Burj Dubai - The World's tallest man-made structure (to be)

[warpus]

This thread is about the Burj Dubai - the building that recently became the World's tallest free-standing structure, surpassing the CN tower. It is currently 100 metres (330 feet) taller than the CN tower and is expected to reach 820 metres or so (2,700 feet).

It will soon become the World's tallest structure ever built, free-standing or not, surpassing the record set by the Warsaw Radio Mast, which was 646 metres tall (2,120 feet)

The budget for the project (which includes 30,000 apartments, 9 hotels, 20+ residential towers, a man-made lake, and the largest mall in the world) is projected to cost around U.S.$20 billion.

Here's a comparison to other tall buildings, including 2 other projects that are under construction (in Dubai and Chicago):

It's crazy how huge this thing is! Here's some recent pictures:

(I'll put the rest of the pictures in spoiler tags to make viewing of this thread more pleasant)

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^ in this picture you can see a comparison of the tips of the tallest structures ever built, or under construction

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Enjoy the pics!

 

[GenMarshall]

We need to get cracking building the tallest tower in the world!

 

[Godwynn]

We need to get cracking building the tallest tower in the world!

Chicago is doing it's part.

Where you at New York?

 

[warpus]

We need to get cracking building the tallest tower in the world!

There are already plans to build a 50% taller building.. also in Dubai.. The Al Burj, standing at 1,200m (4,000 feet)

The U.S. (and many other countries) could easily build a building taller than the Burj Dubai.. It would just cost a couple billion dollars. The Burj Dubai is going to be tough to beat.. and if the Al Burj goes up.. I don't expect the record to be beaten for at least a decade.

 

[bigdog5994]

thats got nothing on this thing
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/01/technology/towerofpower0802.biz2/

 

[general_kill]

That's really incredible. I wonder when humans will reach a limit for how tall we will build....

Why is Dubai so rich and why are so many things being built there? Oil and natural gas revenues only accounted for 6% of their GDP, and their entire GDP was 36 billion last year. What makes them so successful and can other small countries replicate this?

 

[Irish Caesar]

As impressed as I am with supertall buildings, I'm disappointed Dubai's skyscrapers all kinda look the same.

Furthermore, I'm somewhat glad not to live near one; although Atlanta's skyline is nice, and we do boast the most recent American skyscraper built to be top-10 tallest worldwide, there's such a thing as too tall for a city... this would be too tall for Atlanta certainly and possibly even for Chicago.

 

[general_kill]

Chicago is doing it's part.

Where you at New York?

Manhattan is so over developed, it would take a mammoth amount of money and a killer legal team just to get the right to build in there. Then there's air quality control problems, logistics of bringing stuff into the city with the kind of traffic in there, and the cost of supporting workers with NYC prices. The best hope to build something big is to build it in Ground Zero... And look at how long it is taking them to even get started with the building. 7 years and still zip, nada.

 

[The Yankee]

Chicago is doing it's part.

Where you at New York?

Freedom Tower red tape.

Though I'm less enthused about joining a buildings' race than I used to be. It still does not take away from the truly impressive structure underway in Dubai.

 

[Stevenpfo]

I took some time awhile ago to look at a bunch of different buildings going up in Dubai. I thought they were all decently unique. They all seemed to have a loose theme but they weren't that similar, I thought.

I wish I had of thought to go look at this guy while I was there. My bad. The thing I noticed in the first photo and when I was there was all the other buildings. The whole skyline is made up of buildings under construction.

 

[warpus]

As impressed as I am with supertall buildings, I'm disappointed Dubai's skyscrapers all kinda look the same.

Depends on where you look. The city is practically being built from scratch, into a huge metropolis..

It's a playground for architects, and I've always thought that the main clusters of skyscrapers contain skyscrapers each of which has its own unique style and character:

I've seen parts of the city where what you're talking about stands out.. but that happens in every city!

 

[EnlightenmentHK]

Heh...I love Dubai. Most American cities have very little imagination when it comes to the architecture of their skylines. (see the initially interesting turned bland and conventional 'Freedom Tower' designs. And the rectangular black boxes that make up 90% of the Chicago skyline) Dubai says screw it, we'll make it bigger and kookier than anything ever built before. Gotta admire that sort of audacity.

 

[Irish Caesar]

^

That picture shows a lot more variety than the skyline pics in the OP, so I'm somewhat satiated.

Still, the trend toward more tall skyscrapers with lots of glass and little else is not something I can really be enthusiastic about; Atlanta seems to be moving in that direction, and after a wiki session on skyscrapers over the last half-hour or so, I fear Boston will continue the pattern as well.

 

[West 36]

That will make for some splendid suicides.
If that thing fell, could it go sideways?

Anyway, how bad will the wind batter it?
I just think that something that tall would be really susceptible to wind.
Is there much earthquake activity around there?
And, while we're at it, terrorist attacks.




Yeah, I go through stupid, eccentric, dooms-day scenarios, what of it?

 

[Leonel]

I think we need to invade Abu Dhabi next for their architects and engineers.

 

[Stevenpfo]

Check out these ones from Dubai. They possibly might be built.

I was always a fan of this guy:

Proposed Al Burj (1,050 meters):

This one has been approved:

If you think Dubai looks crazy now with it's man made palm tree islands and sail buildings, wait 20 years.

 

[Stevenpfo]

That will make for some splendid suicides.
If that thing fell, could it go sideways?

Anyway, how bad will the wind batter it?
I just think that something that tall would be really susceptible to wind.

I'm no expert but I did watch a show on the construction of it. They did extensive testing in wind tunnels (in Canada ). It'll be good to go even through the worst of dust storms.

I don't think you can get outside the building up high? Wouldn't it mess with the integrity to have an open portal so high up? Suction or something? Like I said, i'm no expert. Just don't make me clean the damn windows!

 

[Dubai Vol]

What no one stops to consider is that every tall building in Dubai is a monument to stupidity. You only build up when you run out of rom to build out. Go a mile from the Burj al Arab and you're standing in empty desert. Meanwhile, the transportation infrastucture is already vastly overloaded in the area, and parking is a nightmare.

Here's a satellite view of the Sheikh Zayed Road area:

Spoiler :

The pink square is Emirates Towers, already the 10th tallest in the world. Note just to the left of it, the double row of skyscrapers along SZR. Looks imopressive in pictures, but it's a facade. Low-density residential just behind it to the west, and empty desert to the east. Meanwhile, they've had to build all sorts of multi-story parking garages because they didn't think about where all those people were going to park. A very expensive way to do things. Note the area circled in blue. The orange square is roughly where the Burj al Arab is going up. More traffic on SZR is the last thing we need.

Zooming out, you see that further east is yet more empty desert:

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And beyond that, more desert, but i'll let you Google it yourself.

Looks mighty impressive in pictures, shame about the traffic. To make things worse, SZR is now a toll road, sending floods of cheapskates onto the surrounding roads, which are completely unsuited for heavy traffic volumes. Residential and industrial areas. Hey Hamed, go play in the traffic!

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

thats got nothing on this thing
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/01/technology/towerofpower0802.biz2/

There are already plans to build a 50% taller building.. also in Dubai.. The Al Burj, standing at 1,200m (4,000 feet)

The U.S. (and many other countries) could easily build a building taller than the Burj Dubai.. It would just cost a couple billion dollars. The Burj Dubai is going to be tough to beat.. and if the Al Burj goes up.. I don't expect the record to be beaten for at least a decade.

But this one will.

As for the US, like most first world countries it has MUCH more expensive labour increasing the costs substantially. That is part of the reason you don't see such projects as much.

 

[LesCanadiens]

While we're impressed, let's remember that tens of thousands of what are essentially slaves build these things. Also, when the oil runs out, Dubai is <radio edit>ed, and all these monuments to decadence and exploitation will come crumbling down, literally.