On Monday morning, Dubai developer Emaar Properties will take ownership of the tallest building in the world. Despite a brutal economic climate, and the very real chance that Dubai will soon be bankrupt, this 2,683 feet tall structure was completed in six years. With 160 stories, the Burj Dubai towers over every other building in the city.
Monday is also the first day that the general public will be able to visit the observation deck on the 124th floor. According to the developers, most of the spaces in the building have been sold. Just 37 of the 160 floors are for office space, the rest will house new Armani residences, and an Armani hotel will open later this year. A total of 12,000 people can live and work in the tower, though it is obviously unclear whether the current economy will force many would-be owners to change their plans.
As you can see from the video posted above – this building is immense. To put things in perspective – the Sears Willis Tower in Chicago is a mere 1450 feet tall, with just 108 stories. Skidmore, Owings and Merril are the architects behind the Burj Dubai, the same ones that designed the Sears Tower back in 1973.
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