Current records hold by Burj Dubai, and slight information on the observatory

Burj Dubai, or now known as Burj Khalifa, held a number of records, even from during the construction, till now, the completion and opening. Famously known as the world tallest building, this building is also the world tallest man made structure. Other records held by the tower currently are (which are hard to be beaten by others, for sure):

Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m (1,671 ft))

Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m (2,121 ft))

Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m (2,063 ft))

Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m (1,815 ft))

Building with most floors: 160 (previously both 1 and 2 World Trade Center – 110)

World’s highest elevator installation

World’s fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)

Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m (1,474 ft))

Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant – 532 m (1,745 ft))

The first world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space

Highest outdoor observation deck in the world (around 440m above ground)

World’s highest mosque (located on the 158th floor)

Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world

Tallest service elevator in the world

World’s highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft)

World highest restaurant – at level 122 called as At.mosphere Restaurant

The list of records above are enough to stunt us…

The observatory at the 124th floor of the Burj Dubai is another masterpiece, which is called At The Top, Burj Dubai.  However, it is too bad that it did not claim the world tallest observatory from the current record holder, Shanghai World Financial Center which has its highest observatory at 474m (just 18m short than the building’s overall height). However, At The Top, Burj Dubai claimed the world tallest outdoor observatory title as mentioned on the list above at a height of over around 440m above ground level.

The picture above is amazing…the building stands as a clearly visible vertical element, and the shadow casted from the tower is another clearly visible horizontal element….great!!! The shadow is fantastic…showing the enormous height of the building in horizontal way…this is what expected from the observatory or any other higher levels of the building…

The video above from YouTube showing people standing and introducing at the top of the spire of Burj Dubai, at a height of 828m, overlooking the surrounding, from such a great height. Another shot is from the top of the pinnacle, straight down to the ground..which is kinda scary, even when I am watching it from here…not from the real situation…wish I could be there too! How lucky they are….do you notice all the signatures on the spire there? It is a great honour to have a signature there…I wanted too!!! By the time if I am there, my hands would be shaking, and I would be like fainting at such a height, greeted by strong winds, and my signature would be terrible then…lol

Burj Dubai is officially opened…

Recognized as the world famous man made structure, even before the completion of the building, is already incredible achievement obtained by Burj Dubai. Now, that the building has topped out, completed, and opened for public on 4th January 2010 as the world tallest man made structure as well.

A landmark of Dubai, an icon of the nation, and the symbol of human achievements, this tower stands at an official height of 828m (previously the height is 818m, after new measurement being introduced by Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the new height is 825m, then now, another 3m is added, making it at 828m…what a nice number). The building has 168 occupied floors too (with over a certain number of mechanical floors above).

It’s really cool to see something from the drawing turned to reality:

Something incredible…the height of the tower can be raised with the addition of spire at the top. Currently, the spire looks short compared to overall of the building, giving hints that the spire can be added without interfering the proportion of the building. Hence, it will gives tougher challenge to future world tallest building projects.

The building’s name is suddenly changed from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa, after being announced shockingly by Sheikh Mohammed on the opening night. The ruler of Dubai renamed it as the gesture to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the country.

More details are finally revealed by the architects of the building (previously, all the architects do not expose much details on the building as to keep it as secret till opening). The design of the building is inspired by the shape of desert flower, an Arabic flower, built in the shape of letter Y. Elevators in the building can travel up to 1600 feet in two minutes. The temperature difference between the top and the bottom of the building is up to 10 degree Celsius. It will have the most elevated place of worship in the world with plans for a mosque on the 158th level. It boasts luxury apartments, offices, four swimming pools, a private library and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani. The main architect for the building is Adrian Smith.

Some pictures of the fireworks display of the tower during the opening:

The video from Dubai channel showing the opening ceremony of the building:

The video from ITN News showing the opening ceremony too:

The video from rooftop of Millenium Tower, showing the fireworks of Burj Dubai:

Great, isn’t it??? I’m currently in a very happy mood, because I love this building a lot, I have been watching the building from the proposal, till the construction, till the completion, and now, the opening…really wish to get there and take a breathtaking look at the impressive structure, which might hurt my neck for looking up too high…it is not merely a building, it is a pride of the world…