The world's tallest building will be officially opened later today in Dubai.
But the final height of the Burj Dubai still remains a closely guarded secret which won't be revealed until the opening ceremony.
At a reported height of 2,684ft (818m), it towers over its nearest rival, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which rises 1,667ft (508m).
That makes it about twice the height of the Empire State Building.
The top of the building can be seen from 60 miles away and the exterior is covered in about 26,000 glass panels.
The building boasts the most storeys and highest occupied floor of any building in the world, and ranks as the world's tallest structure, beating a television mast in North Dakota.
"We weren't sure how high we could go," said Bill Baker, the building's structural engineer, who is in Dubai for the inauguration. "It was kind of an exploration ... a learning experience"
The Burj's opening comes at a tough time for Dubai's economy with property prices in newer parts of the sheikhdom down by nearly half over the past year.
The city-state turned to its richer neighbour Abu Dhabi for a series of bailouts in 2009 to help cover debts amassed by a network of state-linked companies.
have a look at the video at this link
Burj Dubai Tower World's Tallest Building Opens In Dubai | World News | Sky News
this is hugeee
: spook :
But the final height of the Burj Dubai still remains a closely guarded secret which won't be revealed until the opening ceremony.
At a reported height of 2,684ft (818m), it towers over its nearest rival, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which rises 1,667ft (508m).
That makes it about twice the height of the Empire State Building.
The top of the building can be seen from 60 miles away and the exterior is covered in about 26,000 glass panels.
The building boasts the most storeys and highest occupied floor of any building in the world, and ranks as the world's tallest structure, beating a television mast in North Dakota.
"We weren't sure how high we could go," said Bill Baker, the building's structural engineer, who is in Dubai for the inauguration. "It was kind of an exploration ... a learning experience"
The Burj's opening comes at a tough time for Dubai's economy with property prices in newer parts of the sheikhdom down by nearly half over the past year.
The city-state turned to its richer neighbour Abu Dhabi for a series of bailouts in 2009 to help cover debts amassed by a network of state-linked companies.
have a look at the video at this link
Burj Dubai Tower World's Tallest Building Opens In Dubai | World News | Sky News
this is hugeee
: spook :
