Burj Dubai - by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

[larven]

Could this be the world’s first super-skyscraper?

At an unofficial height of 800m+ it is far taller than anything built so far and taller than any proposed structure with the exception of the 1000m solar power chimneys in Australia. Below is a portion of an interview relating to Burj Dubai conducted by skyscrapers.com with Adrain Smith of SOM who has designed this incredible building.

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/4/9/5/burj_pers_10_03_495.jpg


Burj Dubai is an interesting project because there is very little context for a building of this height to draw from in Dubai. The city has a heritage similar to Bahrain – it’s a historic Middle Eastern trading port with lots of desert and the same water conditions, but here I am trying to connect on a more organic level. You know the onion dome shapes that you see in mosques and other buildings in Dubai, for example; we used these shapes but in plan, not in elevation. The onion dome shapes will only be seen when looking up from near the base at certain angles.


At the setbacks?

Yes, so if you point it out to someone who doesn’t know about it they might say, "Ah-ha! I see what you’re talking about!" The other aspect that relates to Dubai is the desert flower - the shape of the desert flower has three major petals and three minor petals. This is seen in plan and is a central organizing force in the building.


Will the building have lobes as you might see it from the top view?

Yes, the lobes at the base of the building are the entry vestibules to the various functions. Looking down from the sky you would be able to see these elements and discern the shape of the flower. The base of the building will be very dense with a stainless steel latticework, which will have characteristics similar to the traditional mashrabiyya screens used in Islamic architecture. The traditional screens are typically made of wood, and they are used to block a lot of light and heat from coming into the spaces they contain, giving a filtered light quality to the interior space. Usually you can open pieces of the screen if you want to look out. The base of Burj Dubai will be heavily screened on the first three or four levels to give it a dense metallic texture.


Will the building be a mix of concrete and steel?

The structure is all reinforced concrete below the spire. The spire above the observation floors will be steel. Architecturally, the building will transition from a solid base expression to a vertically expressed midddle section of polished stainless steel projected metal fins and glass. I wanted to use only vertical elements here because the fine dust in Dubai's air will build up on any horizontal projecting elements of the wall. They have sandstorms quite frequently so in order to reduce maintenance costs this tower will have virtually no horizontal ledges.


Burj Dubai is going to be an incredibly tall building from the renderings I’ve seen. Can you tell us how tall you’re going to build it?

Well, we want to keep it purposely under wraps so that nobody knows the height until it’s finished. Emaar, our client, definitely wants Burj Dubai to be the tallest building in the world upon completion. We may include elements that can grow during construction, if needed. You know from the history of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building that height can be added to the design during construction.


When you’re building that tall, what kinds of challenges do you face? It seems to me that when you take it to that next level the economic challenges must be astronomical compared to other super-tall buildings such as Sears Tower?

Economics is a very important issue, and I’ll get back to that, but from a structural engineering perspective I believe we’re pushing the limits of the height at which structures can be built profitably at this time. This one happens to be a concrete core with concrete arms going out towards the three legs of the building. We do believe that we have a project here that can be justified economically. The building will offer terrific condominium units of the highest standard with incredible views at a very high efficiency ratio of net to gross area. The combination of residential and hotel uses makes this a viable project economically. We have learned this from both Tower Palace III in Seoul, Korea and Trump Tower Chicago, both very tall buildings which are predominantly residential.


Is there any similarity to the bundled tube concept of Sears Tower and One Magnificent Mile?

No, and the structural concept being used in _Burj Dubai structure could only be used in residential and hotel-type buildings because of the cellular nature of the floorplan. But it happens to be a very efficient and cost-effective structure because it's all concrete. Concrete is the least expensive and most rigid material for tall buildings. If this were done in steel it would move too much in the wind for a residential building. The structure will be very different from Sears and One Mag Mile.


I suppose it's no coincidence then that the highest residences you could have in a steel structure are those within the John Hancock Center.

Well, one could go taller than the Hancock Center in steel but the economics of the steel structure would be prohibitive given the stiffness that the structure would have to achieve. Super-tall building engineering is all about trying to eliminate the perception of movement within the building.

Does that have to do with a bettter quality of concrete?

Well, that’s interesting. This building has been engineered very carefully, and on super-tall buildings there are all sorts of factors that affect how the structure will work. For example, a building with the same shape of floor plate all the way up and down is not as good as a shape that changes as it goes up. And there’s a phenomenon when the wind blows on a building: let’s say the wind is blowing from the west – it will hit the west façade and it has to get around the building, so it starts moving up the wall, down, and around the sides. The wind actually accelerates because it has to move not only the air that’s blocked by the façade but also the air by the two sides, compressing the air as it moves around the tower. This compression at the tower's edge and subsequent decompression on the back side of the tower creates eddies, or vortexes, that can exert stronger forces on the building than the wind itself and these forces tend to pull or rock the building from side to side. It is this acceleration of movement that we design to control.
_
Was there anything remarkable about the way your design for _Tower Palace Three, Tower G in Seoul was designed to handle wind loads?

Yes, basically the shape and skin texture of the building play an important role in vortex shedding because they can help to prevent the forces from building up in a harmonious way. The three-legged shape of the floor plan on Tower Palace III and Burj Dubai give the buildings significant width to withstand horizontal movement and depth to buttress against the wind forces.

We’ve been through three wind tunnel tests on Burj Dubai. One of the important things we learned was that the taller legs need to be on the sides of the prevailing wind rather than the front face because that sheds the vortexes more effectively. The texture of the façade and the weight distribution also affect how wind impacts the structure – for instance how much weight is at the top of the building, and where the columns are placed.

When do they expect to start construction?

They want to start foundations in January 2004.

[emmeka]

It looks fasinating, its a bit messy though. itll take me a while to get used to it. I wsnt sure wether it was a pipe dream or not a t first but its much more serious. if it does become the wtb then I hope that it gets overtaken shothly after its completed.

[NoyokA]

I agree, the bottom is a mess. I like how the top dissolves though.

[emmeka]

It seems to have about 180 floors, i havent counted them, but that or more. The likeleyhood of it being overtaken soon is very small.

[NoyokA]

The liklihood of it being built is even smaller.

[JMGarcia]

Au contraire, if building super-tall is based on ego and money then I'd say it has a very good chance of being built. Who knows exactly how tall though.

[TLOZ Link5]

I happen to like the base.

[JMGarcia]

The base would be pretty nasty of a European city fabric or even that of the older, more urban US cities but it works well in semi-urban context of a place like Dubai.

http://swiss.jeeran.com/dm2.jpg

[DominicanoNYC]

The setting is perfect.

[Eugenius]

Given that the environment in Dubai is a flat desert, with few other tall buildings around, the views out of the apartments are going to be pretty boring. It will be akin to looking out of the window of an airplane.

[JonY]

An amazing looking structure to say the least.

The urban plan pic that JM Garcia posted makes it look like the world's largest sun dial.

Quote from the Adrian Smith interview in regard to the overall structural shape "the shape of the desert flower has three major petals and three minor petals.". Not the first time a scraper has been formed around the shape of a flower. I always somehow find that amusing.

If all goes well and according to plan, Burj Dubai's construction is expected to be completed by 2008/9.

[NyC MaNiAc]

Just for bragging rights, I hope the Freedom Tower is the tallest for at least a day...

[MidnightRambler]

Given that the environment in Dubai is a flat desert, with few other tall buildings around, the views out of the apartments are going to be pretty boring. It will be akin to looking out of the window of an airplane.

I agree. What's the point of building something that tall out on the edge of Dubai? It'll look almost as silly as it will impressive.

[Pilaro]

JMGarcia wrote:it works well in semi-urban context of a place like Dubai.


I have this nagging feeling that such a large tower will feel horribly out of place in the semi-urban setting. Secondly, looking at the rendering, all of the greenery and the lake seem to be terrible wastes in the desert region. I know the water is desalinated but still... Other than this the design seems nice.

[Johnnyboy]

Burj Dubay is defenetly an amaizing structure if build but, how can such a nation or city build something like that. I understand they are prospering but, are they really wealthy enough to build such a massive project? I believe this project will go bankrupt or something will go wrong stopping the project or at least giving it a smaller height. The burj dubay is an amaizing structure not for the building itself but for its suroundings. The building itself is not my tipe. It seems to belong in a past age. From what ive seen in present building desighns, such buildings like world financial center and freedom tower look better and much more modern than this but yet, it does not look bad at all.

Do any of u think the burj dubay will go bankrupt? Prease reply. thanks

[ube]

Do any of u think the burj dubay will go bankrupt?
No. One word.... Oil! :)

[Jasonik]

DTZ (http://www.dtz.com/) clinches consultancy contract of Dubai Mall (http://www.thedubaimall.com/)

BY BABU DAS AUGUSTINE
14 July 2004


DUBAI - DTZ Debenham Tie Leung's Southeast Asian team has clinched an exclusive consultancy contract in Emaar's project to build the world's largest retail mall in Dubai.


The DTZ team based in Singapore won the research and marketing consultancy contract from among the three firms who were invited to bid for the* three-year consultancy job.

Although the total value of the contract is not known, DTZ Southeast Asia executive chairman Edmund Tie told the Singapore-based Business Times that it could* run into several millions of dollars.

Designed by Singapore's DP Architects (http://www.dparchitects.com/), the mall is to be an integral part of the Burj Dubai development of Emaar Properties (http://www.emaar.com/), which will include residential, hotel and office complexes.

The 12 million square feet shopping colossus to be built as an integral part of the Burj Dubai Development is estimated to cost more than Dh2.6 billion. The project, currently under the tender stage will have more than 5 million square feet of retail space of which 3.6 million square feet can be leased which will include the largest indoor gold retail market of 160,000 square feet.

The 400-acre urban city, developed by Emaar Properties, is also expected to boast the world's tallest skyscraper. Emaar expects to attract 35 million visitors in the first full year of business, with a continuing growth of 20 to 30 per cent a year.

The mall project is targeted at more than 1.5 billion strong market of the region. The developement, according to a top Emaar official is based on thorough statistical analysis. Dubai is just two hours flight time away from major markets including Iran, India Pakistan and the Middle East countries.

One of the key components of this unique retail portfolio will be a host of first-time brands in Dubai which will occupy 45 per cent of the Mall's retail space. The Dubai Mall is only one element of Emaar's iconic Burj Dubai Development. The ambitious real estate venture will also feature the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, the Old Town, the Residences, an Office Park and a lush 60-acre landscaped park, all linked by an impressive 3-km long Boulevard. The development will be spread over the 400 acres adjacent to the first interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road.

Billed to be the world's largest mall when completed, the project is considered one of the world's most daring retail property development.

DTZ is a leading global real estate services company providing a full range of services on a local, regional and international markets. The company has has over 6,500 staff operating from 125 offices in 33 countries. It offers key* service lines of investment, occupiers services, valuation, business space, retail, property management and building consultancy, among others. In the Asia Pacific, DTZ is in 23 cities covering the main markets of Australia and New Zealand, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia with offices in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and main south-east Asian markets.

[Jimbo Holland]

it's heights are 705 metres and it became build by the family of osama bin laden (emaar property's)

www.emaar.com

[larven]

Emaar Properties today announced that Samsung Corporation, the Korean group, has been appointed the main contractor for its iconic Burj Dubai tower.

http://www.ameinfo.com/images/news/4/10484-Burj.jpg
Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman Emaar Properties and Kim Kye Ho, Executive Vice President Samsung Corporation shake hands following the announcement of the contract to build the Burj Dubai.

The signature concrete and steel tower is set to become the tallest structure in the world and will be the centerpiece of Emaar's prestigious Downtown Dubai development.

The Burj Dubai tower is part of the US$8 billion 500-acre Downtown Dubai Development, which on completion will become the Middle East's finest urban development in terms of design and lifestyle.

The contract was awarded to Samsung following an 11-month bidding process that began earlier this year and involved tender bids from major global contractors.

The excavating, piling work and raft foundation for this global architectural landmark has been completed and construction of the Tower from ground up will now be taken up by Samsung, a huge step forward in the progress of the building. Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) designed the Tower and Turner Construction International is the project and construction manager.

Samsung Corporation has been involved in the construction of numerous high-rise structures around the world and Samsung Group, its parent company, is the Fortune ranked 14th largest company in the world.

Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, said: 'Samsung Corporation has been awarded this contract because it matches Emaar's global quality standards and processes which have become benchmarks for real estate developers around the world. The company has an impeccable reputation and unrivalled expertise in constructing tall towers.

'Samsung Corporation's appointment is a defining moment and the Tower is set to rise and change the face of Dubai. The Tower represents the next stage of growth for Emaar and will be the basis for future developments and act as signpost for the ambitions of the region.'

A formal ceremony was held on the Burj Dubai site on September 20, 2004 when the concrete pouring operation for the Tower's raft foundation was witnessed by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence.

The Tower will combine residential and commercial space, and will include a boutique hotel, recreational facilities, serviced residences, apartments and an observatory. Its unique mix of functional modernist surfaces and decorative form contains abstract references to regional and cultural influences. The Tower's base rises upward in a series of steps, providing a graceful transition as the structure ascends.

The Tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. As it rises from the flat desert base, each element is set back in an upward-spiraling helical pattern, decreasing the mass of the tower as it reaches toward the sky and thereby decreasing the wind effects.

A high performance exterior cladding system will be employed to withstand the extreme temperatures during Dubai's summer months. Primary materials include reflective glazing, aluminum and textured stainless steel panels and vertical stainless tubular fins accentuating the height and slenderness of the Tower.

The Burj Dubai and The Dubai Mall are part of the Middle East region's finest urban development, the Burj Dubai District. Located within the 500-acre development, the two awe inspiring buildings are surrounded by lakes and landscaped gardens; The Boulevard, a 3.5km long parade bordered by buildings that draw on a range of styles from around the world; The Residences' exclusive up-market apartments; and the stylish antiquity of The Old Town.

[Ninjahedge]

Looks good, but here are the problems:

material strength. To get that much structure that high, even with a bit of dispersal at the base, the steel would have to be VERY copious. You need a HELL of a lot to support something like that.


OK, it looks nice and all, but look at its aspect ratio. Even if you were to get it to be viable, structurally, you have problems with deflection.

Now, granted there may be almost no seismic out there. Who knows, there might not be any requirement, the fact that it is windy is a problem. You have this large, odd shaped, slender building going up to extreme heights. You risk vibrational response from the wind.

This vibrational response, even if it were possible to resist, would prove problematic with servicability (Hancock towers and its window problems) or human perception (the WTC had a problem with the vertical lines between the building. People looking out would get sick seeing them sway so much....)

So, viscous dampers such as fluid dampers or active brace dampers would be needed. You are talking more $$, and also more SPACE needed.

Like I said, it looks neat, but I do not think it is feasable with todays technology.


FEASABLE mind you, not IMPOSSIBLE......

[Bob]

Spectacular. THIS is what the "Freedom Tower" could have been.

[jiw40]

How do you suppose they'll get the concrete to above,let's say,1700 feet.(Whenever I see these grand concepts I start to think logistics)

[Ninjahedge]

Concrete is not a good high rise material.

It is stiff, and durable, and they have special mixes now that are getting the compression strengths up into the 10KSI range, but there are several problems with it.

First, the sheer size of the building. The ammount of high strength concrete you would need to just HOLD this tower up would be enormous. Floor plan areas would be compromised when you have 1m-2m thick walls at the base holding this whole thing up.

Second, like I said earlier, the aspect ratio. The thing about slender buildings is that the moment generated by the lateral force (the torque from pushingthe building sideways along its height) has to be resisted by something. That something is the base. You have to get a twist applied at the base. Part of that twist comes from the weight of the building itself, like trying to topple over a large block. But the taller and more slender the block, the less its own weight helps.

You have to tie down the base so it does not lift off its supports. This is called "uplift".

It is a PITA, especially since concrete, in itself, is not very good in tension. The reinforcement is all that can resist it in design, and there is only so much reinforcement you are allowed to put in concrete.

Concrete encased steel columns may be the only way to get what they need down below.

As for pumping the concrete up? I think they would have to find either some way to feild mix it, or airlift it. Cranes are not that high, and lift times may be prohibitive. You would DEFINITELY not be able to pump it (1700ft at 150 PCF would yeild 255,000psf/1771psi for the weight of the concrete alone, nevermind friction from the concrete on the edges of the pipe/hose and its own viscosity......)

But, like I said, the biggest DESIGN problem for this building seems to be the wind.

[Alonzo-ny]

the building will be a cool addition to the skyscraper world but will not alone take nys crown as skyscraper capitol, ny had 70 odd years of uncontested wtb and that will be hard to beat

[BrooklynRider]

Thanks Ninja, you explained the challenges very well.

It is hard to imagine the size of the building, although the lines "look" nice. How big is the foot print? Comparable to anything in NY?

[larven]

Here is the footprint of the building showing the "arabic flower" shape.

http://www.construction.com/NewsCenter/photoart/031124-13B.jpg[/QUOTE]

[PHLguy]

-Is this really going to be built??

[NyC MaNiAc]

Well, it's supposedly already u/c...

[ZippyTheChimp]

Now you've done it. He'll just get upset all over again.

We may as well learn about the United Arab Emirates.

Fun Facts from the CIA World Factbook

Map of the UAE
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/maps/ae-map.gif

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ae.html

[Kolbster]

Dubia is going building crazy! i was recently looking at what is being built there, and there are like 20 structures over 800 feet

[Jimbo Holland]

how they can build such a tower in such a small country?
i think as the tower is build that many offices are in use.

stupid to build a tower of 705 metres of offices in such a small country with 2.5 million people.....

[Jimbo Holland]

Name: Burj Dubai
Location: SZR
Floors: 160+
Height: 800+ (maybe 950 or even 1000)
Use: Residential, COmmercial, Hotel
Construction Start: March 2004
Construction End: Late 2007 to 2008

Burj Dubai Masterplan:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/Masterplan.jpg

First Construction Pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/11020burj_dubai-december2004-1.jpg

The great wall of the construction site:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f819d49f.jpg

Tower Cranes:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f82e8e71.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f819d4a0.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f819d4ae.jpg

More Construction pics :lol: :
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f819d4a4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f819d4a2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f819d4a1.jpg

Another Pictures:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/f81a9b50.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/Burj20Dubai2020Residences.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/Burj%20Dubai/Burj20Dubai2.jpg

Greetings From Jimbo.... 8)

[TLOZ Link5]

Just when we thought Dubai couldn't go any more over the top...

The World has the world in a spin

http://www.internationalreports.net/middleeast/dubai/2003/images/offshore.jpg
The World is an offshore land development made up of 220 man-made islands that will be home to exclusive hotels and residences.

The international media community is used to a string of innovative real estate projects coming out of Dubai. Landmark developments such as The Palm have captured the imagination of magazine and newspaper editors across the globe, with images of Dubai’s futuristic projects spread across a succession of international publications. However, nothing prepared journalists for Nakheel’s awe-inspiring new project - The World.

The World is a series of 223 man-made islands, strategically positioned to form the shape of a map of the world. Located five kilometers off the coast of Dubai, The World will be 3.4 miles in both length and width, covering 60 million square feet, including 10 million square feet of beach. The concept was conceived by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Minister of Defense.

“The World is set to be the most exclusive private water retreat available in Dubai,” says Nakheel Chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. “It will provide an intriguing and one-of-a-kind haven for investors looking for an exclusive and world-class real estate opportunity.”

Each of the islands will be themed to reflect the countries and regions they represent. Nakheel has placed tight restrictions on the height of developments to ensure the correct ambience is retained within the islands, and a series of waterways, canals and lakes have been integrated into the overall design. The development is aimed squarely at the elite residential and tourist market.

“We will be creating 223 islands,” says Mr. Bin Sulayem. “Each island cluster will be positioned in a way to look like a continent and islands clustered together will make a country. The design is now finished, the tender is analyzed, and we are about to begin work on reclamation, which will take around two years.”

Prior to finalizing the exact design, a team of international professionals researched existing islands around the world in order to ensure the individual island’s shapes are as functional and appealing as possible.

To ensure maximum security and exclusivity, access to the island will be strictly by marine transport – there will be no road link to The World. Two breakwaters will be built around the island network - including an above-water revetment and a submerged reef - to protect it from the ebb and flow of the tides, which could wash away the shoreline if it weren’t protected. Construction work is due to begin in late 2003, with the project due for total completion by 2008.

© Copyright InternationalReports.net, 2003

[Jimbo Holland]

you had also "the palm":
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/more/palm_location.jpg

the landscape architecture is made by a netherlands company.

[Jimbo Holland]

here check this...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/The%20Pinnacle/eq-2.jpg

Left - right:
The Petronas Towers, Burj Dubai, CN-Tower, One Canada Square, Freedom Tower.

[Jimbo Holland]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/The%20Pinnacle/december2004-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/The%20Pinnacle/0burjbase7.jpg

here are some more pics of the foundation. :lol:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/The%20Pinnacle/0burjbase6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/The%20Pinnacle/0burjbase4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/The%20Pinnacle/0burjbase5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/The%20Pinnacle/0burjbase3.jpg

[PHLguy]

That floor plate looks really small...maybe it will be more like 600 meters. , not 800

[TonyO]

...interesting background on why Dubai will have the WTB:

WSJ 1/20/05

Dubai Tries to Find Its Place in the World In the Record Books; Locals Light 2,100 Candles And Build Longest Sofa; A 7.5-Mile Line of Verse

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Not far from the world's biggest man- made island and the world's tallest hotel here is a luxury apartment building that will be topped by the world's highest and largest sundial.

A few minutes down the road, construction has begun on the world's tallest building, to be flanked by the world's most spacious shopping mall, housing the world's largest indoor aquarium. Each March, the nearby racetrack runs the world's richest horse race, with a $6 million purse.

"All over Dubai, you have so many world records," says Bevis Douyers, restaurant manager at the Ramada Dubai Hotel. "This one's old -- almost 25 years," he says, gazing up the hotel's 12-story atrium at the world's largest stained-glass mural.

Dubai, a city-state in the United Arab Emirates with a population of a little more than one million, would rank as one of the world's smallest countries on its own. Helped by the draw of year-round sun and desert-sand beaches, it boasts one of the world's fastest-growing economies. But until a few years ago, it was one of the world's least- known destinations.

To grab a place on the world map, locals turned to the Guinness Book of World Records, with stunts like building the world's longest sofa (100 feet), lighting the largest number of candles on a cake (2,100) and creating the world's largest incense burner (10 feet tall). In a sign of its global perspective, Dubai in 1998 financed the world's first cross between an Arabian camel and an Andean llama, dubbed a cama.

"It's an awful lot of records for such a small place," says Guinness World Records Ltd. spokesman Sam Knights. Dubai could even be on track to set the record for most records per capita, he figures.

As Dubai's wealth grew in recent years, so did the world's biggest Napoleon complex. The emirate's rulers, emboldened by economic success, wanted to escape the shadow of more prominent neighbors. Abu Dhabi, the emirate next door, is far richer. Nearby India, Iran and Pakistan are far larger. Dubai far outdoes them in its unabashed need for attention.

Many of the records were set purely for publicity as part of the monthlong Dubai Shopping Festival, an annual sale that draws consumers from around the world. There will be more on Feb. 8, in the Dubai World Records Venture, part of the shopping festival. Officials plan to set six records. They include the largest national flag formed by students, the largest mosaic made of cans, the largest flaming image, and the largest gathering of men named Mohammed.

Beyond these ventures, money is pouring into Dubai from around the Mideast, where it boasts a reputation for stability, openness and enterprise. Those investors are helping build Dubai's economy and realize its dreams of creating a glittering, modern oasis.

"Stunts were more of a marketing thing," says Mohammed Abdul Mannan, spokesman at the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. He says he may skip the Feb. 8 gathering of men named Mohammed. "You eat the world's largest cake and then you forget it," he says. "It doesn't help the economy."

Mr. Mannan wrote the book on Dubai's world records. Entitled "Dubai: A City Making History," the coffee-table tome lists 43 of Dubai's achievements. Besides the couch, the cake and the sundial, they include the world's biggest spaghetti bowl and world's biggest cradle.

Mr. Mannan says those feats pale compared to serious tourist attractions like the world's most expensive water park and largest indoor ski slope, slated to open later this year. Dubai officials hope such mammoth creations will entice tourists to return once they've tired of beaches and sun.

And to draw a wealthier crowd of tourists, Dubai has erected the world's tallest building used solely as a hotel, perched on a man-made island just offshore in the Persian Gulf. The 1,053-foot-tall, sail- shaped Burj Al Arab claims to be the world's most luxurious hotel. Each room, from the basic Deluxe up to the $7,600-a-night Royal Suite, is a duplex with its own butler.

Out in the water nearby, clearly visible from the hotel's 54th-floor bar, Palm Island is almost finished. Meticulously dredged in the shape of a palm tree, it will soon have about 2,000 luxury villas rising from its drying banks. By adding 75 miles of beachfront, planners also created a new region where officials are comfortable selling land to foreigners. In Dubai itself, outsiders were traditionally allowed only to rent property. Demand has been so strong that the developers are preparing two more, even bigger islands.

The second Palm Island will feature an aquatic theme park and be surrounded by the world's largest community in the shape of Arabic calligraphy: 1,060 homes jutting up from the water on stilts will form a 7.5 mile-long line of verse visible from the air. Penned by Dubai's crown prince and the U.A.E.'s defense minister, Gen. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the text reads: "Take Wisdom from the wise -- Not everyone who rides a horse is a jockey."

The giant poem should also help this relatively tolerant emirate dismiss Gulf neighbors' accusations that globalization is sapping Dubai's Arab character. This port city was a regional entrepot open to foreigners for centuries and hasn't suffered terrorist attacks in recent years. The ruling Al-Maktoum family has so far avoided problems of radical Islam by reinvesting in Dubai and spreading its wealth among the tiny population -- which is also monitored by an effective security service.

Many of Dubai's planned records are aimed at boosting national pride, which rulers hope will blunt potential opposition to their reign. Perhaps none would swell patriotism more than Dubai's boldest project.

Outside a vast construction site in the central business district, a billboard touts "The World's Most Exclusive Square Kilometer." Inside, work has already begun on the Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower, which promises to be the world's tallest building and home to the world's first Giorgio Armani hotel.

The tower's planned height is "a closely guarded secret," marketing materials say. Rumors say it could reach 2,970 feet on completion in 2009, and a promotional brochure shows elevator buttons rising at least to floor 189.

Freedom Tower, which is planned for the World Trade Center site in New York, is also angling to be the world's tallest building, at 1,776 feet. Burj Dubai's developer, Emaar Properties PJSC, notes New York's plans in its literature and says the Gulf spire "will beat all records on a scale that will be a dramatic testament to Dubai's faith in the future."

The adjoining mall will testify to Dubai's faith in commerce. Emaar plans it as a 12 million-square-foot complex of shops and restaurants broken into a dozen "minimalls." It will also boast a giant waterfall plunging into the world's largest indoor aquarium.

And as if all this weren't enough, a cluster of 300 man-made islands -- bigger than the Palm Islands -- is taking shape in the form of an oval map of the Earth. The project's name: The World.

[Kolbster]

For such a small place this tower is unfitting. 20 bucks says it''ll go bank rupt. So big a building for small a country

[PHLguy]

I am Very worried for Dubai, 5000 Towers in a city thats 6 hundred thousand. This place will go bankrupt in no Time. Dubai is building nearly 15 1000 footers in the next 20 years and Trying to build 3 WTB's. News about a chessboard with 70 story peices comes out.


This is really scary, people dont know how to use money.

[Jasonik]

DaimlerChrysler Rises as Dubai Buys $1 Billion Stake (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000100&sid=aYFCmKiyLI6E&refer=germany)

[TLOZ Link5]

Mecca plans to build a 1,600-foot hotel right across the street from the Grand Mosque.

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2004/12/328696.jpg

[Gulcrapek]

the largest gathering of men named Mohammed.



:D

[BigMac]

Associated Press
March 30, 2005

Dubai Looks to Build Tallest Skyscraper

By JIM KRANE
Associated Press Writer

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/net/20050331/capt.9f7355b30c504bc85db4aa51062f56c0.pjpeg

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - For now, the world's tallest building-to-be is just a flower-shaped concrete tattoo on the desert sands, but its pilings are already in place, plunging 160 feet into the earth. When it's finished, visitors will swoon over this city from 123 stories high, if not more.

In fact the Burj Dubai will be much higher, the developers say — dozens of stories taller than skyscrapers in Taiwan, Chicago or anywhere else. But they are keeping the exact height a secret to flummox competitors in the world's furious race for the title of tallest skyscraper.

"We're going to records never approached before. Not only will it be the tallest building, it will be the tallest manmade tower," said Robert Booth, a director at Emaar Properties, the Dubai construction firm developing the spire-shaped, stainless-steel-skinned tower.

Booth said jokingly that once completed in 2008, the $900 million Burj will sport a movable spire to keep observers from ever gauging the true height.

"Only the chairman will know how tall it is," he joked.

He refused to reveal the total number of stories, but a mock elevator at the site held a button for a 189th floor. The building's 10 foot sway in the wind means designers need to prevent whiplash in the ultra-long cables hauling up 50 elevators.

The craze for height has hit hardest in industrializing Asian countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, which boast seven of the world's 10 tallest buildings. The current tallest, at 101 floors, is the Taipei 101 in Taiwan, though Toronto's CN Tower is 180 feet higher, largely because of its huge antenna.

The Persian Gulf city of Dubai has staked its fame on engineering audacity such as its vast archipelagoes of artificial holiday islands, and the Burj, Arabic for "tower," is one of its more extreme mega-projects.

New York built skyscrapers because land was scarce; Dubai is doing it to get on the international map.

"It's image, clearly," said Richard Rosan, president of the Washington-based Urban Land Institute. "There is no practical reason for having a building this tall."

On paper, the Burj looks something like a giant space shuttle about to be launched into the clouds.

Booth took reporters to the open-air 37th floor of a neighboring building, a vertigo-inducing experience in itself, and chatted breezily while standing perilously close to the abyss.

"Can you imagine what it's going to be like on the 137th floor?" he said. "You can't be scared of heights to do this job."

Developers say the silvery steel-and-glass building will restore to the Middle East the honor of hosting the earth's tallest structure — a title lost in 1889 when the Eiffel Tower upset the 43-century reign of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.

Designers have planned for catastrophes, manmade and other, said Greg Sang, Emaar's project manager for the Burj. Sang believes the concrete-core building would withstand an airliner strike of the sort that brought down the steel-frame World Trade Center.

"Concrete is much more robust than steel when you hit it. It's also much better at resisting fire," he said.

The tower owes its shape to American architect Adrian Smith, of the Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Smith also designed Shanghai's 1,378-foot Jin Mao tower, the world's fourth tallest.

Workers from the chief contractor, South Korea's Samsung, are already swarming over the slab, shaped in three rounded lobes like a local desert flower.

A hotel will occupy the lower 37 floors. Floors 45 through 108 will have 700 private apartments — already sold in just eight hours, the developer said.

Corporate offices and suites will fill most of the rest, except for a 123rd floor lobby and 124th floor observation deck — with an outdoor terrace for the brave. The spire will also hold communication equipment.

As for the title of world's tallest, Sang expects the Burj to hold it for a few years. "But someone, somewhere will come along and build a taller building. It's just a matter of time and money."

On the Net:

http://www.burjdubai.com
http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID7787

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press

[BrooklynRider]

Real estate: Gulf states follow Dubai


Friday 01 April 2005, 11:51 Makka Time, 8:51 GMT


Dubai wants to become the region's business and leisure hub

Following in the footsteps of Dubai's tourism and real estate drive, Gulf states are pushing their own plans to lure visitors and open up their property sector to foreigners to stimulate their economies.


Dubai's bid to become the region's business and leisure hub to help compensate for depleting oil reserves has apparently set off a domino effect in the region where Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait have announced multi-billion dollar projects.

Affluent Dubai has launched several grandiose housing, entertainment and resort developments on artificial islands, three in the shape of palm trees and one resembling a world map.

Property yet to be built on at least one of the islands has been sold three times over, as investors across the Gulf Arab region seemingly brush off the threats of terror and instability.

Capitalising on a potentially lucrative market, gas-rich Qatar is in the throes of its first international real estate venture with The Pearl-Qatar, a $2.5-billion artificial island off its coast.

The initial phases of selling apartments on the development, which will include housing for up to 30,000 people, met an overwhelming response from regional and international investors, developers said.

The island, to take the shape of a bay eventually covering an area of four million square metres of reclaimed land, will boast luxury hotels and marinas. Foreigners who buy property on it will be granted permanent residency, as is the case in Dubai.

Qatar's unique project

Husam Abu Issa, vice-chairman of the Salam International Investment Company in Qatar, said the Pearl was the country's first unique project.


Qatar is all set to launch its first
international real estate venture

"The government is also trying to locate other areas where foreigners can buy property," he said. "It's the trend of government policy to encourage investment, and there's been a very positive response."

Qatar is building a $5.5 billion airport to handle up to 60 million passengers annually by 2020, while Dubai has embarked on a $4 billion airport expansion project with the same target.

Since creating a tourism ministry last June, picturesque Oman is actively promoting itself as a Gulf destination.

"There's various projects in Oman to encourage more investments," said Muhammad Ali Said, the ministry's director general. "There's a master plan to develop a lot of areas."

Omani resort

Last year, the Omani government launched The Wave, an $805-million resort project stretching along miles of virgin beachfront just west of the capital Muscat, with 400,000 sq m of it to come from reclaimed land.

About 400km from the capital in Ras al-Had, the sultanate will next year start work on a multi-billion dollar eco-resort including an airport and houses open for sale to foreigners.

"There's no competition between us and the (other) Gulf (states). We complement each other. Tourists can go shopping in Dubai and come here to see the real culture, tradition and heritage," Said said.

Resort development

Tiny Bahrain is building its largest luxury residential, commercial and resort development, one of the kingdom's three major leisure and housing projects to encourage investment.

"There's no competition between us and the Gulf. We complement each other. Tourists can go shopping in Dubai and come here to see the real culture, tradition and heritage"

Director-General Muhammad Ali Said, Oman Tourism Ministry

The 1.2-billion-dollar Durrat al-Bahrain, or Rising Pearl, will consist of 13 islands and a range of facilities with 2000 villas and 3000 apartments available for sale to expatriates.

Due for completion by late 2009, it is expected to be one and a half times larger than the capital Manama and accommodate 30,000 residents and 4000 visitors daily.

Bahrain's Cabinet on Sunday approved additional areas in specific tourist regions where non-Bahrainis can own real estate.

Kuwait, where alcohol and discos are banned and hotels need permission to stage musical concerts, is also vying for a slice of the region's expanding industry, taking a first step by easing its rigid visa rules.

The emirate, which raises more than 90% of its income from oil, is attracting investors for a multi-billion-dollar project to turn its Failaka island into a major holiday resort. It is also mulling the idea of allowing foreigners to buy property.

[ube]

These countries (The Gulf States) will never go broke as long as we buy SUV's :)

[RedFerrari360f1]

Unless their oil runs dry...which is why they are building these buildings and resorts, they see that oil will not sustain them throughout the 21st century. If I was Sheik I would be doing the same thing.

[Kolbster]

True they have realized that (or they are just trying to keep up with international competition; make a name for themselves...but i doubt that), but i still feel as if they are over developing. I think it would be more astute to develope a lot of parcels now, but leave just as many or more for late uses. Because think of all that is being constucted; the Arabian continent with all it's oil reserves has it's excrutiatingly rich class, but thats only so many. I don't know, the only think we can do as of now is to see how the economy will shape out. But you can bet, i think, that its going to fall short....Ahh i just thought of the best analigy. Think of it as you are trying to start a fire, you need oxygen, but not TOO much in order to start it. I think that they are puttin a little bit too much for this small fire. Given, in time it can amount of a blaze, but i think that it's being overdeveloped.

[Kolbster]

These countries (The Gulf States) will never go broke as long as we buy SUV's :)

Ube, harvestable Oil is supposed to run out inbetween the years 2016-2022 depending on the usage currently. ^^Those facts are from the discovery channel.

[TonyO]

CNN

Dubai tower to be world's tallest building

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- For now, the world's tallest building-to-be is just a flower-shaped concrete tattoo on the desert sands, but its pilings are already in place, plunging 160 feet into the earth. When it's finished, visitors will swoon over this city from 123 stories high, if not more.

In fact the Burj Dubai will be much higher, the developers say dozens of stories taller than skyscrapers in Taiwan, Chicago or anywhere else. But they are keeping the exact height a secret to flummox competitors in the world's furious race for the title of tallest skyscraper.

"We're going to records never approached before. Not only will it be the tallest building, it will be the tallest manmade tower," said Robert Booth, a director at Emaar Properties, the Dubai construction firm developing the spire-shaped, stainless-steel-skinned tower.

Booth said jokingly that once completed in 2008, the $900 million Burj will sport a movable spire to keep observers from ever gauging the true height.

"Only the chairman will know how tall it is," he joked.

He refused to reveal the total number of stories, but a mock elevator at the site held a button for a 189th floor. The building's 10 foot sway in the wind means designers need to prevent whiplash in the ultra-long cables hauling up 50 elevators.

The craze for height has hit hardest in industrializing Asian countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, which boast seven of the world's 10 tallest buildings. The current tallest, at 101 floors, is the Taipei 101 in Taiwan, though Toronto's CN Tower is 180 feet higher, largely because of its huge antenna.

The Persian Gulf city of Dubai has staked its fame on engineering audacity such as its vast archipelagoes of artificial holiday islands, and the Burj, Arabic for "tower," is one of its more extreme mega-projects.

New York built skyscrapers because land was scarce; Dubai is doing it to get on the international map.

"It's image, clearly," said Richard Rosan, president of the Washington-based Urban Land Institute. "There is no practical reason for having a building this tall."

On paper, the Burj looks something like a giant space shuttle about to be launched into the clouds.

Booth took reporters to the open-air 37th floor of a neighboring building, a vertigo-inducing experience in itself, and chatted breezily while standing perilously close to the abyss.

"Can you imagine what it's going to be like on the 137th floor?" he said. "You can't be scared of heights to do this job."

Developers say the silvery steel-and-glass building will restore to the Middle East the honor of hosting the earth's tallest structure -- a title lost in 1889 when the Eiffel Tower upset the 43-century reign of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.

Designers have planned for catastrophes, manmade and other, said Greg Sang, Emaar's project manager for the Burj. Sang believes the concrete-core building would withstand an airliner strike of the sort that brought down the steel-frame World Trade Center.

"Concrete is much more robust than steel when you hit it. It's also much better at resisting fire," he said.

The tower owes its shape to American architect Adrian Smith, of the Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Smith also designed Shanghai's 1,378-foot Jin Mao tower, the world's fourth tallest.

Workers from the chief contractor, South Korea's Samsung, are already swarming over the slab, shaped in three rounded lobes like a local desert flower.

A hotel will occupy the lower 37 floors. Floors 45 through 108 will have 700 private apartments -- already sold in just eight hours, the developer said.

Corporate offices and suites will fill most of the rest, except for a 123rd floor lobby and 124th floor observation deck -- with an outdoor terrace for the brave. The spire will also hold communication equipment.

As for the title of world's tallest, Sang expects the Burj to hold it for a few years. "But someone, somewhere will come along and build a taller building. It's just a matter of time and money."

[Kolbster]

[QUOTE=tonyo]CNN

Dubai tower to be world's tallest building



A hotel will occupy the lower 37 floors. Floors 45 through 108 will have 700 private apartments -- already sold in just eight hours, the developer said.

[QUOTE/]

Wow, i guess that if all 700 apartments were sold in JUST 8 HOURS my whole entire theory that Dubai would crash and burn under the strain of over developement totally wrong. They could be bluffing....but why would they do that? I think that it just shows that Dubai is becoming a competetive city

[Kolbster]

^^Whoops, sorry for that, the quote didn't quite qork out :(

[TLOZ Link5]

how they can build such a tower in such a small country?
i think as the tower is build that many offices are in use.

stupid to build a tower of 705 metres of offices in such a small country with 2.5 million people.....

Dubai's population is mostly transient. There are, depending on the estimates, 600,000 to 1.2 million PERMANENT residents of Dubai, but they only comprise 10% of the city's total population at any given time. Most of the people in Dubai are there on temporary work visas and are not counted in census data.

[Kolbster]

Dubai's population is mostly transient. There are, depending on the estimates, 600,000 to 1.2 million PERMANENT residents of Dubai, but they only comprise 10% of the city's total population at any given time. Most of the people in Dubai are there on temporary work visas and are not counted in census data.

wow, that;s pretty interesting, never knew that

[Face81]

wow, that;s pretty interesting, never knew that


Hello everyone. I accidentally came across this site whilst doing research on globalisation and Dubai for my MSc. dissertation.

I am a memeber on a number of other forums and am familiar with the way this sort of thing works.

I have lived in Dubai all my life and am currently studying in London, in the UK.

From what I have read, some of you are curious to know what Dubai is all about. I know of a link which will give u a better insight into what Dubai is like.

I hope it proves to be useful in showing you that Dubai is a little more than a sleepy village in the ME. LOL.:D

hope u enjoy the vid:
http://www.cico.tv/video.php?p=1&bw=high&f_id=178

you can adjust the settings if you have a dial up connection.

oh and if u have any q's on Dubai, I will be happy to field them and be as informative as I can.

Cheers,
F.

[MagnumPI]

Nice PROMO video. Thank you!

[Face81]

Nice PROMO video. Thank you!

I am glad you enjoyed the vid. I have found a few photographs that will show you what Dubai's 2 downtowns are like.

The Old Downtown:
http://www.dubai-city.de/bildergalerie/01/big/image007.jpeg

http://www.nathanaelcohen.com/Dubai_Jan_2002_0043e234117583.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/DarkBlueBoss/creek2.jpg



The New Downtown, aka, SZR (Sheikh Zayed Road) - The Burj Dubai Development will be just after the last skyscraper on the far left in the pic below:
http://www.dubai-city.de/bildergalerie/01/big/image015.jpeg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v302/seonnecken/szrmar05.jpg


Oh and here is a shot of the extraordinary pace at which construction is taking place at Dubai's, Dubai Marina.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/AltTabDXB/100_0592.jpg





Hope u enjoy the pics.:)

[Deimos]

I love this picture... it doesn't look real with that amazing reflection

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/DarkBlueBoss/creek2.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

Deimos: I had to remove your post, since it was in response to the intended deletion.

Kiansville: Post another message like the one I deleted, and you will not be here for long.

[TLOZ Link5]

Hmmm...not very many people on the streets.

[Face81]

Hmmm...not very many people on the streets.

In Dubai, hardly anyone ever walks.... infact, people who do walk around are stared at. lol

Everyone loves to drive and hence the horrendous traffic.;)

[Face81]

I love this picture... it doesn't look real with that amazing reflection

u should see it when the sun reflects off it durin the evenings.... its like a giant mirror:


http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~kambiza/images/COFCOMM.JPG



just for interest, this bulding is the National Bank of Dubai. :)

[Face81]

Getting this thread back on track now......


Found a vid produced by REUTERS that was posted on a Danish website. I think many of u may enjoy watching it..... oh and she accidentally says says CNN Tower, when she meant CN Tower.

http://www.infocast.dk/jp/jp.php?id...category=ALL&q= (http://www.infocast.dk/jp/jp.php?id=788&offset=&category=ALL&q=)

enjoy. :D

[keefieboy]

For such a small place this tower is unfitting. 20 bucks says it''ll go bank rupt. So big a building for small a country

30 bucks says you're wrong.

[keefieboy]

I am Very worried for Dubai, 5000 Towers in a city thats 6 hundred thousand. This place will go bankrupt in no Time. Dubai is building nearly 15 1000 footers in the next 20 years and Trying to build 3 WTB's. News about a chessboard with 70 story peices comes out.


This is really scary, people dont know how to use money.

Have you been to Dubai? It's not 600,000 people, it's 1.3 million. And it's not 'trying' to build 3 WTBs, but it is actually building 2. The chess thing is all rubbish.

[keefieboy]

[QUOTE=Kolbster]True they have realized that (or they are just trying to keep up with international competition; make a name for themselves...but i doubt that), but i still feel as if they are over developing.

Please realise that Dubai is not, and never has been, rich in oil. Dubai has always been a trading port. The Rulers realise that they need to diversify away from oil & gas, and have been doing just that. Dubai is now the regional base for many multinationals, and is a growing tourist destination.

You need to look at what Dubai is doing in a regional context. It might be a small city, but it is a (Mecca is probably the wrong word) destination for the entire Arab world, as well as Europeans and Asians.

In fact Dubai is doing something unique - it is being Hong Kong and Singapore (for business) and Spain and Greece (for tourism) and I don't know what else for quality of life.

[keefieboy]

:) Sorry guys, I've been posting all this drivel and didn't see it until I got to the last page.

Anyway, the point is that Dubai does all these crazy things. By which I mean, it doesn't say 'wouldn't it be nice if..', and then hold a public enquiry that might go on for years. It just does them! Freedom Tower, where are you?

WTBs apart, Dubai used to have a fairly short coastline - about 100 kilometers. The 3 Palms, The World and The Waterfront will increase that to something like 2,000 Kms! And guess what, lots of people want a house with a bit of private beach. Lots of rich people want their own private island. Well Dubai's building 300 of them, and they're all sold out!

If you want to know more about the day-to-day nitty-gritty of living in Dubai, read my blog www.webmasterdubai.blogspot.com (http://www.webmasterdubai.blogspot.com).

[Jimbo Holland]

i'm now on www.skyscrapercity.com, it's the best forum with the most members for skyscrapers and so.

here's a good link, follow it and it brings you to the 'construction updates of the international forums'. here can you go the the Burj Dubai Part 4.

just see the pictures what dubaiflo and dubai-lover had made!
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=4369754#post4369754

[larven]

An image of how a part of Dubai will look in around 5 years time, all the towers seen here are either recently built, U/C or approved and due to start soon. Astonishing to think that this was all desert barely 5 years ago.

http://img234.echo.cx/img234/2424/block19rd.jpg

[stanley]

I agree, the bottom is a mess. I like how the top dissolves though.Yes, that's really great!

[globetrekker]

"In fact Dubai is doing something unique - it is being Hong Kong and Singapore (for business) and Spain and Greece (for tourism) and I don't know what else for quality of life."

I wish Toronto would do this......

[Edward]

There is an interesting article by Ian Parker in this week's New Yorker about Dubai and Burj Dubai.

[Kolbster]

30 bucks says you're wrong.
30 bucks says that your right...lol

[Jimbo Holland]

New Picture Update:

First a new render:
http://www.spudart.org/blog/images/2005/2348_sears_tower_burj_dubai.jpg

Update Of September The 22th.
http://tinypic.com/dvh7dk.jpg

Check the difference between that 1 month.

Update Of October The 14th. (Burj Dubai on 17 floors)
http://tinypic.com/ejzd4k.jpg

http://tinypic.com/ejzda8.jpg

http://tinypic.com/ejzdbd.jpg

http://tinypic.com/ejzdcl.jpg

I'm right now in dubai for some business and to begin a new part of my company there. today i've been on the construction site there. the tower looks HUGE!! it's so huge.. the tower is now at around the 17th floor. just another 150 to go!

I've not make the pictures byself, Thanks to Dubai-Lover from Skyscrapercity.com

I'm now in the city of Dubai. it's not the largest city in the world, it have not the largest skyline in the world, but i think it's the largest construction zone in the world! Dubai is lovely. all the gold what you see, and all that money they spend for some hotels.

here is the hotel where i stay for now. (Emirates Towers)
http://207.44.228.232/images/T03/3123.jpg

[Jimbo Holland]

And a good diagram:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/e4275b36.jpg

[Jim Koeleman]

edit.

[larven]

Amazed this thread has been inactive for so long, the Burj has grown a great deal since the last post. Here are some of the latest updates, only about another 150 storey's to go!

http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/2006/01/404.jpg

http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/2006/01/37d766ad.JPG
January 31st.

http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/2006/01/BD3.jpg
January 21st

http://members.ez1web.com/bikes/burj1.jpg

http://members.ez1web.com/bikes/burj2.jpg

[lofter1]

Dubai looks drier than Vegas ...

[Scruffy88]

And a good diagram:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jimboholland/e4275b36.jpg

WOW!!! I cant believe how small the Chrystler Building looks compared with Dubai.

[Kris]

Castles in the Sand (http://www.cartoonbank.com/newyorker/slideshows/051017onco_parkerflash.html) (audio slide show on Dubai)

[lofter1]

Astounding ^^ ... money quote from the audio slide show:

"One gets the sense that no one wants to be the first to say that Dubai cannot expand forever."

[Jake]

Don't mean to bring down this achievement but I count 3 buildings going up in that one pic alone. Either somebody has some serious guarantees about the economic surival of these projects or they're wasting a lot of money.

[lofter1]

Check out the slide show ... you'll see that a lot more than 3 buildings (all big ones) are going up.

As the narrator explains, this is all going up fast, based on oil money, and to fulfill the grandiose -- but not wholely unrealistic -- vision of the local leader.

Apparently the area has proven to be a very popular destination, particularly among citizens from northern European countries.

One of the new projects: An indoor ski mountain -- not just some bunny slope but a full scale downhill-type run with lifts, trees & rocks -- and of course snow and cold weather.

Money to burn it seems ...

[lofter1]

Another tower for Dubai ...

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=154

http://www.gutter.curbed.com/

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/154_385%20Dubai%20B08_black+gold.jpg

[MidtownGuy]

Wow! I like the above design very much.
What is happening in Dubai is simply amazing. Every time I read more about the projects there it makes me feel a bit silly in comparison as we kvetch over getting WTC site rebuilt in a satisfying way, or any other of NYC projects that get downsized or killed.
I adore New York's countless architectural treasures, but now we build mediocre mid-height boxes and we feel lucky if we at least get an interesting skin on a few of them.
Compared to the designs being built in other world cities, we are in danger of getting a rep that goes something like," oh yeah, New York is nice to visit if you want 20th century- but if you want cutting edge go to ____ instead."
They certainly won't be coming to NYC anymore for it's nightlife or sense of liberty, now other places do that better as well.

New York needs a shot in the ass.

[TLOZ Link5]

Wow! I like the above design very much.


You do? I think it's a Salvador Dali-esque take on Orthanc from The Lord of the Rings. The only thing that would complete that image is if Saruman could appear from a high window rallying the Uruk-hai to march on Helm's Deep.

BTW, that appears to be Boston in the background.

[lofter1]

BTW, that appears to be Boston in the background.
you're so right ... (photo from Gutter http://www.gutter.curbed.com/ ):

http://gutter.curbed.com/archives/bostonindubai.jpg

[MidtownGuy]

Orthanc! :D Well, I'll try to put in words why I like it. First, it's different from many of the Dubai designs. Although the shape is unique, it is not fussy, with kooky details, or what I think of as "desert kitsch". Rather, it is organic and simple. Like it grew from the waterside. The wave motif in the facade continue the nautical reference in a way that seem natural, not forced to me. Although I do think the "fin" sticking up at the base rises a bit too high- that looks forced. The warm yellow interior, peeking through the sliced wave pattern is somehow both dramatic and subtle. I don't think the exterior will be as dark as the shading in the first rendering suggests...in it's midtones I see a greenish blue color on my display. I like the tapering of the form- expanding again from midpoint to the top and then into a curved wedge. No spire, which is a wise choice here. An overall balance of form. I'm picky with my affections but this one gets a thumbs up. Do you really hate it, or have I persuaded you at all? It's really kind of cool!

[Alonzo-ny]

They certainly won't be coming to NYC anymore for it's nightlife or sense of liberty, now other places do that better as well.
QUOTE]

what?

[MidtownGuy]

what, what? Are you a club goer? I am for years. Dancing and the club scene have been an important part of my life since I was old enough to get in. I have seen the NY nightlife in its ups and downs as clubs have come and gone. The scene right now is at it's lowest in decades. There are a few good clubs that are trying to keep the torch lit, but nothing like there used to be. The scene has been repeatedly attacked and shut down by authoritarian figures who do not realize the importance of NY's nightlife to its tourism revenues or reputation.
Yes, there are other world cities whose nightlife is more dynamic at the moment and convey a truer sense of liberty. I have partied from Rio to Amsterdam, Ibiza, Berlin, Barcelona and Madrid, and more. New York is losing it's edge and reputation in this area. Sure, there are still the uptight poser spots for celebrities and models, but if you are a real new yorker or an average tourist looking for a good time, you'll have trouble finding the scene that used to be here.
If you are someone who goes out dancing only once in a while, or hardly ever, and just form your opinions on NY nightlife from hearsay, then it doesn't surprise me that you found my statement curious.

[lofter1]

The down-swing in NYC clubs / nightlife over the past 10 years -- particularly in Manhattan -- is greatly due to the gentrification of the areas where clubs used to thrive: LES, Tribeca, Hudson Square, west Hells Kitchen, Chelsea, SoHo. When residential use gets to a certain level residents have enough numbers to restrict opening / operation of clubs, etc. -- mainly due to the noise issues.

It used to be that you'd see throngs of club-goers traveling up and down Broadway late into the night as they moved from one club to another. Same for 8th Street -- E. Village <> W. Village.

Maybe now everybody stays home with their TIVO ...

[MidtownGuy]

well, it's a damn shame.

[ablarc]

When residential use gets to a certain level residents have enough numbers to restrict opening / operation of clubs, etc. -- mainly due to the noise issues.
This can and should be addressed by zoning provisions. Folks moving into some districts should expect no recourse if the noise doesn't suit them. The city's big enough to accommodate everyone; we don't need the same rules in all places.

[lofter1]

well, it's a damn shame.
Agreed ... Glad I was around to see NYC with the rough edges exposed.

[TLOZ Link5]

Never fear; with Suzanne Bartsch back partying, NYC nightlife will soon be saved from Paris Hilton and bottle service!

http://nymetro.com/nightlife/features/15957/index.html

[MidtownGuy]

Thanks TLOZ, for posting that article. i just finished reading it. Her parties really were a lot of fun back 'n the day. I'll have to stop by this party some tuesday night.

[TLOZ Link5]

Thanks TLOZ, for posting that article. i just finished reading it. Her parties really were a lot of fun back 'n the day. I'll have to stop by this party some tuesday night.


Cool; let us know how it turns out when you go to one. I'd like to hear that there's hope yet :D

[lofter1]

Workers Riot at Site of Dubai Skyscraper

By JIM KRANE
Associated Press Writer
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Mar 22 1:38 PM US/Eastern

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/22/D8GGPJJG3.html

Construction on a skyscraper expected to be the world's tallest was interrupted when Asian workers upset over low wages and poor treatment smashed cars and offices in a riot that an official said Wednesday caused nearly $1 million in damage.

The stoppage triggered a sympathy strike at Dubai International Airport, with thousands of laborers building a new terminal also laying down their tools, officials said.

http://www.breitbart.com/images/2006/3/22/D8GGPJJG3/D8GGPJJG3_preview.jpg

Some 2,500 workers who are building the Burj Dubai tower and surrounding housing developments chased and beat security officers Tuesday night, smashed computers and files in offices, and destroyed about two dozen cars and construction machines, witnesses said.

The workers were angered because buses to their residential camp were delayed after their shifts, witnesses at the site said.

An Interior Ministry official who investigates labor issues, Lt. Col. Rashid Bakhit Al Jumairi, said the rioters caused almost $1 million in damage.

The workers, employed by Dubai-based construction firm Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, returned to the vast site Wednesday but refused to work.

Crowds of blue-garbed workers milled in the shadow of the concrete tower, now 36 stories tall, while leaders negotiated with officials from the company and the Ministry of Labor.

"Everyone is angry here. No one will work," said Khalid Farouk, 39, a laborer with Al Naboodah. Other workers said their leaders were asking for pay raises: skilled carpenters on the site earned $7.60 per day, with laborers getting $4 per day.

A reporter inquiring about the riots was ordered to leave the site by an Al Naboodah manager who refused to give his name. The firm's business development manager, Jonathan Eveleigh, declined to comment when reached by telephone.

Al Jumairi said the laborers were also asking Al Naboodah, one of the Emirates' biggest construction conglomerates, for overtime pay, better medical care and humane treatment by foremen.

"They are asking for small things," said Al Jumairi, the labor investigator. "I promised them I would sit with them until everything is settled."
Al Jumairi later said he was being diverted to negotiate with idled laborers at the airport.

Labor stoppages in Gulf countries have recently become common, with some two dozen strikes last year in the United Arab Emirates alone. Most have centered on unpaid salaries and triggered a Labor Ministry crackdown on contract-breaching companies.

The strikes and riots by Al Naboodah workers marred what otherwise appeared to be smooth construction of the Burj Dubai, which is to be a spire-shaped, stainless-steel-skinned tower expected to soar far beyond 100 stories.

Emaar, the tower's Dubai-based developer, is keeping the final height a secret until the $900 million Burj is complete by 2008.

A section of the tower is to host a 172-room luxury hotel operated by Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani.

The protesting workers are among almost 1 million migrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and elsewhere who have poured into Dubai to provide the low-wage muscle behind one of the world's great building booms.

In five decades, Dubai has grown from a primitive town of 20,000 to a gridlocked metropolis of 1.5 million.

©2005 BREITBART.COM, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[antinimby]

In five decades, Dubai has grown from a primitive town of 20,000 to a gridlocked metropolis of 1.5 million.That's nothing. Shenzhen, China (bordering HK) grew more than that in less than a decade, both in terms of population and skyline. :eek:

[ghiswizz]

I have recently been lookin at the plans for the new Dubai Metro, I was interested to know what people thouhgt about, yet another major development initiative aamongst many that Dubai is launching itself into. I know that at the moment, Dubai'd transport is veyr poor and you cannot practically travel without a car, hence the traffic jams, but would'nt it do more harm then good in the period of contruction. After all it will not be until 2017 that it will be up and running. That is a long time for more traffic congestion and chaos
:)

[czsz]

Shenzhen, China (bordering HK) grew more than that in less than a decade, both in terms of population and skyline.

Pfft, Shenzhen. Chongquing now has 32 million people.

Dubai'd transport is veyr poor and you cannot practically travel without a car

What amazes me about Dubai is that literally everything seems to have been built along Sheikh Zayed Road. An entire city on one street!

[lofter1]

Another unique aspect of Dubai is that 2/3 of the population (~1,000,000) are immigrants.

Dubai Economic Boom Comes at a Price for Workers

Morning Edition (http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=3)
NPR
March 8, 2006

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5250718

Dubai made headlines when a state-owned company moved to take over shipping terminals at six U.S. ports. The small Arab sheikhdom is one of the fastest-growing, flashiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world. But foreign diplomats and others say there's a dark side to the economic boom, including millions of poorly paid construction workers, and illegal but widespread prostitution.

In a bid to attract tourists, Dubai has opened the world's largest indoor ski resort, where children slide down ice chutes and adults slalom their way down a quarter-mile-long ski slope. It's the first some visitors from Dubai and other countries in the region have ever seen snow.

The indoor ski resort is part of a much larger development boom that is rapidly transforming what used to be a small trading port for gold and pearls into a global center for international trade. Skyscrapers are under construction, soon to join the gleaming towers that already rise up out of the desert on the edge of the Persian Gulf. Developers tout manmade island networks -- some shaped as palm trees, others as continents -- just off the coast.

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2006/mar/dubai/highrises200.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);)
Ivan Watson, NPR
Clusters of new apartment and office blocks
are under construction along a two-mile-long,
manmade canal.
Dubai residents often boast that their city currently
has one-quarter of the world's construction cranes.

Dubai and the rest of the United Arab Emirates won independence from Britain in 1971. Since then, Dubai's ruling family has carefully invested its share of the country's oil money into developing duty-free ports and infrastructure for tourism.

Egyptian-born Youssef Ibrahim, a veteran Middle East journalist who has lived in Dubai for several years, says the city has "invented itself as a hub -- a hub for everything. A hub for airlines, boats. A hub for transient society that want to come for three, four, five years, make some money and go away. And as a hub, it is a successful enterprise."

Dubai seems open to anyone who comes to make money. The result is a society in which the majority of the residents are foreign, coming from more then 160 countries around the world. Many foreigners find they can make several times the salaries they could back home, and living costs are relatively low.

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2006/mar/dubai/laborers300.jpg
Credit: Mohamed Fadel Fahmy
Cramped Quarters
Construction workers from India relax in their room
after being bused home from work.
Construction workers typically live eight to a room,
sending home a portion of their salary to their families,
whom they don't see for years at a time.
They are attracted by promises of good jobs, but the
rising cost of living and exploitation by some unscrupulous
employers have cut into their wages.

But amid the high living, some foreign diplomats warn there is an often unseen dark side to Dubai. They say the city's economic miracle would not be possible without armies of poorly paid construction workers from the Indian subcontinent, most of whom are forced to give up their passports upon arrival in the U.A.E. Some workers say they haven't been home in years and that their salary has been withheld to pay back loans.

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2006/mar/dubai/labor_camp500.jpg
Mohamed Fadel Fahmy
Blue uniforms hang out to dry at a labor camp at the edge
of the city.
Armies of construction workers from the Indian subcontinent
make an average of $150 a month.

Another side of Dubai is technically illegal but widespread: prostitution.
"It is a sin city," Ibrahim says. "They don't like this name, but they don't shrink away from the image, because it brings a lot of money."

Islamist groups in the region object to Dubai's freewheeling lifestyle, but the emirate's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, is famously apolitical.

Perhaps this explains how Dubai has steadily prospered in the heart of a region plagued by violence and terrorism. But some locals privately wonder how long Maktoum's miracle can continue -- and whether his unique society would survive a major political or economic shock.

Copyright 2006 NPR

[Alonzo-ny]

Pfft, Shenzhen. Chongquing now has 32 million people.

according to emporis chongquing has 6.3 million with no metro area at all.

[czsz]

The 32 million figure came from a report I saw on Deutsche Welle (German BBC). Wikipedia clarifies:

The municipality of Chongqing has a population of 32,355,000 (2004), most of them living outside the urban area of Chongqing proper, over hundreds of square miles of farmland. The population of the urban area of Chongqing proper was estimated at 3.4 million in 2004, ranking approximately as the 10th largest urban area of China. Including the unregistered migrants from the countryside, the population of the urban area could be as high as 7.5 million.

Suffice to say, though, that given Chongqing's growth, rural to urban migration patterns in China, and the vast countryside population near Chongqing, it has the capacity to explode. When the Three Gorges Dam is complete it will be the furthest navigational point on the Yangtze and the hub for China's entire interior West. This will be a China-scaled Chicago.

[TLOZ Link5]

At the same time, though, Chongqing municipality is over 82,000 square kilometers -- roughly the size of the state of South Carolina.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chongqing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina

The NYC CSA, meanwhile, fits 21 million people into just under 31,000 square km.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Metropolitan_Area

[larven]

The beast is rising, this photo was taken around the 21st of March.

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/482/10124072bl.jpg

[larven]

Some recent photos by asb63 of SSC.

http://www.baidas.net/public/images/bd01.jpg

http://www.baidas.net/public/images/bd02.jpg

[Citytect]

Dubai is just crazy! I wonder how many millions of square feet of space are under construction there right now. Mind boggling.

[Thethinkingman]

Dubai is just crazy! I wonder how many millions of square feet of space are under construction there right now. Mind boggling.
And it's not just that, it like, whoa a freakin city is actually popping up out in the middle of the desert. All those cranes can be an eye sore, but you love to see all this stuff.

[SilentPandaesq]

Does anyone know if all those "green" areas are grass or astro-turf? If it is grass then they must have a huge desalinization plant, and massive amounts of electricity. All the renderings show the Burj surrounded by water and grass. I assume salt water and astro-turf?

[BrooklynRider]

It is becoming a big vacation destination for Europeans.

[MidtownGuy]

Yes, the buzz in Europe about vacationing in Dubai is really growing! I want to plan a trip there, but I'm waiting until some of this stuff is completed.

Dubai's desalinization plant is humungous and processes over 250 millions gallons of water a day just for the landscaping!

[JCMAN320]

THAT PIC IS CRAZY?? IS THAT ON THIS PLANT?? Thethinkingman is right, a whole city is just growing at once. I have never seen so many cranes rising at once. Talk about urban development!!!!!

[Thethinkingman]

Does anyone know if all those "green" areas are grass or astro-turf? If it is grass then they must have a huge desalinization plant, and massive amounts of electricity. All the renderings show the Burj surrounded by water and grass. I assume salt water and astro-turf?
I've seen those rendrings my- self and I don't know how they're going to put all that stuff around it. Right now it looks like it might be to crowded to do anything like that.

[MidtownGuy]

How's this: (!!)

http://static.flickr.com/45/144631322_469fbf8877_o.jpg

[SilentPandaesq]

Dubai's desalinization plant is humungous and processes over 250 millions gallons of water a day just for the landscaping!

Crazy!! Do you know what type of Power generation they are using? I have heard that Dubai is not Oil rich so are they using coal, LNG, (I assume not nuke, but that would make sense)?

[JCMAN320]

Insane In The Membrane!!

[MidtownGuy]

I think it's natural gas presently, but they are looking into solar powered plants for the future.

[SilentPandaesq]

but they are looking into solar powered plants for the future.

That makes sense. They must be getting killed on energy costs. All those Apartments with A/C during the day and Heat at night their wattage must be huge. Are they building new power-plants? Do you have any info on Dubai infrastructure? Seams that if they are not careful, they could quickly outstrip supply.

[kevthedentist]

THAT PIC IS CRAZY?? IS THAT ON THIS PLANT?? Thethinkingman is right, a whole city is just growing at once. I have never seen so many cranes rising at once. Talk about urban development!!!!!

20% of the world`s cranes to be precise. i first started going to dubai 6 years ago and only 3 years ago that photo at the beach would have had the 4 hotels at the front and bugger all else!

has anyone checked out the G-tower? it`s incredible!:D

[Jasonik]

http://gowealthy.com/realestate/uae/index.asp

[lofter1]

OK -- but what do you DO once you get there???

[Jake]

While this certainly looks great for us skyscraper watchers I doubt the actual economic stability of the region. Clearly real demand isn't driving this growth but rather the "if we build..." concept. Now sure this may actually work to create a much larger city but come on, for how many years will these construction costs have to be picked up by the gov't?

Now this kind of investment is better than anything anyone is doing in the region but it's really risky, I mean what kind of prices are we talking about to have offices in these buildings? I'm sure some cos love the location but you're not gonna have Bank of America moving their HQ there, all you can hope for is Exxon and the likes and maybe smaller firms who don't have to pay the big bucks there when they can just stay in Riyadh. It's not like Exxon needs a nice building to keep the public happy there.

Actually one of the things they were showing in the whole "Dubai promo" was that transportation system. Do any of you actually know how costly that system is? When Raytheon gave a Chicago suburb an estimate on its construction it came out to 500 MILLION per mile. Now all the activity sure seems nice but from my pessimistic economic point of view it seems like they may be getting ready for a boom that might never come.

[ablarc]

...from my pessimistic economic point of view it seems like they may be getting ready for a boom that might never come.
Wait a minute...it looks like it's already there!!

[STR]

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1189/goal0wi.th.jpg (http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=goal0wi.jpg) http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3111/bdcr0jx.th.png (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdcr0jx.png) http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2586/f60yr.th.jpg (http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=f60yr.jpg)

Burj Dubai 3D Animation (http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/BD2.avi)

[ablarc]

It's really quite beautiful. New York should have something like this.

[Alonzo-ny]

20% of the world`s cranes to be precise. i first started going to dubai 6 years ago and only 3 years ago that photo at the beach would have had the 4 hotels at the front and bugger all else!

has anyone checked out the G-tower? it`s incredible!:D

I really doubt the 20% statistic seriously there must be millions of cranes in the world

[MidtownGuy]

I have heard that statistic several times. It seems possible, given that the above pics show only a very small percentage of what is being built there.

As far as what one does when one gets there...

On vacation people love beaches with warm, clear, turquoise water (got 'em), world class shopping (got it, soon to be the best probably), entertainment(world class entertainers are performing there frequently), something for the kids ( they're building a theme park that literally will make Disney World look lilliputian), desert excursions are AMAZING (the minimalist beauty of the desert must be experienced to be understood), fine dining, an exotic culture to explore,
GEE what more could you ask for?
This will be one of the world's number one tourist destinations in a decade or two- BELIEVE IT. Drawing a clientele with loads of flights from Europe, Africa, India, all of Asia, the sky is the limit for this place.

[Luca]

Bear in midn that it's always going to be more of a winter destiantion. In summer, you'd not want to spend too much time outside; seriously hot.

But for a winter destination it's really taking off. The only major thing that could derail it is a shooting war with Iran or if the security gets out of hand (terrorism, etc.).

[Jake]

ok, i was curious so I started looking at a possible vacation there, when I looked for attractions, it listed the waterpark, the ski slope, and the museum as the top 3 destinations, the ski slope got bad reviews from anyone who actually has seen snow before and the waterpark got marks in the average-very good range.

Meanwhile I was looking for hotel room rates and the Fairmont's best rate runs a good $260 USD a night. Now sure this is a much more "exclusive" hotel than your average NY sleeping hole but it's not the value I was expecting. Basically things seem just as expensive as places here.

The cheapest roundtrip fare is $1297 from BA (and prices go to 1600 pretty fast), and all flights have at least one stop and are FIFTEEN TO TWENTY HOURS!

Now just some things I saw online (so please correct me because their obviously they aren't well researched): Internet service in the hotels is 20 cents a minute, summer temps average at 104*F, with July averages reaching 113* and highs of 122* with average humidity at 70-90% and 99% in September, during Ramadan for 28 days during the day there is no public eating or drinking, and many attractions and stores are closed.

EDIT: my sources are Expedia, Orbitz, the Fairmont's Dubai website and Virtual Tourist.com (check reviews)

[MidtownGuy]

Jake, the'yre not even depending on someone like you from America ever going there. There is a radius of highly populated countries all around with lots of prospective tourists. Did you look at the things that are being developed, not that are already completed? Because if you do you will realize it's alot more than a ski slope and a waterpark.
Americans are so insular they mostly vacation within their own country anyway.
In the coming century it will be the Chinese that people are trying to attract. America is Rome, baby.
They won't miss you in Dubai.

[Jake]

haha, I'm not missed in many places, lol

perhaps you're right but my commentary on it is that it is a HUGE gamble on their part, who knows where people will vacation given future exchange rates or economic and political stability, but the point is that they are building a city wih absolutely no gurantees to sustainability, and they will need A LOT of money just to maintain this stuff, one bad tourist season may be one too many.

Proximity and climate are simply things that make vacation spots work in the long run. Dubai IMO is simply not as attractive as dozens of other spots. Tunisia for example has a great working vacation industry but they didn't kick it off by throwing all their money on projects that may never work out.

Very simply, it's a gamble, don't forget that the UAE is still the Middle East, and it doesn't take much from things to go very wrong in that area, not to be screaming Armageddon and all that but people don't tend to go vacationing across the water from a totalitarian nuclear state, right?

[MidtownGuy]

You're absolutely right on those points. I wasn't trying to be a tour promoter for Dubai or anything, just injecting a little balance.
One thing I think is certain, for anyone interested in architecture and urban planning, it would be a great place to visit in a few years.

[TallGuy]

Not I or most from the Western Hemisphere, but you will get a lot of Europeans perhaps, and let's not forget there are a lot of wealthy Middle Easterners who will go to do things they can't ordinarily do at home. 'What happens in Dubai stays in Dubai'. It may seem conservative relative to American society, but to a Saudi or an Egyptian, it's Vegas.

[Jake]

Vegas meets Islam, the irony continues...


:D

[lofter1]

It may seem conservative relative to American society, but to a Saudi or an Egyptian, it's Vegas.
At least that can't blame it on us ...

[STR]

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4091/g28kp.th.jpg (http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=g28kp.jpg) http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/9364/g10ve.th.jpg (http://img293.imageshack.us/my.php?image=g10ve.jpg)

[lofter1]

Nice ^

In the image on the right ... what is the shortest of the buildings with the "notched" corners?

[pianoman11686]

That would be the Aon Center in Chicago. I believe it is in the world's top 20 in building height.

http://www.thehighrisepages.de/hhkartei/chiamoco.jpg

[STR]

It's also the tallest building in the United States after the Sears Tower and Empire State Building. It's roof is several stories above ESB's outdoor observation deck, but Empire's mast brings it ahead. It's a bundled tube design by architect Edward D. Stone and was built for the Standard Oil Co. in 1973, at the same time as the almost structurally identical WTC.

[antinimby]

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/9364/g10ve.jpgIs that a new-age Wi-Fi yarmulka the FT's wearin'?

http://www.judaicaemb.com/images/ksuedetrimmed.jpg

[STR]

Yes. Yes it is.

Okay, not really. The spire is a quick hack job I put in because I don't want to put a lot of time in only to re-do it once the new spire is released.

[Jake]

From what I understand it will be a ladder-like spire,

from that rendering I have to give Burj Dubai more credit than I have previously, it's not a bad looking building at all.

[Luca]

It's also the tallest building in the United States after the Sears Tower and Empire State Building. It's roof is several stories above ESB's outdoor observation deck, but Empire's mast brings it ahead. It's a bundled tube design by architect Edward D. Stone and was built for the Standard Oil Co. in 1973, at the same time as the almost structurally identical WTC.

Goes to show that tall does not iconic make...:D

I DO like the Burj thing...too bad about the pedestrian dimension in Dubai, looks like you HAVE to drive everywhere. Must be the inclement weather.

[ablarc]

...too bad about the pedestrian dimension in Dubai, looks like you HAVE to drive everywhere.
Yeah, but aren't they building a subway? Maybe the guest workers will use it.

[larven]

An image of the future Dubai Skyline once BD and some other U/C and proposed skyscrapers along SZR are completed.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2435/c14pw.jpg

[lofter1]

talk about juxtapositon of past <> future ...

[Luca]

An image of the future Dubai Skyline once BD and some other U/C and proposed skyscrapers along SZR are completed.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2435/c14pw.jpg

Kewl :)

Then they need to clean up the dreck in the foreground. I think our desert dwelling friends are just camp enough to go for some serious Art Deco stuff. Hmmm.

[STR]

from that rendering I have to give Burj Dubai more credit than I have previously, it's not a bad looking building at all.

It's a fantastic design. It took Adrian Smith several revisions and a 100m increase in the spire's height (top floor is 2,060ft up, spire reaches ~2,650ft, it has the king of spires) to get it right, but damn does it soar.

[lofter1]

...they need to clean up the dreck in the foreground.

Methinks that is the Dubai version of the 'burbs (note the swimming pool) ...

[MidtownGuy]

lol. yeah, some of that dreck looks like expensive dreck.

[TallGuy]

Makes me wonder, especially given the tapering, just how much sway the upper reaches of that building will have, and how much an occupant would feel it. I think I would feel queazy.

[STR]

Well, keep in mind the floors stop 200 meters below the spire tip. Basically the last 6 setbacks plus the steel rod will be the spire. The top floor is the 7th setback from the top. The highest floors, which will be the head offices of the developer (Emaar) will sway 1.5m off center, but slow enough to not cause motion sickness.

The top will also include a tuned mass damper.

[Alonzo-ny]

does anyone have that image as it is at the present

[STR]

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7695/bd8x63jx.jpg

[lofter1]

How many trucks / tons of concrete to put this baby up?

[Citytect]

World's largest baby?

[STR]

My almost completed Burj Dubai Version 4.0 (version 1 is below, 2-3 were scaled wrongly and had to be started over from scratch. Emerging information suggests this model is with in 2% of the real thing in all dimensions.

Interior of the office skylobby. A portion of it is double height.
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9879/bd6-1.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-1.jpg) http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2932/bd6-2.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-2.jpg)

Exterior
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4186/bd6-10.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-10.jpg) http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9186/bd6-8.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-8.jpg) http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3003/bd6-11.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-11.jpg) http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/732/bd6-5.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-5.jpg) http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8449/bd6-9.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-9.jpg) http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3374/bd6-6.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-6.jpg)

Comparison to ESB
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6376/bd6-13.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-13.jpg) http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4804/bd6-12.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bd6-12.jpg)

[ablarc]

Starts out about the same width as ESB, but it just keeps on going...and going. At some point it stops being habitable space. Where does that happen?

[STR]

If you look at the 3rd exterior render, the close up, the part with only one horizontal band between floors is the unnoccupied spire. Below it is 162 floors.

[lofter1]

Incredible work, STR (as usual!).

Are any or all of the spaces atop the various setbacks to be used as publically accessible viewing platforms?

[STR]

http://www.arabtecuae.com/Burj/images/Center4.jpg

There seems to be plans for a private club and another obs deck in the 140's. However, those floors are half the size of the 124th floor, which isn't that big either, so I'd assume the upper deck would be for VIP's or people who paid extra like ESB's 102nd.

[malec]

Just thought I'd post some recent pictures since it has grown a lot since the last ones

http://i1.tinypic.com/24bw0lh.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/24bw0o9.jpg

http://i3.tinypic.com/24bw0uf.jpg

http://i3.tinypic.com/24bw2tz.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/24bw37k.jpg

http://i5.tinypic.com/24bw32r.jpg

[lofter1]

Wow !

[ld876]

Nice site of Burj updates and such...heres their latest pic and update graphic (FUN!) Heres their site, with frequent updates from what I saw. http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/
http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/progressbar.gifhttp://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/2006/08/burj-dubai-august-21-06.jpg

[Jake]

There is a large flaw in this building IMO. That flaw is the elevators.

Due to its massive height this building will have to have a large number of elevators to accomodate its residents. This presents the following problem: the building may not be wide enough on top to fit all those elevator banks to provide for enough for the rather wide base. On the other hand, the top, will have nothing but elevators and probably little livable space.

If the system simply downsizes with each setback then the people living on the upper floors will have to wait for transfer elevators for quite a while. Assuming they install the fastest elevators in the world (currently at Taipei 101) a trip like that would still take well over a minute. In addition there is a limit to the number of express elevators a building can have since they don't service the lower floors.

[SilentPandaesq]

For where the height is supposed to go, the building in the sketch (red) does not match the pictures. I assume every time there is a set back, that it is a structural set back, and not some sort of "only build the core and flesh it out later" kind of thing.

Those top floors are looking kind of small already, and they are going to set them back even more?

[Jake]

You're right, they don't match, but by my count the building is around 60 floors now and looking really thin.

[SilentPandaesq]

I was really going to be impressed by this building, but then I saw some side-by-sides btw this one and the IFC and SWFC in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

The Burj gets really thin before the roof of either of those buildings (to the point where I question the value of having it at all)

But this is their prestige project... so, whatever. It gives kids at SSC ammo to claim that Dubai is better than NYC or HK or what have you.

Personally, it is like a 1300' tower with a big 1000' crown on top.

[malec]

The thing is though, the nose sections haven't risen to the setbacks yet so that's why it looks thin at level 50 or 60. As far as elevators go, there are 50 of them I think and also since this is mostly res and hotel and only a bit of office, there won't be as many people in the building at one time.

Aswell Jake, why would you need all 50 elevator shafts going all the way to the top? Maybe 2 or 3 stop with each setback so that by the time you reach floor 100 you have 25 elevators and at level 160 you only have 5 or so.


Anyway, a quick and crappy diagram to show how the nose sections contribute to the width:

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/231/burjdubaiaugust2106cl1.jpg

[Citytect]

It doesn't look like any of the floor plates are fully constructed on any of the floors past the first setback in that photo. The top floors seem to be only about a third completed.

Edit: What ^ said.

[ld876]

Anyway, a quick and crappy diagram to show how the nose sections contribute to the width:



Crappy, yes :D, but actually quite useful...I was thinking it was looking thin already too, but I think once built out it will really have some heft.

Also, as for elevators, just think about a NYC residential/hotel vs a commercial building of the same height. A 950 unit residential building only has 7 elevators for 40 stories (referencing River Place currently), so they can do substantially less for 779, probably 4-5 express elevator shafts that only go to the residential section.

Then the hotel, possibly similar in size to the Times Sq W, would have another 4-5 elevators (this would be more than enough if they had the system similar to the Marriott Marquis' new elevator system http://www.hotelinteractive.com/index.asp?page_id=5000&article_id=5982 -- the Marriott is 2000 rooms, 16 elevators). The Burj only will have 403 rooms (http://www.strategiy.com/realestatenew.asp?id=20060717095717), so I can't imagine a horrific number being used, if scaling was exact, that'd mean 3-4 shafts, but I realize it doesn't work that way.

And, I saw this floorplan posted on another forum when I was looking for how many hotel rooms. If you look at the core, I see approx 18 shafts, I'd give the 4 on the right to the hotel, the 5+freight on the bottom to residential, then the ones on the right to commercial, restaurants, etc.
http://www.construction.com/NewsCenter/photoart/031124-13B.jpg

[STR]

There will be 40 floors with 658 hotel rooms, including the rental and the hotel-condos. Above the hotel will be 70+ floors with 585 residential condos and apartments with 30 floors containing 200,000 net sqft of offices above the condos and main observation level. Another observation deck (unconfirmed, but it still is shown on new models and renders), a private club and 5-6 floors will be for broadcast equipment will top it off. 15 or so floors of mechanical equipment rounds out the program.

All elevators will be double-deck.

[ld876]

So what I said about number of elevators is pretty much right. I assume only the commercial elevators will need to be double decker...those two sections I pointed out on the floor plan, if they are for res & hotel, seem adequate to meet any needs. Maybe a single double decker express elevator if the hotel/residential use sky lobbies.

[STR]

Seems I was mistaken. Only two double deckers, at least from Otis. They might make another buy from another manufacturer, though I doubt it.

As part of the US $36 million contract, Otis will supply and install 58 elevators and eight escalators. Among the elevators are 20 Gen2 machine-roomless units, featuring Otis’ unique coated-steel, flat-belt technology, and two double-deck units, which will service Burj’s observation deck. The double-deck elevators, capable of accommodating 23 persons on each deck, will have the world’s highest rise and longest travel distance, and be among the world’s fastest at 10 meters per second (more than 20 mph).

Source (http://www.otis.com/news/newsdetail/0,1368,CLI1_NID19554_RES1,00.html)

If I were to guess, it looks like there's going to be 6 express lifts, 3 per skylobby, 2 for freight/housekeeping, the 2 double-deck express going to the obs decks and club. The remainder being the locals. I can't get a clear distrbution of those from the available plans.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Planssection.jpg

[Jake]

did you guys catch this on the Burj Dubai wiki?

Burj Dubai is being built primarily by immigrant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigrant) engineers and workers from India (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India), Pakistan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan), Bangladesh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh) and the Philippines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines). Press reports indicate that skilled carpenters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter) at the site earn £4.34 (US$7.60) a day and labourers £2.84 (US$4.00). [7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Dubai#_note-5) [8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Dubai#_note-6) Unions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union) were forbidden in the United Arab Emirates previously, but the government recently announced steps to allow construction unions.

$4.00 PER DAY!

[lofter1]

And the price of a hotel room here?

The Revolution Awaits ....

[ablarc]

The Revolution Awaits ....
Yeah, but those folks are actually grateful to be there. Better than whatever their lot would be in India, it seems; no one's making them move to Dubai.

In time, there'll be trickle-down --just enough to stay ahead of India.

[virtualchoirboy]

did you guys catch this on the Burj Dubai wiki?



$4.00 PER DAY!

If this is not a flattened world...I dont know what is.
With all the development in Dubai im suprised that there are enough construction workers.

[STR]

Yeah, but those folks are actually grateful to be there. Better than whatever their lot would be in India, it seems; no one's making them move to Dubai.

In time, there'll be trickle-down --just enough to stay ahead of India.

Actually, they're recruited with claims of great pay (which, granted is better than what they're earning at the moment). The worker signs their life away in exchange for a free flight to Dubai and a bus trip to the work camp. They are then kept as slaves. They have no free will. If they quit, there's a termination fee in their contract. If the worker can afford even that, they're still stuck in Dubai with no way back to their families.

[ld876]

Currently at 74 Stories...with more concrete final height estimates at over 940 meters (ie 3083.9 feet for us americans)...tasty. As with a month ago -- quite a few new pics over at http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/
http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/2006/09/burj-dubai-september-23-15.jpg

[lofter1]

o' my gur ^^^ and only a third of the way up :eek:

[SilentPandaesq]

Not that I am interested in buying, but does anybody have sales info on this monster. I.e. is it already sold out, and if so, what are they charging per sq ft.? I would love to know how much it costs to live in the world's tallest.

[STR]

It sold out within days. The bulk of the early sales, like almost all Dubai condos, went to investers and resellers, who actually find residents. No figure of the average price/sqft has been published.

[wissamhk]

i saw it yesterday..... its really tall... but looks too slender....

[lofter1]

World's tallest tower rising in Dubai

breitbart.com (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/30/061030154619.4gjyyq6a.html)
October 30, 2006

Slated to become the world's tallest skyscraper and symbol of a city given to grandiose projects, "Burj Dubai (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=%22Burj+Dubai%22&sid=breitbart.com)," or Dubai (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=dubai&sid=breitbart.com) Tower, is rising in parallel with the profits of its promoter, Emaar Properties.

With two stories added every week, Burj Dubai is taking shape as the centerpiece of a 20-billion-dollar venture featuring the construction of a new district, "Downtown Burj Dubai," that will house 30,000 apartments and the world's largest shopping mall.

Launched in early 2004, the construction of the tower by South Korea's Samsung should be completed at the end of 2008 and cost one billion dollars, according to Greg Sang (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=sang&sid=breitbart.com), the Emaar official in charge of Burj Dubai.

Burj Dubai already has 79 stories, taking its height to more than 200 meters (656 feet). But even after having gone that far, Emaar is still not revealing the tower's final height.

http://www.breitbart.com/images/2006/9/30/061030154619.4gjyyq6a/SGE.GUS90.301006153627.photo02.quicklook.default-245x167.jpg

"At the moment, we are not answering. We'll say it (will be) more than 700 meters (2,296 feet) and more than 160 stories ... The people who need to know, know," Sang, a 40-year-old New Zealander, told AFP.

The world's tallest inhabited building is "Taipei 101 (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=%22Taipei+101%22&sid=breitbart.com)" in Taiwan, which is 508 meters (1,666 feet) tall.

"At the moment, we've got around 2,500 workers on the tower site alone. We expect that to peak about a year from now at over 5,000 ... And for the whole site ... at any point in time, when the whole Downtown Burj Dubai district is under construction, there will be 20,000 men working here," Sang said.

Some 2,500 of these laborers hired by one of many firms working for Emaar downed tools for two days earlier this year and demonstrated in protest at poor working conditions and delays in the payment of salaries.

The protests degenerated into riots during which equipment and cars were smashed.

According to Sang, the protesting laborers did not work on the tower site and construction was therefore not affected.

"We actually work very closely with the contractors and with the authorities to ensure conditions for the labor are adequate and good. So we were a little disappointed that they weren't completely satisfied," Sang said.

He said the average wages of the south Asian laborers, who work in summer in temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), are "probably in the range of a couple of hundred US dollars (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=%22US+dollars%22&sid=breitbart.com) a month" for a shift of "eight to 10 hours" a day, six days a week.

"They can get overtime if they like," Sang said.

But he stressed that it is the contractor, not Emaar, "who employs the workers, and it's his responsibility to provide them with accommodation and pay the salaries on time."

Emaar, which is listed on the Dubai stock exchange and boasts of being the world's largest property company by capital, is setting great store by this flagship project.

The figures bear out its confidence. Emaar, in which the Dubai government has a 32.5 percent stake, is seeing its profits climb.

The real estate giant posted record net profits of 437 million dollars in the third quarter of this year, a 39 percent increase on the same period in 2005. It posted a 21 percent hike in profits in the first half of 2006 compared to the first six months of last year.

Business cirles attribute the steady rise in profits (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=%22rise+in+profits%22&sid=breitbart.com) to the sustained sales of apartments in Downtown Burj Dubai, a trend helped by a law allowing foreigners to become freehold property owners in certain areas of the Gulf city state which went into force this year.

"Certain buildings take on iconic status, like the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building, instantly recognizable and instantly associated with the city that they are placed in," Sang said.

"I hope the same happens with the Burj Dubai. It's definitely going to be very unique," he said.

But Sang admitted that he did not expect Burj Dubai to remain the tallest building in the world forever.

For it will face competition in Dubai itself, where the city's other property development major, Nakheel, has announced it will launch the construction of "Al-Burj" or "The Tower" -- whose projected height also remains a closely guarded secret.

Copyright AFP 2005

[ablarc]

It sold out within days. The bulk of the early sales, like almost all Dubai condos, went to investers and resellers, who actually find residents.
The comercial value of thinking big and thinking bold. If this works in Dubai, think how much better it could work in New York, which is a much more desirable place to live.

We've lost that fire in the belly in the good ol' USofA.

[Eugenious]

The comercial value of thinking big and thinking bold. If this works in Dubai, think how much better it could work in New York, which is a much more desirable place to live.

We've lost that fire in the belly in the good ol' USofA.

There's no need for such a monstrocity, the only reason they are building such things is that they are flush with petro cash. For a second example look at Moscow, they are building a whole new city over there right now - they are the european version of Dubai.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/69_385%20Federation%20Tower.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/graphics/dotclear.gifhttp://www.nabtower.ru/eng/photoarchive/September%202006.htm.pic.field
http://www.europaconcorsi.com/db/pub/images/9682/1449525163.jpg


http://skyscraperpage.com/graphics/dotclear.gifhttp://skyscraperpage.com/graphics/dotclear.gif
http://skyscraperpage.com/graphics/dotclear.gif

[mohammed]

dubai

i Am Living In Dubai I Am Arabian Just This Year I Moved To The U S To Study
I Will Go Back By The End Of The School Year


Guys If U Think That We Will Go Bankrupt Or We Will Fail That Is Wrong Dubai Is Big Developed City Skyskripers Everywher We Have Money We Sell U Petrol It Is Not Just Dubai It Is The Uae Our Economy Is Getting Stronger And Dubai Will Grow Large And High



Arab Pride

Allah Akbar

Mohammed (pboh) Zaiyed
Kahlifa
Maktom

[ablarc]

^ Momentum.

[sfenn1117]

Studying in the US? I guess Dubai is building everything except universities.

[spyguy999]

Studying in the US? I guess Dubai is building everything except universities.

It's not uncommon for them to send their children to the UK, US, even India, for schooling.

[sfenn1117]

Yes I know. It was a jab at the poster and the city itself as being incomplete. Looks like he got lost on the way to SSC

[Jake]

ummm...the sheer fact that he included that god is great in a thread about a building is ummm...strange.

[mohammed]

BOY U SAY We don't have universites we have high universiteies that rrovides us with everything we need for free laptops apartments an mountly poket money and evry citizen gets a villa there i just went to the us to study the english acent i already know english we don't have to pay to study like u we bring ur teachers and from enlgand and india and we treat them like shit just come and try to live here that if u can afford that . and we don't send anybody to india the carbage can we bring thier workers and ive them jobs that they can't get ever + free tickets india is shit :cool:

[lofter1]

ah, you have everything ... except the ability to spell and the knowledge to understand that everything that goes up must come down.

[Jake]

lol lofter, and the fact that he's still looking for recognition on a NYC website.

Let's all go to Wired Dubai and post how cool us NYers are. We've got universities too! wow!

It is my experience that those that have just come out of poverty need to brandish their appearance of wealth the most.

:p

[lofter1]

http://www.wireddubai.com/

It's a happening site.

Looks like they've got LOTS to talk about ...

[Alonzo-ny]

BOY U SAY We don't have universites we have high universiteies that rrovides us with everything we need for free laptops apartments an mountly poket money and evry citizen gets a villa there i just went to the us to study the english acent i already know english we don't have to pay to study like u we bring ur teachers and from enlgand and india and we treat them like shit just come and try to live here that if u can afford that . and we don't send anybody to india the carbage can we bring thier workers and ive them jobs that they can't get ever + free tickets india is shit :cool:

even if you could speak english properly you'd still sound like an idiot

[Proshopper]

I am sorry, but have to say that Mohammed is most probably not an Arab from the Gulf, but some other.... Down here in Dubai is not like what he is imaganing or have heard else where. Few are lucky to get Government houses and less than few - Government scolarships for foreign studies. You have to be from the right family and have the right family connections to get privileges. Universities are plenty and brand new, which can suggest the level of education and culture and traditions. The country is 34 years old, but will eventually get older. Dubai is becoming very expencive and opportunities are less. Petrol soared since more than 10 years and is now merely 10 % from the Dubai Emirate budget (unlike Abu Dhabi where it's 94%). How long the boom will continue??? It will most probably for some couple of years. Before all , we are located in the Middle of the Gulf and surrounded from Oil rich states as Saudi Arabia and the Abu Dhabi Emirate.:)
Now, I welcome you All to come and visit Dubai for a week or two. It may be a good expirience, but for Americans life will be better in America in a long term.:)

[ld876]

To be overly optimistic, which I rarely do, hopefully everywhere will have it well, or substantially better in the long term.

As you said, Emirates is young, and it can take years and years for the cogs to fall into place. Imagine what the US would be like if all this crazy technology and architecture were available 400 years ago when we started building -- we would've had a similar initial 40 years.

Anyway, good to hear a more informed, less biased opinion. Thanks!

[MikeW]

Here's a silly question: What's going on commericially in Dubai? Is there enough business going on to fill all these buildings, or are these just prestige projects for there own sake? Skyscrapers happened in Manhattan because we ran out of land to go horizontal. In UAE, there's nothing but trackless desert. The only reason to go up is for show. It kind of makes the think the whole place is all flash, no substance.

[Proshopper]

What I think is going on??? More than a decade ago it was estimated that the petrol in the Dubai Emirate will dry out approximately in the year 2015. Since than the Government developed a strategy to open the Emirate for foreign investments in order to develop different kind of industries and attract finances, as well as population. In a result of that, the population since 1994 until today increased from 690 thousands to more than 4.5 Million. The local population merely consist of 10-15%. All tricks (my personal expression) are in use: Free Zones, Shopping Festivals, Tax-Free system (eventually value-added taxes will be introduced), free hold property developments etc. This is alright as economy its booming for the moment and many people are making lots of money very fasst. How real it is, it's another question. Now a day the international press is publishing positive opinions, but if you dig the Forbes articles it may look a bit different. We all here try to be optimistic and wish and hope for the best, but it’s a bit scary for conservative minds as mine. One think I can say for sure: Some people have made lots of money very fast, which is always the case in countries undergoing dramatic changes or makeovers. When the dust settle down it won’t be easy and as everything gos very speedy here, it won’t be in a faaaaaaaaar future.
Trough my business I occationally help companies to sattle in Dubai. Some start well in less than a year, but the number f people coming here with high hopes and going back home in less than a year is increasing.

[wns808]

:rolleyes:

getting back on subject, as of Dec. 3, 2006 Burj Dubai has reached the 90th floor.

latest news on: http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com

[malec]

Recent pic:

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/2521/bd121506simonloxhamhg8.jpg

[Jake]

Three things:

1- it doesn't even look that tall to me since there's NOTHING there to compare it to, not even some small apartment building or something? This thing looks to be half a mile from the nearest other buillding.

2- the shoulder on that highway looks like quicksand, once you pull over you never come back

3- about all the cranes, I realize there's a lot of construction and maybe Dubai is becoming "popular" but can someone tell me if any, even the best, real estate market can handle anything of this sort? What does a square foot sell for in Dubai? Probably won't be much.

[malec]

Actually rents and prices have gone up like crazy, however it should fall back once all this stuff's finished.

It looks bloody tall to me though, it's easy to see by the floors. Also that particular angle is bad since there are more towers on both sides but none there. There's loads of stuff which hasn't even started in this project, some towers have been built but there are still loads left. Here are some pics of a model showing the entire thing:

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9063/img4959lc8.jpg

You can see the 2 towers in the real life pic here:

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5056/img4960jo0.jpg


Some more pics (remember, a lot of these towers are only placeholders)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/altind/BDDowntown2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/altind/BDDowntown3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/altind/BDDowntown1.jpg

[ryeler]

I think that this recent massive boom in dubai is great and all, but I don't trust it one bit. What's their economy? Oil and tourism. Once the oil dries up, which it will; Period, there will be nothing there. Companies will have no reason to stay in dubai. Tourism may keep it alive, but with global warming the desert will overcome the city. Eventually, the money in the country will dry up because not enough is going into it. The real estate market will crash, and all of these huge new projects will be sitting there, mostly empty. I would never invest in something over there. Still though, this is something I fear will happen, but wish not too.

I probably over emphasize a bit but this is just my opinion.

[Citytect]

What's in all these buildings? It seems like there are new buildings announced for Dubai every day, but I don't know what they're used for. Residential? Hotels? Offices? I'm sure some of all these things. But it still seems like a lot of space. Is it being occupied full-time?

[ablarc]

^ A Potemkin city?

[Citytect]

Perhaps. But I don't know really. I'd like to know.

[ryeler]

Yeah, the population of dubai is only 1.3 million, makes you wonder how all of these buildings are being filled.

[TORONTOGENIUS]

Nice Tower Wrong Place To Bad The People In The Right Place Are To Scared To Go In It What A Shame

[SilentPandaesq]

I remember reading a while ago (and I think that I posted it then), that at least some of the apartments are being bought up by wealthy Arabs/Persians from all the less than stable Middle Eastern nations. I wondered then about the validity of the statement, but after the war in Lebanon plus the tension in Iran/Iraq/Saudi Arabia - There might be some truth to it.

However, I still doubt that more than 50% of the apartments built will ever be lived in in the next 15 years.

[Ed007Toronto]

A lot of foreign companies that want to do business in the middle east are setting up offices in Dubai. It has a central location and has many freedoms that most middle eastern countries don't allow. That's partially the reason for the boom.

[Jake]

^That's true but even if Dubai is to become the HQ of the West in the Middle East we might have to consider the backlash from having a "McDonald's Tower" in a region so hostile to anything western.

The UAE is certainly the nicest place in the region but I fear it may eventually suffer from the same problems that such international hubs face. This openness to business and travel makes it susceptible to terrorism against western interests. We've already seen what worker strikes can do there and I just wonder how long it will all last.

[lofter1]

Dubai Building Becoming World's Tallest (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/16/international/i143259S08.DTL)

A group of racing camels practice with the Burj Dubai seen in the background on
Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The missile-shaped skyscraper under construction reached its 100th story on Tuesday,
nearly two-thirds of the way in its relentless climb to become the world's tallest building by next year.

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2007/01/17/mn_dubaitallest102.jpg
Associated Press photo by Kamran Jebreili

[BrooklynRider]

Love that shot! Will there be a camel station every 10 bocks? Express camels for rush hour?

[lofter1]

Any of you folks in Dubai: Is that smog in that pic? What is the air quality like over there?

[Jasonik]

Love that shot! Will there be a camel station every 10 bocks? Express camels for rush hour?

That photo was taken from the camel race track (http://www.khaleejtimes.co.ae/handbook/camelracing.htm) on the outskirts of the city.

[MidtownGuy]

maybe airborn sand particles?

[sixten]

Any of you folks in Dubai: Is that smog in that pic? What is the air quality like over there?
It's probably smog. From ABC News:

All of this development has angered many environmentalists, who say the Emirates is one of the biggest energy consumers and carbon dioxide emitters per capita on the planet. The World Wildlife Fund has asked the country to move toward renewable energy, especially solar power viable in one of the world's sunniest climates.

Link: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2799071

This is my first time post. Very long-time lurker. Excellent info here, folks!:)

[Peakrate212]

I really wonder what the real connections are behind the Dubai Building boom; their massive buying spree in New York via Isthmatar AND the oil money that funds terrorism and wars.

Are we selling our souls by doing business with them - Trump Dubai Tower and of course, selling them our buildings: W Union Square, 1400 Bway, and Mandarin Oriental, to name a few...

There must be some connections - I mean, come on.....

[SilentPandaesq]

Are we selling our souls by doing business with them - Trump Dubai Tower and of course, selling them our buildings: W Union Square, 1400 Bway, and Mandarin Oriental, to name a few...


We sold our souls to the Japanese at one point, and then bought them back for a profit. At the end of the day we were up on both Cash and Souls. New Yorkers are making a mint off of Dubai. NYC Architechs are getting well paid and international exposure and Wall Streeters are getting huge fees for managing all that loose pocket change that Amirs are throwing around.

Either way, Dubai believes that towers make the city, not the other way around. We shall see if they are right.

[MidtownGuy]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/369129294_d5f1598527_o.jpg

this shot was posted by megatower at SSC showing the Burj Dubai complex

[ryeler]

What's the circled part to the right?

[ablarc]

All these buildings are much too far apart.

[Jake]

Does the whole area in the pic have even one resident?

[MidtownGuy]

Patience, there wll be about 100(!) skyscrapers within that area when they're done.

[malec]

All these buildings are much too far apart.
True but they don't build things the normal way there. When you see a cluster of towers develop you'd expect the cluster to start off small with more towers getting built around it.
That's not how it's done here though, instead an area is designated for development, it gets a masterplan and the various plots of land get sold off. Towers then start to appear in random places throughout the designated area. As more towers get built the area gets denser and denser until all plots have been taken up. At the end it's possible some more will be squeezed in.

Here's what the plans are and could well take 15 years or more to get all this complete. Will everything here get built? Who knows. Will these get filled up? It's hard but again who knows, they might just pull it off :)

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/9939/bigfatmap0fo.th.jpg (http://img144.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bigfatmap0fo.jpg)

[finnman69]

Really interesting show.

Almost the same curtainwall as the Trump tower Chicago tower, similar color glass, same stainless steel mullion.


On edit: it was Megabuilders.
http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/machines_and_engineering/megabuilders/burjdubai/index.shtml

[ryeler]

where is the burj? I can't find it on Google Earth lol.

[Bob]

Modern Marvels is the best thing on TV since those Gulf Oil advertisements of the early 1960s. (and who besides me remembers those?!)

[MidtownGuy]

THese are from SSC. This tower is one of them, going up as part of the Burj development area. It's by SOM.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/377005173_a980c261b4_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/377005176_86d80b0f9f_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/377005171_c31fa28d51_b.jpg

Always amazes me, their designs outside of NYC are so different from what I'm used to.

[finnman69]

Always amazes me, their designs outside of NYC are so different from what I'm used to.

the tall towers are from the Chicago office. The NYC office seems to be far less gifted with designers than their other offices.

I could be wrong,in some ways it looks like something the NYC office might do.

[ryeler]

Did you guys hear about the contractor pulling out on the Burj? I just read a minute ago in the Toronto Star Business section that a major Burj Dubai contractor has pulled out of the project because the have gone broke. Seriously! I can't find the article online, but delays are expected to be over a year for completion of the tower!

[finnman69]

Did you guys hear about the contractor pulling out on the Burj? I just read a minute ago in the Toronto Star Business section that a major Burj Dubai contractor has pulled out of the project because the have gone broke. Seriously! I can't find the article online, but delays are expected to be over a year for completion of the tower!


Wonder if its the curtainwall. they seemed to be having trouble and way behind with the wall on the Megabuilders show.

On edit. I was right. The curtainwall contractor went under. That will kill this job cold.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worldbiz/archives/2007/02/02/2003347400

BLOOMBERG
Friday, Feb 02, 2007, Page 10

Advertising Burj Dubai, the world's tallest skyscraper, is facing construction delays of at least a year after a leading contractor on the project went bankrupt, leaving the tower without any external walls.
Work that should have begun in the first quarter of last year won't start until April at the earliest following the collapse of Switzerland-based Schmidlin Ltd Facade Technology, said George Efstathiou, a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, which designed the tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Delays to the US$900 million, 160-storey skyscraper are a setback to Dubai's plans to create a 202-hectare district featuring hotels, offices, apartments and the world's biggest shopping mall as it seeks to become the Middle East's No. 1 tourist hub. While the tower's internal structures have already passed the 100th storey, the lack of a facade means work on fitting out the building can't begin.

"It's very unusual for a tower to be this tall without cladding," Efstathiou said yesterday in an interview on the sidelines of the "Building Tall" construction conference in Dubai.

"The cladding is the enclosure of a building, so any interior work that needs dry conditions cannot be completed if it's not in place."

Wolfgang Rudolph, US general manager of Permasteelisa SpA's Josef Gartner unit

"But we have a new contractor on board and they have a local partner and a scheme to get us back on track," he said.

The facade for the Burj Dubai, comprising thousands of metal panels, will now be provided by Hong Kong-based Far East Aluminium Group, Efstathiou said.

"The cladding is the enclosure of a building, so any interior work that needs dry conditions cannot be completed if it's not in place," said Wolfgang Rudolph, US general manager of Permasteelisa SpA's Josef Gartner unit, one of the world's largest producers of so-called curtain walling.

Schmidlin Ltd Facade Technology, based in Aesch, Switzerland, filed for bankruptcy on Feb. 22 last year. The company said at the time that the high-risk and technologically-challenging nature of its work had led to spiraling costs, leaving it "massively in the red" since 2003.

The world's tallest building is currently the Taipei 101 tower, measuring 509m, excluding masts, and with 101 stories, according to the Emporis Buildings architectural statistics database. Built in 2004, Taipei 101 overtook the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Chicago's Sears Tower, built in 1974, ranks as the third tallest building.

[ryeler]

I found it, from the Toronto Star:

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
TheStar.com - Business - World's tallest building faces year-long delay
World's tallest building faces year-long delayeb 01, 2007 04:30 AM

Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, is facing construction delays of at least a year after a leading contractor on the project went broke.
Work that should have begun in the first quarter of 2006 won't start until April at the earliest following the bankruptcy of Switzerland-based Schmidlin Ltd. Facade Technology, said George Efstathiou, a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, which designed the 160-storey tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
When finished, the silvery steel-and-glass building is expected to top 700 metres – taller than Toronto's CN Tower, which stands at 553 metres.

[malec]

Yup, the contractor for the cladding went broke which of course, is causing delays. Look at the pictures and you'll see it's the tallest unclad tower in the world (higher than the ryugyong hotel) and it's not starting until April (if all goes to plan). Because the cladding isn't there it also means interior work can't start. Add to this various design changes and you have massive delays. I expect 2 years, especially if they go with all the height increases they always boast about.

That SOM tower's a stunner and should be starting this year. See if you can find it in my pic a few posts back :)

[Derek2k3]

Another reason why supertowers and decent architecture are so much more possible elsewhere.


Burj Dubai $900 million

Freedom Tower $2.4 billion
Time Warner Center $1.8 billion
Bank of America Tower $1 billion
New York Times Building $850 million
Seven World Trade Center $700 million
Bloomberg Tower $650 million
Bear Stearns World Headquarters $516 million
Hearst Magazine Tower $500 million
Times Square Plaza $500 million

The Freedom Tower costs nearly 3 times as much as Burj Dubai...damn construction unions lol

[lofter1]

Even if they paid US minimum wage in Dubai (they pay many of the workers there far less than that rate) how much more do think the "budget" for Burj Dubai would be?

I say "budget" becaue I don't know that any of the $$$ numbers that are publicized about this project can be believed.

[ryeler]

construction unions lol

are you saying you'd rather have unskilled workers with zero benifits and a low quality of life working on something like the freedom tower?

[ryeler]

oops, the quote took out the word damm in "damm construction workers.."

[vanshnookenraggen]

While surfing the interwebs I stumbled upon this Russian site with some great before and after pics of Dubai along with a number of renderings of what is proposed.

http://www.ellf.ru/2007/02/05/dubajj__samyjj_bystrorazvivajushhijjsja_gorod_v_mi re_foto.html

To make everyones lives easier I have reposted the images AND translated the text. Enjoy.

1991
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/1170681755_1169579242_dubai1990.jpg

2003
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/1170681760_1169579260_dubai2003.jpg


1973
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170681807_dubai_jan1973.jpg

1990
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170681819_dubai_aug1990.jpg

2006
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170681826_dubai_oct2006.jpg

At this time Dubai has around 20% of all cranes world.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170681905_1169579369_dubai_cranes.jpg

Downtown Dubai. When construction is completed, this will be the biggest coastal building in the world.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170681932_1169579448_al_burj_panorama.jpg

The Palm Islands. The largest artificial islands in the world. They can be seen even from space.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/1170681955_1169579510_palm_islands_in_dubai.jpg
When construction is complete there are to be about 2,000 villas, 40 [luxury hotels] , a shopping-center, theaters, and in general, all that is required to support nearly 500,000 vacationers.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170681972_1169579535_palm_island_resort.jpg

The World Islands. 300 artificial islands made in the form of the globe. The cost of one of between 25 and 30 million dollars.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/1170681997_1169579568_the_world_island.jpg

Al Arab Hotel
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682017_1169579612_burj_al_arab_hotel.jpg

Hydropolis is the world's first underwater hotel. Planned to open in 2007.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682035_1169579648_hydropolis.jpg

The Burj Dubai Tower. Construction began in 2005 and will end in 2008. The approximate height of more than 800 metres, which is 40% above the highest building Taipei 101.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682054_1169579689_burj_dubai_tower.jpg

This will be Dubai in 2008-2009.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682087_1169579720_dubai_downtown.jpg

Dubailand. So far, Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, USA, is the largest park attractions in the world. Dubailand will be twice as large, about 270 million square meters. The price of more than 20 billion dollars.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682105_1169579760_dubailand.jpg

Dubai Sports City. Huge complex games at Dubailand.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682122_1169579775_internationaldubaisportscity .jpg

Dubai Sports City
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682127_1169579838_dubai_sports_city.jpg

Walt Disney Dubai. According to the plan, Dubailand to attract about 200,000 visitors daily.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682147_1169579866_dubai_walt_disney_world_reso rt.jpg

Princes Tower. [When completed] Ocean Heights and The Princess Tower will be the highest residential buildings in the world.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/1170682166_1169579901_princess_tower.jpg

From the beaches of Dubai will be located more than 200 skyscrapers. Construction will end in 2008
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/1170682183_1169579915_ocean_heights.jpg

The Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall will be the largest shopping-center in the world. More than 830,000 square meters and about 1,000 stores.
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/thumbs/1170682246_1169579989_dubai_mall.jpg

I have a feeling Le Corb. is laughing right about now.

[ablarc]

Much of this is hokey kitsch, but wouldn't it be nice to import just a little bit of that can-do spirit?

Thanks, vanshnookenraggen.

[MidtownGuy]

The world in Dubai
By Danna Harman, The Christian Science Monitor

The tourist maps here can be confusing. Probably because about three quarters of the landmarks shown on them are nowhere to be found on the actual ground. "Dubailand (u/c)" and "The World (u/c)" are simply not there. "Dubai Waterfront (u/c)"? Nope. "iPod towers (u/c)"? Huh? "Falcon City (u/c)"? Not a trace.

And while on the subject of confusion, what does that (u/c) stand for, anyway, a visitor may start asking herself?

Welcome to Dubai, where many of its landmarks are "under construction." "This place is unreal," says Irishman David Hackett, who, years ago, did a stint as a construction worker in Las Vegas, building a 540-foot Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris Hotel.

"A tower like that, 60 per cent life-size" he shakes his head, "would just not be enough here."

On this recent weekday afternoon, Hackett, a production manager for a multinational construction company, is at the mega Mall of the Emirates, home to the only indoor ski slope in the Middle East. He's not slaloming down the quarter-mile ski run toward T.G.I. Fridays on this 73-degree F (23C) day, but rather standing in line waiting to get his George Foreman Next Generation Interchangeable Plates Grill.

The two-time world heavyweight boxing champion is in town for the weekend to shake customers' hands at the mega hardware store.

"The thing about Dubai," explains Hackett, is "they do it big, big ... bigger than anywhere else."

The Eiffel Tower at the planned Dubailand theme park‚ a $20 billion project that will be three times the size of Manhattan‚ is, for example, going to be life-size. So are the planned replicas of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pyramids, and the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal, too? Is that even possible? "Absolutely," says Hackett, inching closer to Big George. "It's on the maps." And this, as they say, was all desert just a few decades ago.

The late Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who ruled Dubai from its independence in 1971 until his death in 1990, and his sons the late Shaikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, get much of the credit for the transformation.

They realised early on that oil riches were ephemeral and would one day run dry, and they started liberalising and broadening the economy to attract foreign investors.

Almost as fast as you could say, "outrageously bling-bling-tourism is our future," this little fishing port on a creek had been turned into a wonderland of artificial attractions.

Soon they had a growth rate bigger than that of China, more tourists than India, and‚ people here like to quip‚ more than half of the world's building cranes.

Rapid development

In the meantime, Dubai has been addressing the problems that come with rapid development such as labour abuse charges, taken up by the Human Rights Watch.

There has been also blame for looming environmental disasters (man-made islands upset the entire ecology of the western Arabian Gulf).

Tourism now accounts for almost 20 per cent of Dubai's $30 billion GDP‚ compared with less than 5 per cent for oil revenue.

Last year, close to six million visitors came here‚ a figure Dubai hopes will rise to 15 million by 2010. Where do they all stay?

Well, there is the Burj Al Arab option. The world's first seven-star hotel, in the shape of a giant billowing sail and covered in Teflon, the Burj features in-room marble staircases, an underwater restaurant reachable by submarine, and white Rolls Royce taxi service to the airport. If you book on TripAdvisor.com, you might get a steal at $2,156 for a simple room.

Or, you can go for the rack rate of $13,900 for a suite. Either way, you get to keep the Hermes goodie bag. Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played an exhibition match on the hotel's helipad rooftop a couple of years ago. Apparently it was very nice.

For those hankering to own a pied-a-terre, you could go the David Beckham route and purchase a second home on a fake island in the shape of a palm tree.

The Palm Jumeirah was created by dredging out sand and repositioning it in the shape of a date palm tree‚ complete with a trunk and 17 fronds‚ on the seafloor.

It is almost finished‚ and filling up with luxury hotels, residential villas and apartments, water theme parks, health spas, and cinemas‚ and, at $1.2 million a villa, almost sold out.

And what to do while in town? Shopping, maybe?

Shopping just happens to be Dubai's forte, with everyone from veiled local women to tank-topped Germans joining the mad rush‚ to the strains of Muzak‚ to get into the Victoria's Secret sales or get a new MP3 player in one of the mega-malls.

The recent Dubai Shopping Festival featured late-night shopping specials, carnival performances, Foreman-esque special appearances, a private island lottery (second prize: a private jet), and a whole range of Guinness World Record events.

Record breaking

In fact, breaking records is a national pursuit here. Among those contested in Dubai this year were the world's largest gathering of people reading at one time, longest line of footprints, and largest buffet; also the world''s biggest wallet, pillow, inflatable balloon, and spoon.

Results were not yet in, but Hisham Nammour, owner of the feng shui stall at the Emirates Mall was hopeful.

"We always win," he said over a mug of hot chocolate at the après-ski bar. "We excel at breaking records."

And indeed, last year, Dubai broke the record for the largest gathering of people sharing a name (2,500 Mohammads showed up)‚ leaving previous record-holder Spain (375 Marias) in the dust.

Also Dubai put together the largest display of rice dumplings: 23,000, trouncing dumpling doyen Singapore (13,192 in 1992).

And, let's not forget to mention the "Burj Dubai (u/c)" which aims to be the tallest skyscraper in the world.

They had a little celebration here last month when the building hit the 100-floor mark‚ 67 more are apparently on the way.

Meanwhile, in the realm of faux islands, there is a lot happening as well.

First of all, there is "The World (u/c)"‚ a "blank canvas in the azure waters of the Arabian Gulf with endless possibilities," as the website puts it.

In normal-speak, this translates into an archipelago of 300 man-made islands, each the size of several city blocks, which, when taken together, make up a map of the world. Fancy owning Italy? It's still up for grabs.

Developers aren't purists when it comes to exact world proportions, and island owners, it is promised, can re-shape the planet by "merely moving the sand," to create unique features such as coves and marinas.

And there is also the new palm tree project, known as "Palm Jebel Ali (u/c)," which is going to be 1-1/2 times bigger than Palm Jumeirah and is to be surrounded by houses on stilts that will take the shape of Arabic letters and spell out a poem by Shaikh Mohammad:

Take wisdom from the wise
Not everyone who rides a horse is a great jockey
It takes a man of great vision to write on water
Great men rise to great challenges.

All of this will be written there, they say, and be visible from space.

Sabir Ali Rehmani owns a small retail business selling simple cloth from Indonesia for the long dishdashs. He has been watching Dubai sprout around him for the past 20 years from his one-room office in the old souq on the creek.

"This is a fantasy land," says Rehmani, sitting down to a quiet morning cup of sweet Arabic tea. "You forget what is real."

[sharewadi]

and‚ people here like to quip‚ more than half of the world's building cranes.
That's a bit of a myth. One source last year said about 25% of the world's cranes are in Dubai (http://www.dubaisharetalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=537) but was later refuted. I think 10-15% might be more realistic. Still a huge number for a small city .

[Alonzo-ny]

Ill only believe the crane statement when i see numbers.
I dont care how much construction is going on in dubai there is no way when almost every major city in the world right now are having construction booms that they have anywhere close to 25%

[MidtownGuy]

Judging from pictures, one project alone, Dubai Marina, has more cranes than all of New York. They have many, many projects underway, spend some time in the Dubai threads on SSC and you will become convinced.

[homeandaway]

The building i would say is already 50% completed....