I heard about the Burj Dubai some time ago but when I saw these I thought it was about time I blogged about it.
Burj Dubai ( "Dubai Tower") is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, despite being incomplete. Construction began in 2004 and is expected to be completed and ready for occupation in September 2009.
The projected final height of Burj Dubai is officially being kept a secret due to competition from other buildings under construction or proposed; however, figures released by a contractor on the project have suggested a height of around 818 m (2,684 ft).
Over 45,000 m3 of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes were used to construct the concrete and steel foundation, which features 192 piles buried more than 164 ft deep. When completed, Burj Dubai's construction will have used 330,000 m3 of concrete and 39,000 tonnes of steel rebar (enough to extend over a quarter of the way around the world if laid end-to-end)
As construction of the tower progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to vertically pump the thousands of cubic metres of concrete that are required. Concrete is pumped to a delivery height of 601 m - special mixes of concrete are made to withstand the extreme pressures of the massive weight of the tower.
The consistency of the concrete on the project is essential. It was difficult to create a concrete that could withstand the thousands of tonnes bearing down on it and also withstand Gulf temperatures that can reach 50 °C (122 °F). To combat this problem, the concrete is not poured during the day. Instead, ice is added to the mixture and it is poured at night when it is cooler and the humidity is higher. A cooler concrete mixture cures evenly throughout and therefore is less likely to set too quickly and crack. Any significant cracks could put the whole project in jeopardy.
It has the world's fastest lifts at 40mph and will, of course, be decadently furnished and technologically class-leading throughout. No expense spared i'm sure.
It's a big bugger isn't it? I mean it just dwarfs the skyscrapers around it.
You can see in this comparison though why this one is a little bit special. I mean look how much taller this is then anything else. Over the years mankind has constantly striven to make the world's tallest building and the fame and immortality it brings. I mean, who has never heard of The Empire State Building? Each time the record was beaten, it was by a few feet here, a radio-mast-add-on there and so forth. This one just slaps them all down. I mean it's just gargantuan isn't it!
The obligatory artist's impression of the finished project.
