What looked like a spectacular meteor shower marked the long-awaited opening of today’s tallest man-made structure on earth, dazzling the pessimistic western prognosticators and finally putting all the speculative madness surrounding the skyscraper to rest. The biggest secret that the developer Emaar had been mum about and speculators hungry for was the exact height of the Robert Wadlow of buildings which was finally revealed yesterday in an awe-inspiring show. Fountains danced to the rhythm of regional music taking different shapes, rainbow-colored beams of light threw life to the magnificent metal-and-glass spire and blazes of fireworks lit Dubai’s sky for at least half and hour.
Throngs of spectators gathered at Burj Khalifa Island Park to witness the remarkable event that would send Dubai’s message to the world that it had managed to extricate itself from some of the worst financial crises. The event started as soon as Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai arrived accompanied by other dignitaries. While the eight skydivers with UAE-colored parachutes flew down holding pictures of Shaikh Mohammad and Shaikh Khalifa, the pyrotechnic marvel was all ready to light the night. What followed was multiple rounds of fireworks complemented by fountains, lights and music. With jaws dropped, eyes popped and many looking straight up continuously for thirty minutes, every dramatic stunt caused the spectators to gasp. Most called the event a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
As expected, the exact height of the building was finally disclosed: 828 metres (2,717 ft). As not expected, the building was renamed: from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa. The latter was done in honour of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which has bailed Dubai out to the tune of $25 billion in the past year.
Building Specs
The construction of this half-mile edifice began in Sep 2004. With a height of 828 metres and cost of $1.5-billion (930.7 million pounds), this drop-dead tall building features luxury apartments, offices, a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani and the world's highest mosque (158th floor) and swimming pool (76th floor) among other things. The tower was designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which has a long track record in engineering some of the world's tallest buildings, including the Willis Tower.
The number of storeys the tower contains has long been unclear. In his earlier response to the question, Mohammed Alabbar, chairman of the tower's developer Emaar Properties said that the building had ''more than 200'' stories, but later backtracked to “over 165 inhabitable floors” due to the tower’s tapered tip.
But how safe it is to live and work so high up? The developers are confident about the safety of the building. According to Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects, “refuge floors” have been constructed at 20 to 30 storey intervals. These refuge floors have more strength to resists fire with separate air supplies for emergencies. Greg adds that Burj Khaleefa is a reinforced concrete structure which makes it stronger than most steel-frame skyscrapers. ''A plane won't be able to slice through the Burj like it did through the steel columns of the World Trade Center,'' he said.
Height Comparison
Burj Khalifa, also dubbed as the “vertical city” is 300 metres (1,000 feet) higher than Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which at 1,667 feet had been the world's tallest since 2004. Willis Tower in Chicago, United States boasts a height of 1,451 feet without its spires which bring its height to 1,729 feet that would beat Taipei 101. The World Trade Center towers both topped 1,360 feet before they fell prey to the 9/11 terrorism. The Freedom Tower being planned for the WTC site will measure 1,776 feet, with completion estimated in 2013.
