaOzE8UYsQhDSdplks6iPbTyP0FlvXAPGKnF-7ZrqTzkByXKnlzrym0UFl/s400/20091204fountains04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411291023390224018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFI4Sl0gSCXxsBD77SSB73mivjXf4U2d0HiK6j155ALeDe293WrJSptR8aR2Ma5CP8nqwf8yhsULm3hHA6zFUpgKBj7gkbGl7L5M7gdO_1-L37g_F9D1LmWDRlXepriESXzrNGZlpX3mL/s1600-h/20091204fountains03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFI4Sl0gSCXxsBD77SSB73mivjXf4U2d0HiK6j155ALeDe293WrJSptR8aR2Ma5CP8nqwf8yhsULm3hHA6zFUpgKBj7gkbGl7L5M7gdO_1-L37g_F9D1LmWDRlXepriESXzrNGZlpX3mL/s400/20091204fountains03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411291014346881922" border="0" /></a>twicklinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236142459203714903noreply@blogger.com0