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The Burj Dubai, designed by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), opens today and, at an estimated 2,683 ft from its base to the tip of its spire, is officially the world’s tallest building. It has been recognised as such in all four categories determined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which compiles and ranks the world’s tallest buildings.
The Burj Dubai sits at the centre of a large scale, mixed-use development comprised of residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with open green spaces, water features, pedestrian boulevards, a shopping mall and a tourist-oriented old town. The design of the tower combines historical and cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve a high-performance building. Its massing is manipulated in the vertical dimension to induce maximum vortex shedding and minimize the impact of wind on the tower’s movement.
George Efstathiou, SOM Managing Partner for the project, commented, “Becoming the world’s tallest free-standing structure is a pretty big deal, especially since the CN Tower held this record for more than three decades.”
Bill Baker, SOM Structural Engineering Partner, added: “We invented a new structural system, the ‘Buttressed Core’, that enabled us to reach these heights economically. SOM is known for our experience with super-tall buildings such as the Sears Tower in Chicago and Jin Mao in Shanghai. The goal of the Burj Dubai, though, is not simply to be the world’s tallest building; it’s to embody the world’s highest aspirations. Working on the Burj Dubai is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved with the project.”
Source: worldarchitecturenews
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