Disappearing Act: Making the World’s Tallest Building Without Anyone Noticing
Disappearing Act: Making the World’s Tallest Building Without Anyone Noticing
“I am Burj Khalifa,” reads the last line of a quote imprinted on a wall of the building to which the quote refers. A perfect quote, that personifies a building that in its short lifetime (its doors opened only three years ago) has generated many decades worth of criticism and opinion. If this quote seems arrogant or conceited, that is perhaps exactly what the Burj Khalifa wants, and standing as the world’s tallest building by a staggering 1000 feet, it has every right to be. Designed by Adrian Smith, formerly of the firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the Burj Khalifa has been a headline grabber ever since developer Emaar Properties initiated a design competition for its architect. The Burj Khalifa, or Burj Dubai as originally intended, certainly has its merits aesthetically and in terms of engineering prowess, however much of its criticism has been with the political and economic circumstances surrounding its construction and opening. It may seem impossible to overlook a building that soars half a mile into the sky, but that, in a sense, is what has happened to the Burj Khalifa. “I am the heart of the city and its people, the marker that defines Emaar’s ambition and Dubai’s shining dream.” Another line from the quote atop the Burj Khalifa. Exactly what the building was intended to be, a symbol, a marker, both of developer and city alike. The building was, according to United Arab Emirates’ Prime Minister, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, supposed to be a turning point for Dubai, a building that would ideally develop Dubai’s appeal to investors from abroad and establish Dubai as an international business center in the world.1 The head of research at UBS Dubai (a Swiss based bank) was quoted as saying “The Burj Khalifa will help Dubai stay in the limelight as the home to a global landmark.”2 Without a doubt, Emaar
“I am Burj Khalifa,” reads the last line of a quote imprinted on a wall of the building to which the quote refers. A perfect quote, that personifies a building that in its short lifetime (its doors opened only three years ago) has generated many decades worth of criticism and opinion. If this quote seems arrogant or conceited, that is perhaps exactly what the Burj Khalifa wants, and standing as the world’s tallest building by a staggering 1000 feet, it has every right to be. Designed by Adrian Smith, formerly of the firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the Burj Khalifa has been a headline grabber ever since developer Emaar Properties initiated a design competition for its architect. The Burj Khalifa, or Burj Dubai as originally intended, certainly has its merits aesthetically and in terms of engineering prowess, however much of its criticism has been with the political and economic circumstances surrounding its construction and opening. It may seem impossible to overlook a building that soars half a mile into the sky, but that, in a sense, is what has happened to the Burj Khalifa. “I am the heart of the city and its people, the marker that defines Emaar’s ambition and Dubai’s shining dream.” Another line from the quote atop the Burj Khalifa. Exactly what the building was intended to be, a symbol, a marker, both of developer and city alike. The building was, according to United Arab Emirates’ Prime Minister, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, supposed to be a turning point for Dubai, a building that would ideally develop Dubai’s appeal to investors from abroad and establish Dubai as an international business center in the world.1 The head of research at UBS Dubai (a Swiss based bank) was quoted as saying “The Burj Khalifa will help Dubai stay in the limelight as the home to a global landmark.”2 Without a doubt, Emaar
Bibliography: Bedell, Geraldine. “Burj Khalifa-A Bleak Symbol of Dubai’s Era of Bling.” The Guardian, January 9, 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/jan/10/burj-khalifa-dubai-skyscraper-architecture Bianchi, Stefania, and Andrew Critchlow. “World’s Tallest Skyscraper Opens in Dubai.” The Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703580904574638111667658806.html Golberger, Paul. “Castle in the Sky.” The New Yorker, February 8, 2010. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/skyline/2010/02/08/100208crsk_skyline_goldberger?currentPage=:1-2. Hawthorne, Christopher. “The Burj Dubai and Architecture’s Vacant Stare.” Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2010. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/01/the-burj-dubai-and-architectures-vacant-stare.html Kamin, Blair. “Burj Khalifa, Dubai.” Architectural Record August (2010): 78-85 Minutillo, Josephine. “Beyond Limits.” Architectural Record August (2010): 89-92 Neild, Barry and Matt Knight. “Debt-hit Dubai Opens World’s Tallest Tower.” CNN World, January 4, 2010. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/04/dubai.burj/index.html?iref=allsearch Smith, Adrian Devaun. The Architecture of Adrian Smith, SOM: Towards a Sustainable Future. Australia: Images Publishing Group, 2007: 202-236. Zakaria, Rafia. “The Burj Khalifa: Behind the Glitz.” Patheos: AltMuslim, January 15, 2010.