Burj Dubai Fountain Announcement and Pics from Today

Back in June, Emaar Properties announced its intention to build a fountain, 275m in length, within the man-made lake at the Downtown Burj Dubai development. The fountain was intended to add to the ambitious downtown area, billed by Emaar as the "new soul of the city," and valued at US $20 billion (AED73 million) in total.

Today, work on the fountain is progressing towards an anticipated opening in the second quarter of 2009, giving it a little time in hand in which to whet the appetite of Dubai's residents and visitors, before the opening of the Burj Dubai itself.

The clock is ticking........

Construction is reportedly on course with 2500 staff currently employed on the fountain and related infrastructure projects. This will rise to 4000 as completion dates approach.

The tower alone supports 7500 staff. The size of the downtown development means that priorities change on a daily basis.

"It's a big collaboration of different projects, and trying to communicate effectively is an ongoing challenge," says fountain project manager Michael Scott.

"Everyone wants to meet their goals so you have to balance what is critical and what is not. What's critical today may not be critical tomorrow. There may be a change of direction on something."

A change in direction is something that the Downtown Burj Dubai development has seen on more than one occasion.

Pics from today: