Dubai to open world's highest tower to cater for more tourists

Dubai to open world's highest tower to cater for more tourists

People walk in front of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, in Dubai January 3, 2010. Started at the height of the economic boom and built by some 12,000 labourers, the world's tallest building will open on Monday in Dubai as the glitzy emirate seeks to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis.


BEIJING, Jan. 4 -- Dubai is set to open the world's tallest building to cater to growing numbers of tourists to the Gulf Arab emirate amid tight security, according to media reports Monday.

The tower is being celebrated as a bold feat on the world stage, despite the city state's shaky financial footing.

But the final height of the Burj Dubai -- Arabic for Dubai Tower -- remains a closely guarded secret. It long ago vanquished its nearest rival, the Taipei 101, and ranks as the world's tallest structure, beating out a television mast in North Dakota, Dubai-based architects said.

People walk in front of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, in Dubai January 3, 2010. Started at the height of the economic boom and built by some 12,000 labourers, the world's tallest building will open on Monday in Dubai as the glitzy emirate seeks to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis.

Some 12,000 workers and 100 cranes have built the hotel, residential and shopping complex which will include over 1,000 luxury apartments. The tower alone would cost at least 1 billion U.S. dollars to construct, excluding the complex malls, lakes and smaller tower blocs.

"The design has pushed the limits of what technology can achieve, no one has gone that high before. You have to invent new elevators that can sustain such heights," Naaman Atallah, sales manager for its owner Emaar told.

The Burj's record-seeking developers didn't stop there. The building boasts the most stories and highest occupied floor of any building in the world. Its observation deck -- on floor 160 -- also sets a record.

A general view of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, in Dubai January 3, 2010. Started at the height of the economic boom and built by some 12,000 labourers, the world's tallest building will open on Monday in Dubai as the glitzy emirate seeks to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis.

Designed by a U.S.-based consultancy, the tower employs the geometric patterns of Islamic architecture around a base in the form of a six-petalled desert flower.

The plans show an ambitious single structure comprising conjoined tube-shaped towers with the kind of space-age look seen in the New Age album covers of 70s progressive rock bands.

Dubai -- part of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates -- received more than 5.4 million visitors in 2004, up 9 percent from 2003, and that the number is expected to grow three times by the end of the decade.

A general view of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, in Dubai January 3, 2010. Started at the height of the economic boom and built by some 12,000 labourers, the world's tallest building will open on Monday in Dubai as the glitzy emirate seeks to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis.
(Agencies)