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Nothing, not even the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, screams “boom-to-bust” louder. It was designed by world-class architects who command sky-high fees, including Britain’s Norman Foster. The boutiques — Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier — are the stores nobody wants to shop in any more, even if they can afford to.

The shops in Dubai Mall that were forced to close following a leak in its huge aquarium on Thursday, opened back to normal business on Friday. According to The National daily, the viewing tunnel running through the middle of the 10 million-litre tank remained closed.

Armani is credited with pioneering the concept of the lifestyle brand, and today his empire encompasses a couture line, several ready-to-wear lines, underwear, perfume, cosmetics, cafés and homeware. But the latest must-have in an Italian designer's portfolio is a hotel or two; Missoni and Versace have their own and Moschino unveiled one here in Milan this week. Not to be outdone, Armani will open his first hotel in April in the Burj Tower in Dubai.

When it comes to witnessing the sweeping vistas of the world, Mr Barry E. Wilmore and Dr Robert L. Satcher Jr have seen it all – from space. In Dubai on a private visit organised by GEMS Education, the two astronauts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), were treated to another awe-inspiring bird’s-eye view of the city – this time, from the highest point in the city, Burj Khalifa.

Visitors to the Dubai Aquarium can pay to swim in its shark-infested waters, but shoppers in the Gulf state almost had the chance for free when the attraction sprang a leak. The Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa are both managed by Emaar Properties and form the core of a $20 billion (£13 billion) development to establish a new modern centre for the Gulf state.

Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building developed by Emaar Properties, is readying to welcome its first residents with the orientation programme for home-owners of Armani Residences, located on levels 9 to 16 of the tower, currently ongoing. The interiors of the world-class and first of its kind Armani Residences is in the final stages, and finishing work of The Residences in Burj Khalifa is progressing at a fast pace.

With Google releasing new 3D imagery almost every week, urban sightseeing in Google Earth is getting better and better. Last month we mentioned the opening of the Burj Khalifa, so we thought it was probably time to look at more of the world's tallest buildings. Burj Khalifa, formerly known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m.

Readers of Daily Commercial News may have noticed the recent article about an elevator failure that caused Burj Khalifa in Dubai, to be closed just a month after its grand opening. Its promoters were calling it the world’s first building in motion.

At least one Oregon exporter defied gravity in 2009, getting its products a half mile in the sky above Dubai during a year when the state's foreign sales sank. Workers at Warm Springs Composite Products mixed a patented brew of earth, fiberglass and recycled newspaper to make fire-resistant-rated door parts for the Burj Khalifa, which opened recently as the world's tallest building.

We all know that the biggest, and most expensive of just about everything has been used on the Burj Khalifa, but did you realise that the project also broke new ground in machinery terms? We look at some of the tower's PMV landmarks.