CONSTRUCTION & TECHNOLOGY

Suspended from the ceiling of an atrium, the shimmering cascade is intended to be a poetic evocation of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, in Dubai. Since 18 minutes remained before the show's official 6 p.m. opening, there was still time -- theoretically, at least -- to remove the lifts and install a pile of mirrored rocks designed to suggest the elaborate reflecting pools that surround the Burj in its desert homeland.

Adrian Smith, 66, is the senior design partner at Chicago-based Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill Architecture. While at his previous firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Mr. Smith designed the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which at 2,717-feet high is the world’s tallest, along with China’s Nanjing’s Zifeng Tower, Chicago’s Trump International Hotel & Tower and Shanghai’s Jin Mao Tower.

"In the meantime, with construction continuing on site, people can now see the superstructure rising above the bridges and roads that surround the Dubai Pearl site which is located at the base of Palm Jumeirah. Dubai Pearl will begin to have a physical impact so everyone driving past the site will be able to follow its construction from now until completion."

Tameer Holding Investment on Sunday said the world's tallest residential tower will be completed in December. The property developer said its Princess Tower project in Dubai was on schedule and the superstructure of the project was now complete. The tower will rise to 414m (1,358ft) and will be second only in height to the Burj Khalifa.

Wuhan, it appears, wants to put itself on the map with a scale-shattering, skyline icon like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which Smith designed while at the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This one will pay greater attention to sustainability than its counterpart in Dubai and will feature a wind-resistant streamlined form.

Dubai home prices were down 8.2 per cent from March last year, the property firm reported. But prices have increased 2.1 per cent since October, including a slight 0.6 per cent bump in the first three months of the year, the property firm reported.

Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world will be on showcase at the forum. “The higher the building the risk is higher as well. We will present a case study of Burj Khalifa because it has all the safety system that protects lives. It has an evacuation system and evacuation lifts instead of a staircase in case of fire and its 38 lifts are fire and smoke-proof.

The award will be presented at the CTBUH's 10th annual awards dinner which will held on October 27 at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, US. INDEX now finds itself in the running for the 2011 Best Tall Building Worldwide Award, as the regional win places it among the four nominees for the overall prize. The 2010 prize for Best Tall Building Worldwide was awarded to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Recent Crystal projects include the World Voices water installation at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the first-ever water shows on a cruise ship on the Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure of the Seas, Ferrari World at Yas Island Abu Dhabi and White Square office complex in Moscow.

Gulf News had earlier reported that the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, is supported by a large reinforced concrete mat, which is in turn supported by bored reinforced concrete piles. The design is based on extensive geotechnical and seismic investigations and analysis.