The 160-storey Burj Dubai, the world''s tallest structure built at a whopping cost of USD 1.5 billion will open its door to thousands of eager clients, as the UAE grapples to overcome the financial crisis that dented its global image as a safe destination for investment. Though the final height of the the needle-shaped steel and glass tower, described as a "vertical city" super-scrapper is not known yet, the Burj is at least 2,683 ft from its base to the tip of its spire-equivalent of three-and-a-half Canary Wharf towers or two Empire State Buildings stacked up.
The final height of the iconic tower will be revealed during the lavish opening ceremony. The UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum will formally inaugurate the tower, which architects say could break the 2,700-ft mark.
The tower is more than 1,000ft higher than its nearest inhabited rival, Taiwan''s 1,671-ft Taipei 101. A combination of 10,000 fireworks, light beams, choreographed water displays, and sound & music effects will mark the opening of the tower built by Emaar Properties.
It has the highest swimming pool in the world, on the 76th floor, and the most elevated place of worship with plans for a mosque on the 158th floor. However, after the economic downturn ripped through Dubai, critics are already dismissing the tower as a gaudy memorial to a lost decade of uncontrolled speculation.
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