Reuters (January 3, 2010)
"Started at the height of the economic boom and built by some 12,000 laborers, the world's tallest building will open on Monday in Dubai as the glitzy emirate seeks to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis.
"Burj Dubai, whose opening has been delayed twice since construction began in 2004, will mark another milestone for the deeply indebted emirate with a penchant for seeking new records.
"Dubai, one of seven members of the United Arab Emirates, gained a reputation for excess with the creation of man-made islands shaped like palms and an indoor ski slope in the desert.
"With investor confidence in Dubai badly bruised by the emirate's announcement in November that it would seek a debt standstill for one of its largest conglomerates, the Burj Dubai is seen as a positive start to the year after a bleak 2009...."
Drearily Predictable Complaints
Environmentalists, naturally, don't like Burj Dubai because it's big. "Carbon footprint" is the catchphrase these days.Human rights groups, naturally, figure the workers involved must be suffering. Hey: they're workers, so they must be oppressed, right? For some folks the idea that laborers, working outside a collective, might not be ground under the heel of the bourgeoisie seems to be unthinkable.
Like I've said before, the Lemming is apathetic only in the sense that I don't care about the 'right' things.
Burj Dubai: Lots of World Records
Burj Dubai is over 800 meters, 2625 feet, tall, with more than 160 stories. Today, the tower holds quite a few world records:- Tallest building in the world
- Tallest free-standing structure in the world
- Highest number of stories in the world
- Highest occupied floor in the world
- Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
- Not a typo:
- Outdoor observation deck
- Not a typo:
- Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
The superscraper's core is a spiral Y-shaped structure designed to minimize stress from wind pressure. The wings of the core are joined at the center by a hexagonal 'pipe.' From an architectural point of view, this is a quite impressive pile of concrete and steel. (Burj Dubai website, "Structure," "Burj Dubai Height, Facts & Figures")
I think that the title of one section of Burj Dubai's website gives a pretty good feel for how big this thing is: "Downtown Burj Dubai."
Related posts:
- "Strange and Fantastic Buildings: 80-plus Architectural Photos"
(February 23, 2009) - "Kilometer-High Tower on Hold"
(January 14, 2009)- It's in Dubai, too
- "Dubai Architecture: A Photo Gallery"
(October 25, 2008)- Micro-review of an impressive collection of photos, which were accompanied by mildly vulgar statements
- "Dynamic Tower in Dubai"
(July 11, 2008) - "Masdar City: Impressive Architecture, Ambitious Goal"
(March 14, 2008) - "More Dubai Architecture and Development"
(March 3, 2008) - "Dubai Architecture"
(February 23, 2008) - "Big-Budget Architecture"
(November 29, 2007) - "Another Dubai Development: Rich Country, Innovative Architecture"
(October 3, 2007) - "Indoor Ski Resort in Dubai"
(September 15, 2007)
- Burj Dubai
- "Massive Burj Dubai Skyscraper to Open Amid Crisis"
The Wall Street Journal (January 3, 2010) - "Burj Dubai Reaches Final Height"
blog, International luxury property listings (February 2, 2009) - "Labour unrest hampers Burj Dubai work"
Khaleej Times Online (March 22, 2006 )- Short version:
- Some workers at Burj Dubai didn't like
- How much money they were getting
- Having to wait for a bus
- So they
- Beat security officers
- Smashed about $1,000,000 worth of equipment
- Some workers at Burj Dubai didn't like
- The wages listed were quite low by American standards
- But the article omitted any information about local or regional costs of living
- Other issues:
- "better medical care"
- "humane treatment by foremen"
- Short version:
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