The soaring skyscraper known as Burj Dubai shed one title and gained another on Monday – that of the tallest building on the planet.
Previously, people could only call it the world’s tallest structure since it was not open to the general public.
The actual height was kept a secret – but the fact that it would house an Armani Hotel was not – before the opening. But, as The New York Times noted, it stands a proud 828 meters tall, or 2,717 feet.
I’ve seen some earlier reports that put the height at 818 meters. The Gray Lady estimates the price to be about $1.5 billion, though the $4 billion amount also has been thrown about.
The New York Times has the details in its report, including the name change:
In a surprise move, the building’s name was changed from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa, in honor of the president of Abu Dhabi, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Dubai, as you’ve seen, has caught the world’s attention in recent days, largely because of the possibility that developers might not be able to repay their debt on time.
Dubai World, which The New York Times describes as the main investment arm, stands an estimated $59 billion in the hole.
The newspaper reported that Dubai World floated the idea of not repaying interest on that debt for half a year.
It also ran a piece talking about how Dubai World wants to temporarily stop paying for all or part of its debt.
Yes, that can rattle markets.
If there’s any symbol of the rocket-like growth in Dubai, it has to be the Burj Dubai, the more than $4 billion structure which is the world’s tallest at 818 meters, or 2,684 feet.
When it opens later this year, the Burj Dubai will be the world's tallest building. Image source: burjdubaiskyscraper.com via glasssteelandstone.com
If there’s a time to crane your neck in the sky to see what lurks closer to the clouds, I suppose it is now.
As you can see from the towering, soon-to-be-finished Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, I’m not talking about a Buddhist temple perched on the curve of a giant mountain in Tibet, China, India or Bhutan.
But that sight that would be nice, too.
The Burj Dubai reportedly costs $4.1 billion and shoots up 818 meters – or 2,684 feet – already making it the world’s tallest structure.
With over 160 stories, it will likely open on Dec. 2 - or at least part of it will - as part of the Emirates’ National Day, according to BurjDubaiSkyscraper.
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