Gulf News

Just as the lights around the area go dim, everyone stops and cranes to watch the Dubai Fountain spectacle: a few minutes display of water dancing to music, rocketing up to 275 metres in the air. When the music stops, some onlookers and diners at outdoor tables clap their hands in awe.

With the handover of the Burj Khalifa residential units now starting, the market is beginning to get a feel for how much the rent should be for the 828-metre building's exclusive units.

"They want to get into the big boys' playground," said James Fortune, an elevator consultant who has advised architects on some of the world's tallest buildings, including the current record holder, Dubai's Burj Khalifa.

The screen offers a sensational illumination inside Prive, an exclusive night club attached to the newly-opened Armani Hotel at Burj Khalifa.

After a few delays, designer Giorgio Armani formally opened the world’s first Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa on Tuesday and said his company would, in partnership with Dubai-based Emaar Properties, open 10 more such hotels over the next 10 years.

The event began in Sydney in 2007, when two million people switched off their lights. In 2009, participation swelled to hundreds of millions as 4,159 cities, towns and municipalities across 88 countries joined in. The Burj Khalifa, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Grand Mosque, Emirates Palace, Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Emirates Towers and other landmarks will join the cause tomorrow.

Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) says Burj Khalifa builder Emaar has not shared blueprints in order for the 828-metre Dubai skyscraper to be truly certified as the world's tallest structure. "No, we haven't got a blueprint yet, but we'll probably get one sooner or later," Jan Klerks, CTBUH spokesman, told XPRESS from CTBUH's headquarters. "We'll sure let the world know when we do."

A Dubai resident has built a replica of the Burj Khalifa out of 160,000 phone cards. Manoj Khira spent over Dh110,000 over the last six months reconstructing the world's tallest building.

Almost four weeks after its sudden closure on February 6, the observation deck at the world's tallest tower is yet to reopen. While staff at the booking counter at the Burj Khalifa were seen telling guests on March 1 that At the Top on the 124th floor would be reopened within a week's time, an official statement from the tower management maintained that it continued to be shut down for maintenance.

Burj Khalifa, which has experienced several lightning strikes, boasts one of the most advanced lightning prevention systems in the world, said Param Singh, regional marketing manager at Manav Enterprises, the company which installed the lightning protection system in the tower.