When it is completed sometime next summer, the Burj Dubai Tower in the United Arab Emirates will stand just over half a mile high. Already, it is the tallest structure in the world (passing up Taipei's 101 Tower and Toronto's CN Tower this past week despite the fact that the steel has only reached just over three-fourths of the planned height). The engineering is stunning even if the design is more than a little dehumanizing--then again, I suppose that sort of Babylonian excess rather suits Dubai.Just to try to put the monumental structure in context, note the comparison below: from left to right: the Burj Dubai Tower, the vast Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the CN Tower also in Toronto (often not figured into the world's tallest building tallies because it is essentially a broadcast antennae rather than an office building), the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, and finally, the Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan.
I'd sure hate to be around that thing in an earthquake.
ReplyDeleteIn 15-odd years of being an MK, the only time I've ever experienced culture shock was coming from the Peshawar frontier to Dubai. "Babylonian excess", indeed.
ReplyDeletethe next one they have proposed is 1200 meters!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?8978577
How's this? http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0507260175jul26,0,581509.story?coll=chi_business_util
ReplyDelete115 story, over 2000 ft!
This one is crazy! http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?
ReplyDeleteProposed to be built as the centerpiece of a man-made island just 30 miles from the Burj Dubai tower, about twice as tall as the Sears tower in Chicago.