Burj Dubai Complete

For any and all other discussion, i.e., not relating to Star Wars or Star Trek or standards of evidence. A reminder: Don't spam, don't flame, and stay reasonable.
Post Reply
Cocytus
Jedi Knight
Posts: 435
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:04 am

Burj Dubai Complete

Post by Cocytus » Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:56 pm

The tallest structure ever built by the hand of man in any category, Burj Dubai is now finished and open. For people like me, who have watched day by day since the building began in 2004, this is quite a moment. The tallest building on earth is always an occasion for celebration, since it happens so infrequently (just going back through time: Burj Dubai: 2010, Taipei 101: 2004, Petronas Towers: 1998, Sears Tower: 1974, World Trade Center: 1972, Empire State Building: 1931, see what I mean?) Whatever one thinks of Dubai, its debt crisis, its hubris, the economic (un)necessity, etc, it is nevertheless a spectacular achievement.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp ... 3#34688723

Bravo Dubai, congratulations to HH Sheikh Mohammad bid Rashid al Maktoum, congratulations to the architect Adrian Smith and all of SOM, structural engineer Bill Baker and, of course, the myriads of workers who put in millions of man-hours to complete the project in less that six years, from the start of foundation work to todays opening. Not since the Empire State Building itself has a structure so thoroughly demolished all the records.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRxxv6AZ ... r_embedded#

8:00 and on is really spectacular

User avatar
2046
Starship Captain
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:14 pm
Contact:

Sorry, Neither

Post by 2046 » Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:45 pm

Burj Khalifa, now. And I'm hearing that even over and above customization work for specific leases and such, the interior is not yet complete . . . it's just a shell of a building at this point. But what a shell!

However, they're well on track to completion, so it won't be a prettier and taller the NK thing.

User avatar
Mr. Oragahn
Admiral
Posts: 6865
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:58 am
Location: Paradise Mountain

Re: Burj Dubai Complete

Post by Mr. Oragahn » Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:23 pm

Does it swing two meters sideways at the apex?

Mike DiCenso
Security Officer
Posts: 5836
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:49 pm

Re: Burj Dubai Complete

Post by Mike DiCenso » Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:54 pm

I'am just wondering what the hell exactly they plan to do with it given the financial straights Dubai finds itself in. Can the contractors take possession of it, if Sheikh Mohammad bid Rashid al Maktoum can't pay up on the work done so far?
-Mike

User avatar
Mr. Oragahn
Admiral
Posts: 6865
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:58 am
Location: Paradise Mountain

Re: Burj Dubai Complete

Post by Mr. Oragahn » Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:18 am

Certainly not an artificial waterfall.

User avatar
2046
Starship Captain
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:14 pm
Contact:

Re: Burj Dubai Complete

Post by 2046 » Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:52 pm

Base Jump Mecca. No pun intended.

Cocytus
Jedi Knight
Posts: 435
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:04 am

Re: Burj Dubai Complete

Post by Cocytus » Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:18 am

I've seen that video before. I love being in tall buildings, but jumping off of them is something else altogether. :P

As far as Dubai's debt trouble goes Mike, the emirate has about 80 billion in debt, of which 60 billion is owed by the company Dubai World. The development arm of Dubai World is Nakheel Properties. Burj Dubai itself was developed by a different company, Emaar. The state owns a certain percentage of all these companies, especially Emaar, so Sheikh Maktoum already owns a sizeable portion of the company. His net worth is somewhere around 16 billion, so I suppose he could own the building outright, but what would be the point. As far as what they'll do with it, the building contains "only" 3.5 million square feet, which is huge, but not for a tower of this immense height (Sears is 4.5 msf) Interestingly, it parallels the Empire State Building in more than just record-shattering. When it was completed, the Empire State Building stood largely empty, to the point that people derisively nicknamed it the "Empty State Building." 56 floors were completely vacant, and the owners initially made more money off of tickets to the observation deck than they did off of collecting rent. Much of Burj Dubai is residential (and if there is one constant in this universe, it is the implacable profligacy of the rich in the face of all logic and reason). Mohammad Elabbar, the chair of Emaar, says the building is 90% leased. I don't know how sure that figure is, but its the only one I have.

And to answer Mr. Oragahn's question, the building sways about 5 feet at the top, which is pretty remarkable, as the World Trade Center, barely more than half the height, swayed up to 4. The difference is in the greater stiffness of the Burj's reinforced concrete superstructure, and its tapering profile which serves to break up the hold of the wind. Wind loves flat faces and right angles, and when it hits such a building, high pressure zones building up on the front face and the corners, with vortices and low-pressure zones to the sides and rear. The low-pressure zones suck the building while the wind pushes it. The shape of Burj Dubai is engineered to break up the hold of the wind as much as possible. Its triangular floorplan braces it against any wind vector (and believe me, the concrete walls in there are gigantic) while the multiple lobes and curved surfaces act together to "fool" the wind, as it were. In fact, tapering profiles are preferred in large skyscrapers. The ideal skyscraper is cylindrical or even conical, since they shed vortices just like an airplane wing. And at these sorts of heights it is wind, not gravity, that places the greatest strain on the structure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3B2KRj844w

This is a great video from a few years ago. It shows the buttressed core design Bill Baker came up with to resist wind forces at that great height.

User avatar
Mr. Oragahn
Admiral
Posts: 6865
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:58 am
Location: Paradise Mountain

Re: Burj Dubai Complete

Post by Mr. Oragahn » Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:21 pm

The TV commercial is better. :D

Post Reply