Life as I Would Define: Above the Rest

Dubai has always been a place for remarkable architectual and luxurious lifestyles. At the present of the financial slump hitting it's capital, the Burj Dubai was still able to make its way for it's grand launching few days ago. There came a new record for being the tallest man-made structure ever. The construction of the Burj Dubai took about 5 years with luxury hotel, residential units, commercial office space and suites, swimming pools, observation deck and other luxury amenities in plan. The height of the Burj Dubai surpassed the Taipei 101 (July 2007) with its design came from a Chicago-based architectual firm and primary contractors for the project was South Korean based company, Samsung, along with Besix (Belgian firm) and local Arabtec. The estimated cost for the project was USD $ 4.1 billion.

Here are some interesting facts:

1. The height of the tower is estimated at 818 meters (2 684 feet).

2. The Burj Dubai has 164 floors and the spire of the Burj Dubai can be seen from a distance of up to 95 kilometers away..

3. The Burj Dubai has the tallest observation deck at 442 meters high.

4. The total amount of concrete used on the building is the equivalent weight of about 100 000 elephants.

5. The Burj Dubai has the fastest elevators in the world with it's double dack cabin travel up to 18 meters per second or 40 miles per hour.

Currently, there are several supertall skyscrapers under construction in the 500 to 600 meter range but none that are anywhere close to the Burj Dubai's 818 meters. There are several proposed buildings that would be much taller than the Burj Dubai, but it is uncertain whether any of the towers will actually be built. The Pentominium, another Dubai skyscraper currently under construction, is scheduled to have 120 floors and 618 meters tall. Once the tower is complete, it will become the world's tallest ever all-residential building. The Incheon tower, currently under construction in South Korea, is scheduled to have 151 floors and 610 meters tall. It was scheduled to be finished in 2012.

These are among the proposed buildings that would exceed the Burj Dubai's height:

1. The Shimizu Pyramid that would be constructed over the Tokyo Bay, Japan, would be 12 times the height of the Giza's Great Pyramid and become the world's largest man-made structure at 2 004 meters (6 575 feet) tall.

2. The Jabeer Tower of Kuwait is projected to be 1 852 meters tall.

3. The Mile High Tower for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia estimated to reach 1 600 meters (5 249 feet).

4. Nakheel Tower, Dubai - 1 400 meters (4 593 feet) and several others.