Photos of Burj Dubai elevator shaft with extra information

Here is a couple photos of Burj Dubai elevator shafts. Here is some extra info about the elevators that will be in the Burj Dubai.

Otis, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), will supply and install 66 elevators and escalators – including 20 Gen2™ flat-belt machine-roomless elevators – at Emaar Properties’ Burj Dubai, which will be the world’s tallest building when completed in 2008.

“Dubai is experiencing unprecedented growth and is fast becoming one of the most vibrant metropolises in the world,” said Ari Bousbib, president of Otis Elevator Company. “Otis is proud to be a participant in the prestigious Burj Dubai project in partnership with premier development, design and construction companies.”

When completed, the iconic tower will change the skyline of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At more than 700 meters (more than 2,297 feet), the 160 plus-story Burj Dubai will become the tallest building in the world, surpassing the 101-story Taipei Financial Center by more than 200 meters (656 feet).

“Otis was committed to seeking solutions and providing the necessary resources to accommodate the unique design and needs of the building,” said Fred Durie, executive director, Emaar Properties, Burj Dubai’s owner and the world’s largest real estate developer by market capitalization. “Given Otis’ outstanding reputation and proven installations worldwide, we felt confident that there were no limits to what we could accomplish in undertaking one of the world’s most ambitious projects.”

As part of the US $36 million contract, Otis will supply and install 58 elevators and eight escalators. Among the elevators are 20 Gen2 machine-roomless units, featuring Otis’ unique coated-steel, flat-belt technology, and two double-deck units, which will service Burj’s observation deck. The double-deck elevators, capable of accommodating 23 persons on each deck, will have the world’s highest rise and longest travel distance, and be among the world’s fastest at 10 meters per second (more than 20 mph).

Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) designed the unique building, which mixes functional modernist surfaces with decorative form. The design of the Burj Dubai is derived from the geometries of the desert flower and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture. The building contractor is Samsung Corporation of Korea, which ranks first in Korea and sixth in the world for high-rise construction. New York-based Turner Construction International is the project and construction manager.

With a total floor area of 460,000 square meters, Burj will include the very first Armani Hotel and combine serviced residences, luxury apartments, world-class restaurants and leisure and entertainment facilities. Burj Dubai is part of a US $20 billion urban development in the heart of Dubai, spreading across 500 acres and combining world class commercial, residential, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with landscaped open green spaces dotted with lakes and numerous water features.

Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products) including elevators, escalators and moving walkways. With headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, Otis employs 60,000 people, offers products and services in more than 200 countries and territories and maintains more than 1.45 million elevators and escalators worldwide. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the commercial building and to the aerospace industries.

Burj Dubai March 31st 2008 photo update 2

Burj Dubai March 31st 2008 photo update 2, Here is some photos of the crane and the steel work going on atop the Burj Dubai. The next level of steel is starting and cladding work is progressing nicely.

Burj Dubai March 31st 2008 photo update

Burj Dubai March 31st 2008 photo update, here is a couple shots from today of the skyline of dubai and a shot of downtown Dubai from level 140 of the Burj Dubai.

Savoy owner plans world's tallest building

The race to build the world's tallest building has reached a new level with plans for a mile-high tower to be built near the Red Sea port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The multi-billionaire owner of the Savoy Hotel in London has unveiled plans for the ambitious £5 billion tower, which will overtake skyscrapers planned or under construction in Kuwait and Dubai.

The Mile High Tower will be double the height of its nearest rival, and will be almost seven times the height of the Canary Wharf tower in London. Visitors will be able to see Africa from the top of the tower, the Sunday Times newspaper reports.

Riyadh-based Kingdom Holding, which is controlled by billionaire Prince al-Walid bin Talal, will invite bids before July for contracts to build the tower in Saudi Arabia's commercial capital. The project will push architecture and engineering to new limits, as the tower must be robust enough to withstand the extremes of temperature and strong desert winds in the region.

Gulf Arab states, flush with funds from record high oil prices, are trying to outstrip each other to build the world's tallest building. They have opened up a strong gap over east Asian countries in the race, with mega-skyscrapers planned or under construction in Kuwait and the booming United Arab Emirate of Dubai.

The Burj Dubai, which is due for completion in 2009, had previously been predicted to take the crown as the world's tallest man-made structure. Prince al-Walid, a member of the Saudi royal family, bought the Savoy Hotel, in the Strand in London, for £1.25 billion in 2005

All of the worlds tallest towers in Manhattan

Here is a nice photo of what all of the worlds tallest towers would look like if they were in Manhattan.