CONSTRUCTION & TECHNOLOGY

Hyder Consulting has denied claims that the Burj Khlaifa could be a ‘storm machine’, despite recent speculation. Last month, CWO reported that various architectural blogs have claimed that the temperature at the pinnacle of the Burj Khalifa is eight degrees lower than at the base, which could ultimately lead to the collapse of the building.

The architect: George Efstathiou. The building is shaped like a Y, because this is a good model for residential layouts: it allows the maximum amount of perimeter for windows in living spaces and bedrooms. Tall buildings must be very efficient in their planning so that costs can be kept down. The pointed ends of the Y also resemble Islamic archways and there is Islamic patterning in the paving and floor patterns.

Soaring 2,717ft into the air above Dubai and with 1,292,500 sq ft of glass to keep spic and span, the £1billion Burj Khalifa presented a unique problem for maintenance teams. Dale Harding, the general manager of window cleaning company Cox Gomyl, said the firm installed £5million of hi-tech equipment, including unique window-cleaning carousels which they designed, to ensure the Burj Khalifa looks its best.

The group, which included a child, found themselves stuck at a height of 430m en-route to the observatory deck which is located on the 124th floor.

Plans call for a 3,200-foot-tall building that would eclipse the Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world's tallest. Miapolis would include an amusement park, a trade center, an observatory, a shopping mall, restaurants, condominiums, office space, a hotel and a marina.

The inauguration of Burj Khalifa — the world's tallest building — will feature a spectacular display of fireworks, light beams, choreographed water displays and sound and music effects that will portray the evolution of the world's most iconic new building in a breathtaking sensory journey.

Dubai: The humble elevator was the star of the show yesterday as Burj Khalifa opened to the public.

The completion of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, made scores of international headlines this week. Among those who took part in the huge project in the United Arab Emirates was a Czech firm called Pega Hoist, whose high-speed construction elevators were used throughout the building stage.

SUPERMAN could not, if he were alive today, have leaped the newly opened Burj Dubai in a single bound. It is the tallest building in the world.