Burj Dubai – Deeply Rooted in Local Culture
Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, represents the role that Dubai plays in the world stage today.
Burj Dubai not only physically represents the emirate’s position globally as a centrepoint to the East and the West, it also pushes back the boundaries of 21st century construction, with extremely high performance materials being used in the tower, such as textured steel panels, reflective glazing and aluminium.
Its success is magnified by its design, which is deeply rooted in local culture. The inspiration of the architect, Adrian Smith, was a desert flower, Hymenocalis. He also incorporated pattern systems that are embodied in regional architecture. The tower is designed as three petals arranged around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat base, the petals setback in an upward-spiralling pattern.
Facts and Figures that Stagger the Mind
It is, of course, the sheer scale of Burj Dubai that has dominated headlines around the world; not merely its height, but also other staggering facts and figures. Burj Dubai, for instance, holds the world record for the highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade. And now that the exterior cladding is complete many more mind-numbing facts have come to light – for example, the total weight of aluminium of aluminium used on Burj Dubai is equivalent to that of five A380 aircraft and the total length of stainless steel bull nose fins is 293 times the height of Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The last cladding panel numbered 24,348, weighing 750 kg and 1160mm x 6400mm in height was placed at a height of over 662 metres (2172 ft), thus accomplishing the mammoth task of cladding the world’s tallest building. Arabian Aluminium Company, in association with Hong Kong based Far East Aluminium, began exterior cladding of Burj Dubai in May 2007, and the vast project has involved more than 380 skilled engineers and on-site technicians.
A mixed-use tower featuring residences, corporate suites, and the world’s first Armani Hotel and Armani Residences, Burj Dubai is on course for opening on January 4, 2010, with work on interiors progressing.
With a total of 24,348 cladding panels over a total curtain wall area of 132,190 sq m, Burj Dubai’s shimmering exterior minimises heat transmission and saves energy. The total 103,000 sq m of glass used in the cladding panels can cover 14 standard football pitches and the 15,500 sq m of embossed stainless steel used can cover 34 National Basketball Association specified basketball courts. The total length of gaskets – 2,050,000 linear metres – if laid end to end is about the distance from Dubai to Damascus in Syria (2,052 km)!
A Milestone for the Science of High-Rise Engineering
The cladding materials were specially made using advanced engineering techniques and include high-performance reflective glazing, aluminium mullions and textured steel spandrels with vertical stainless steel tubular fins. The cladding accentuates Burj Dubai’s height while lending it a shimmering slenderness. Panels of more than 18 different strength specifications and over 200 sizes have been used for Burj Dubai, all of them double-glazed and factory-sealed.
Mr. Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of developer Emaar Properties, said that the completion of cladding work at Burj Dubai was a milestone both for Burj Dubai and the science of high-rise engineering. “Burj Dubai’s construction and engineering techniques are unprecedented, and they are our contribution to the science of high-rise development. The cladding work has involved considerable innovation – vast amounts of research and simulation have pioneered advanced materials and installation techniques.”
Indeed, one of the big challenges when designing the cladding was maximising resistance against heat transmission from the sun, whilst improving energy efficiency within the tower. The materials used, as well as withstanding the harsh summer temperatures, keep heat out of the building, allowing for a significant reduction in the amount of air-conditioning required. Burj Dubai’s exterior is a model for high-rise developers creating sustainable buildings of the future.
During construction, the high wind speeds were a major challenge too. At the highest altitudes, the engineering teams had to work in tightly controlled shifts to install panels safely and efficiently. To minimise the risks involved in working at such towering heights, curtain-walling for the spire was pre-installed on the ground and then lifted to the summit to be secured.
The panels used on Burj Dubai have varying thicknesses, each featuring two glass pieces of about 8 mm to 12 mm thickness, buttressed by a 12 mm spacer for strength and resilience. The length and thickness of each panel was decided based on the heights and locations at which the panel was to be installed. Panels used at the highest altitudes were further strengthened with stainless steel in addition to aluminium.
Style and Speed
Occupying the concourse level to level 8 and levels 38 and 39 of the iconic tower, the Armani Hotel Dubai is the first of its kind in the world and designed by fashion legend Giorgio Armani himself. Floors 45–108 will have 900 private apartments (which, according to the developer are already sold, having been bought within eight hours of going on sale).
The tower also include 37 floors of office space, four luxurious pools, a public observation deck on level 124 and a fine dining restaurant called At.mosphere in level 122, a library, exclusive residents’ lounge and a fitness facility and healthclub.
The uppermost floors will also hold communication and broadcast floors. An outdoor swimming pool will be located on the 78th floor of the tower. The tower will also feature the world’s fastest elevators travelling at impressive speeds and structured to offer smooth travel within the world’s first ‘vertical city.’
Cleaning the Windows!
Keeping the tower façade clean will be the next engineering challenge. To guarantee that every corner of Burj Dubai sparkles, 18 window-washing units are built into the tower including nine track-mounted telescopic cradles, each with an extendable jib arm for cleaning that reaches more than 20 metres.
Currently standing at over 800 metres, Burj Dubai is at the centre of Downtown Burj Dubai, a 500-acre mega project described as the new heart of the city of Dubai. The final height of the tower will be revealed when Burj Dubai opens in 2010.
