Burj Dubai : the tallest building and tallest man-made structure

The Burj Dubai, a skyscraper being constructed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is currently the tallest building in the world.  Construction began on the multi-use tower in 2004 and was scheduled to be complete in September 2009.  The multi-use tower will feature an Armani luxury hotel, residential units, commercial office space and suites, four swimming pools, an observation deck, a cigar club, fitness facility and other luxury amenities.  There are many interesting facts and figures associated with the Burj Dubai tower and construction project.

• The Burj Dubai is the tallest building and tallest man-made structure in the world.  It surpassed the Taipei 101 in July 2007 and became the tallest building and became the tallest freestanding structure when it surpassed the CN Tower in September 2007.

• Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, a Chicago-based architectural firm, designed the tower.

• The contractor for the project is the South Korean-based company, Samsung, along with Besix (Belgian firm) and local Arabtec.

• The developer of the Burj Dubai project is Emaar Properties, one of the leading real estate developers in Dubai.

• The Burj Dubai is located on Sheikh Zayed Road at the intersection of Doha Street.

• The Burj Dubai, a $4.1 billion project, is part of the larger $20 billion Downtown Dubai development project.

Groundbreaking took place on September 21, 2004.  Construction is scheduled to complete in September 2009.

• The height of the tower is estimated at 818 meters (2,684 feet)
• 

The Burj Dubai has 164 stories

• The floor area of the Burj Dubai is 334,000 square meters or 3,595,100 square feet.

• The spire of the Burj Dubai can be seen from a distance up to 95 kilometers.

• The Burj Dubai will have the tallest observation deck at 442 meters high

• The tower’s curtain will be the length of approximately 25 football fields.

• The total amount of concrete used on the building is the equivalent weight of about 100,000 elephants

• Condensated water is collected with a pipe and is stored beneath the parking garage and used for irrigation of the landscaping surrounding the tower.  15 million gallons of water, or about 20 Olympic sized swimming pools, are required for the tower’s use.

• The cooling requirements of the Burj Dubai are equivalent to about 10,000 tons of melting ice

• The Burj Dubai’s water system supplied about 250,000 gallons of water

• The building’s electricity is 36mV, which is the equivalent of about 360,000 100 watt bulbs

• The Burj Dubai has the fastest elevators in the world.  The double deck cabins can travel up to 18 meters per second or 40 miles per hour.

• The tower also has the highest service elevator in the world.

• The Burj Dubai has the first controlled and programmed evacuation in the world.

• The building houses a 15,00 square foot fitness facility

• The Burj Dubai has a cigar club

• The tower has the first Armani Hotel in the world

• The Burj Dubai is almost a kilometer tall

Get More Detail form Wikipedia,