Hi, Sunil here to talk about the Burj Dubai

I saw this incredible tower early during my 2008 visit to Dubai. It wasn’t complete yet but you could clearly see it from miles away.

It is huge! It is the latest addition to the Dubai skyline and has certainly managed to make an impact of sorts, for it has put Dubai firmly on the map (if it hasn’t been yet), for all the right reasons.

The Burj Dubai is currently soaring at a height of 629 meters (2008) and in case you are wondering, that officially makes it the world’s tallest free standing structure, for now. It is not done yet.

It can certainly finish much higher.

You are bound to see this very tall building being built in downtown Burj Dubai, a sight that is bound to have the same effect on you as it did on me.

It left me speechless, just thinking about the amount of work that has gone into making Burj Dubai what it is today.

Check out this picture. You can see the surface of the earth as it turns. I actually don’t believe this is real. But hey the building is so tall anything in possible. You could probably jump from the top and expect your parachute to open lol. Don’t try this though…I’m just guessing!

So the rumors floating around say that the current height of 629 meters is not the final level for this building and that particular detail is being kept as a closely guarded secret. I have no idea why they need to be so secretive about the whole thing; maybe it is a part of their marketing gimmick. As if it’s not attracting enough attention. Only a blind person can miss it.

But the end result is a lot of needless hype about this construction; people are already talking about it as one of the wonders of the modern world. I am sure that you must have seen scores of construction workers clambering on to the cranes, trying to lift blocks into spaces and trying their best to meet their deadlines (if you’ve been there).

But recently no work had taken place as a result of a strike and now the building is set to be opened sometime by September 2009. But strike or not, I am sure that you will agree with me when I say that this building, even in its incomplete form, still makes for an impressive sight.

According to Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of Emaar properties and the company behind Burj Dubai, this building is currently set to break into new grounds as the height keeps on increasing. There are various new methods and techniques that are currently being used in the construction of this building. Some of those techniques were used to make this building earthquake resistant and the original model of the building was altered so as to make it more wind resistant.

You must have heard that taller buildings tend to shake a bit on account of high winds and in order to prevent that from happening here, the design was changed and dampers introduced. The area around this building is being changed and a whole lot of new features are being added to accommodate this building.

Let’s not forget that this is supposed to be a residential zone with an Armani hotel as well. With the recent announcement from Emaar properties that they are building a lake with a 500 feet fountain in the downtown area, it is going to be a pleasure to live there. Heck, it is even going to be a pleasure to visit someone living all the way up, to the top of Burj Dubai. Let me know if you ever buy a property there. I will be so mad if you don’t invite me!

After all that hype, many investors have bought units there since Emaar properties have already started the sales. But on hearing about the rates at which the apartments are being let out for, I personally lost the appetite to even consider investing in it. You can buy a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment for something like $11,686,980 AED ($3,155,174 USD).

Sounds just a tiny bit steep, doesn’t it? When you can purchase a mansion for that rate, why bother settling for a two bedroom apartment. But I guess you can use it as an investment for the demand for apartments at Burj Dubai seems to be growing with every single day and the apartment rates are rising likewise.

Burj Dubai is slotted to be the world’s tallest building and the one with the fastest elevators, rumored to be at 700m/min. The whole complex is being built as Dubai’s answer to the galloping population levels since most of the expats seem to be making a beeline for Dubai more than any other place.

With the completion of this building, the transformation of Dubai into a sky city would truly be complete. That means flying cars in the air someday. Because no matter how much living space you build high up in the air, people will still need ground to walk on.

One option can definitely be a skywalk connecting all buildings together much like downtown Minneapolis and Idaho. Try pitching this idea to the Sheikh and you might just get a huge reward :) I am sure someone in his council has already suggested it though. I am expecting to see it shortly. But don’t forget, you read all about it here first!

Check out this neat video of the Burj tower...