Burj Khalifa, World's Tallest Building, Dedicated in Dubai

Half-Mile Tall Building Already 90% SoldJanuary 10, 2010

DUBAI, UAE -His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister  and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the world’s tallest building January 4 and renamed it as Burj Khalifa.
The event coincided with the commemoration of the 4th anniversary of HH Sheikh Mohammed's accession as Ruler of Dubai.     

Earlier known as Burj Dubai, the half-mile high tower has been named after the UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Mohammed unveiled a plaque and gave a brief speech during which he renamed the building as 'Burj Khalifa.'

Following its opening, the US$1.5 billion tower's first residents are due to move in next month and its developer, Emaar, said 90 per cent of the properties in the tower have been sold.

The world's tallest tower was unveiled in a crescendo of fireworks, lasers and fountain displays. Fireworks cascaded from the tower's spire to the base and lasers blazed out from all levels leaving the crowds awestruck.

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world according to the three main criteria of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The CTBUH ranks the world's tallest buildings based on Height to Architectural Top, Height to Highest Occupied Floor' and Height to Tip.

At 828 metres (2,716.5ft), Burj Khalifa is 320 metres taller than Taipei 101, which at 508 metres (1,667 ft) had held the record for the world's tallest building measured to the architectural top since 2004, the year the project was announced. .

Burj Khalifa constructed involved a record-breaking 330,000 cubic metres of concrete, 39,000 metric tonnes of steel rebar and 142,000 square metres of glass; and it took 22 million man hours to build.

Other world records for Burj Khalifa include the highest occupied floor in the world, at over 550 metres (1,800 ft); the highest outdoor observation deck in the world - At the Top on Level 124; and the tallest service elevator, which travels to a height of 504 metres (1,654 ft).

More than 60 of the world's leading consultants including South Korea's Samsung Corporation and New York-based Turner Construction International realized the design for Burj Khalifa of Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM).

Burj Khalifa employed the latest advances in wind engineering, structural engineering, structural systems, construction materials and methods. All design considerations took into account the 12,000 people who will live and work in the tower.

With a total built-up area of about 6 million sq ft, Burj Khalifa features nearly two million sq ft of residential space and over 300,000 sq ft of prime office space, in addition to the area occupied by the keenly awaited Armani Hotel Dubai and the Armani Residences. The tower also features modern lifestyle amenities including clubs, health and fitness facilities, gourmet restaurants and the 124th floor observation deck, At the Top.

The 124th floor will be open to the public for a fee.