Did you know Burj Dubai?

Burj Dubai will become the tallest building in the world. The building is under construction at the moment, started in 2004 and it is expected will finish in 2009.

Located in Dubai, the capital city of Uni Emirate Arab, Burj Dubai has built by Emaar Properties. Burj Dubai is now taller than Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which at 508 meters (1,667 ft) has held the tallest-building-in-the-world title since it opened in 2004. Burj Dubai has now reached 141 storeys - more storeys than any other building in the world.

During its construction, Burj Dubai has left behind the skyscrapers that previously defined tall tower architecture around the world, such as Petronas Towers in Malaysia (452 meters, 1,483 ft); Sears Tower, Chicago (442 metres, 1,451 ft); Jin Mao Building, Shanghai (421 meters, 1,381 ft) and Empire State Building, New York (381 meters, 1,250 ft).

The Burj Dubai story is only beginning. The final height and number of storeys, a topic of enthusiastic debate among media and experts alike, has not yet been revealed. But from now on, the tower will set new records for its technical and architectural ingenuity.

When completed, Burj Dubai will have consumed 330,000 cubic meters of concrete, 39,000 metric tons of steel rebar and 142,000 sq m of glass – and 22 million man hours. The tower will have 56 elevators traveling at 1.75 to 10 meters/sec and double-Decker observatory elevators that can carry 42 people at a time.

More than 313,700 cubic meters of reinforced concrete and 62,200 tonnes of reinforcing steel have been used in the tower’s construction so far. Burj Dubai has already set a new world record for vertical concrete pumping for a building by pumping to over 460 meters (1,509 ft). The previous record of 448 meters (1,470 ft) was held by Taipei 101.

Reflecting a no-compromise approach to safety, Burj Dubai has been designed to manage the effect of wind and seismic movements. High-strength concrete makes up the tower’s super-structure, which is supported by large reinforced concrete mats and piles. The 80,000 sq ft foundation slab and 50-meters deep piling are waterproofed and feature cathodic protection.

Burj Dubai became the tallest building in the world in just 1,276 days; excavation work started in January, 2004. More than 5,000 consultants and skilled construction workers are employed on site, and the world’s fastest high-capacity construction hoists, with a speed of up to 2 m/sec (120 meters/min), move men and materials.