Burj Dubai The building opened to the public

Also known as: Tower of Dubai
Built: 2004-2010
Cost: $4,100,000,000
Designed by: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Type: Skyscraper
Stories: 206
Maximum Height: 2,684 feet / 818 meters
Location: No. 1, Burj Dubai Boulevard, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

W hen completed, this building is intended to be the tallest in the world. Originally, it was the only skyscraper in the race for that title. But before it could even be topped out a number of other competitors announced plans to top it and a few even began construction. So its "world's tallest" title, while well-earned, may be brief.

The actual height of this building was a mystery for years. The people involved with the development and construction concealed its exact height to keep competitors guessing. Eventually a rumor slipped out that the goal was 818 meters (2,683 feet). It turned out to be true. When Samsung contractors placed a spire and a beacon on top of the building in late December, 2008 construction crews confirmed to local media that the spire reached the 818 meter height.

Dubai is no stranger to monumental skyscrapers, but this one sets a new standard. Aesthetically, the Burj Dubai is a brilliant shard of glass piercing the Arabian sky. It is formed by three main shafts arranged in a Y shape. Their setbacks taper in a spiral pattern until the Burj Dubai is merely a spire in the sky. In any city, this would be a monumental structure. On the flat plain of Dubai, it is a shock to behold, likely to be visible for miles and miles. One can only imagine the views possible from those living and working inside.

But this tower does not stand on its own. It is part of a planned 500-acre complex of offices, hotels, shops, lagoons, and public space that will be a technological, economic, and social oasis all on its own.

• Architect: Adrian Smith
• Developer: Emaar Properties
• The foundation is made up of 192 concrete and steel pilings more than 164 feet (50 meters) deep. They are joined by a 12-foot-thick raft upon which the skyscraper rests.
• 45,000 cubic meters of concrete was used in the foundation.
• The hotel in the Burj Dubai is going to be an Armani-branded hotel. In keeping with Islamic custom it will have separate hours for women and men at the pool.
• The footprint of this building is in the shape of a hymenocallis, a desert flower native to the area.
• According to an interview in Construction Week, the air conditioning chillers installed on the 155th and 159th floor are so high that their design had to take into account the thinner air at that elevation.

• This building has about 30 setbacks.
• Underground parking spaces: 16,000

• January, 2004: Construction began.
• September 20, 2004: The first concrete was poured for the foundation.
• June 26, 2005: Gulf News reported that the estimated total cost for the Burj Dubai complex rose to US$5,500,000,000.
• July 16, 2005: Construction Week magazine reported that the designers of the Burj Dubai were reconsidering their decision to use stainless steel on the exterior of the tower because prices jumped from US$400 a ton to $2,200 in just two years.
• March 23, 2006: The Associated Press reported that 2,500 construction workers rioted because of low pay and poor treatment, doing an estimated US$1,000,000 in damage. Thousands of construction workers at other Dubai projects also went on a sympathy strike.
• April 16, 2006: AME Info reported that the Burj Dubai was going to be at least 200 stories tall, a number that turned out to be false.
• September 1, 2006: Construction reached 70 stories.
• October 1, 2006: Construction reached 75 stories.
• October 31, 2006: Construction reached 80 stores and 850 feet / 259 meters. That height made it taller than the tallest building in Europe.
• November 11, 2006: ITPBusiness reported that construction was being delayed by a shortage of exterior cladding material.
• April 6, 2007: The tower reached a record-breaking 120 stories.
• July 21, 2007: This building passes Taipei 101 as the tallest building on Earth.
• August 12, 2007: Passed 1,730 feet in height -- higher than the antennae atop the former Sears Tower in Chicago.
• August 29, 2007: Passed the CN Tower in Toronto to become the world's tallest free-standing structure.
• September 3, 2007: Passed 1,772 feet in height -- higher than the Ostankino Tower in Moscow.
• May, 2008: This building passes the KVLY Television tower in North Dakota to become the tallest man-made object on Earth.
• May 20, 2008: A worker is crushed to death by an exterior panel.
• May 24, 2008: A British man parachuted off of the Burj Dubai just days after it rose to a height making it the tallest man-made structure ever built. He managed to sneak past security guards and walk up more than 150 stories of stairs with all of his gear without being noticed.
• June 17, 2008: Arabian Business reported that the height of this building was increased by planners, but remains secret.
• October, 2008: This building reached 2,257 feet, making it taller than the demolished Warsaw Radio tower in Poland, formerly the tallest man-made structure ever to exist.
• December, 2008: The spire was erected at the top of this building, giving it its full height.
• December 30, 2008: Original scheduled completion date.
• January 17, 2009: Building topps out at 2,684 feet.
• July 12, 2009: Zawya reports that the opening of this building will be delayed three months until December 2, 2009.
• November, 2009: The opening date was pushed back to January 4, 2010.
• January 4, 2010: The building opened to the public.