burj dubai – worlds tallest buliding getting ready in dubai – part 1

Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي‎ “Dubai Tower”) is a skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure on Earth, despite being incomplete. Construction began on September 21, 2004, and it is expected to be completed and ready for occupation in September 2009.[1] The building is part of the 2 km² (0.8 sq mi) development called ‘Downtown Dubai’ and is located at the “First Interchange” (aka “Defence Roundabout”) along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street. The tower’s architect is Adrian Smith[4] who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006.[5] SOM is the architecture and engineering firm in charge of the project.[4] The primary builders are Samsung Engineering & Construction and Besix along with Arabtec.[6] Turner Construction Company was chosen as the construction manager.[7] The total budget for the Burj Dubai project is about US$4.1 billion[citation needed] and for the entire new ‘Downtown Dubai’, US$20 billion. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the CEO of Emaar Properties, speaking at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 8th World Congress, said that the price of office space at Burj Dubai had reached $4000 per sq ft and that the Armani Residences, also in Burj Dubai, were selling for $3500 per sq ft.[8]