Burj Dubai: August 2008

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Burj Dubai August 31th 2008 photo update

Burj Dubai August 31th 2008 photo update, a photo taken today of the Burj Dubai.

Summary of concrete mix design for Burj Dubai Tower

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Burj Dubai August 30th 2008 photo update

Burj Dubai August 30th 2008 photo update, 17th steel floor has now started on the Burj Dubai.

Detail diagram of the Burj Dubai August 29th 2008

Detail diagram of the Burj Dubai August 29th 2008, the cranes have moved since the last update.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Burj Dubai August 28th 2008 photo update

Burj Dubai August 28th 2008 photo update,the cladding is a little dirty after recent sand storms in Dubai. But as soon as a good rain comes the tower will shine again.

The cladding will be cleaned using an advanced window washing and façade maintenance system consisting of twelve permanently-installed, track-mounted, telescopic building maintenance machines located in internal garages at the tower's mechanical zones.

The manned cleaning cradles of the machines will be capable of serving the entire facade from its garage level downward to level 5 with jib arm lengths when fully extended of over 20 metres.

Burj Dubai August 27th 2008 photo update

Burj Dubai August 27th 2008 photo update, photos of the Burj Dubai taken today

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Burj Dubai August 24th 2008 photo update

Burj Dubai August 24th 2008 photo update, some photos taken today of the Burj Dubai.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Burj Dubai August 23rd 2008 photo update

Burj Dubai August 23rd 2008 photo update, Burj Dubai from Dubailand and from the Al Barari site.

A Skyscraper So Tall Builders Can't Use Walkie-Talkies

If you want to build a skyscraper 2,275 feet tall, you will face engineering challenges comparable to those of the Space Shuttle just because its sheer size. One of them is communications. When the unbelievable Burj Dubai started to get really high, the construction workers discovered one problem that seems obvious now: their walkie-talkies stopped working as they climbed the structure.

The reason was simple: distance. At the beginning of the construction they used walkie-talkies—which are light, durable, and have a long battery life—across the site. However, these stopped working after some time, as the tower kept raising over the desert. With unreliable communications, Samsung Corporation—the main contractor—had to turn to a different kind of link between workers to avoid misunderstandings that may have jeopardized the safety of workers (even more, because plenty of people have had fatal accidents in the tower) and delayed the project.

Fortunately for them, they turned to mesh networks, which are similar to the ones used in mobiles, but local. For that they used a company called Firetide, using several Wi-Fi-enabled VoIP phones over a HotPort wireless mesh, which also serves as the transport for the security video in the site.