exactly... and strangely they continue to do lot of high buildings which will be empty also soon + many decadent old ones also empty since long while. Conclusion: Please explain how urbanists, politics & decision people in high positions' companies think, in order to waste money !

I wonder what floors those occupied apartments are on, I would presume the higher ones would be more in demand and thus more likely to be occupied.

I am just trying to figure out if Chicago has officially lost its title as home to the world's highest residences. I guess it depends on whether one considers readiness for occupancy or actual occupancy to be the criteria.

You would think somebody would be bragging about having the world's highest residence.

I think it's a fantastic design. It reminds me of this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...000-001876.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...000-001876.jpg

It's quite bizarr how this forum seems to be full of haters who know it all. Leaves me with the impression that some are just frustrated and jealous :)

Here are some of the pics I took inside the Residences running around with a tripod for 7 hours. You will find some more on my website.

http://www.verticaldubai.com/

Enjoy!

http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_kh..._easyHDR_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007457_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_kh..._easyHDR_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_kh..._easyHDR_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007527_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007534_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_kh..._easyHDR_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007576_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007592_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_kh..._easyHDR_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007637_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_kh..._easyHDR_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007680_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007745_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007752_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007774_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007792_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007538_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007797_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007809_y.jpg


http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_kh...ZR_South_y.jpg

More pics of the interior can be found on my website: http://www.verticaldubai.com

Regards

Meh. It's nice but it doesn't hit me. Besides which, all that wood reminds me of that tacky wood paneling that was so popular in the 70's.

http://uglyhousephotos.com/wordpress...09/090917k.jpg
http://uglyhousephotos.com/wordpress...09/090917k.jpg

Oh and Desert Diver: Just because it's tall doesn't automatically mean everyone should like it.

I'm glad this was built and think highly of the design. It set an interesting precedent for thinking tall that may eventually make it's way into western markets.

I don't know. I mean I would like to see a extremely tall building somewhere in the West but I would not want to see a hyper tall built just for the sake of building one.

Gotcha :)

You mean, in "the West" a Supertall like this would not have been built for the sake of building it?

I'm sure I can expect some more from you now, but I think any discussion would be pointless. Bye :)

Market forces rarely drive extremely tall buildings (the failed Chicago Spire was one possible exception). But I think I know what you're getting at. It'll be a while before market forces make buildings like this profitable anywhere in Europe/The Americas/Australia but I can definitely see supertalls being more common (NY is really exploding with supertall construction right now).

If the Jeddah tower is built though it will, I think, take some of the shine from the Burj Khalifa.

Desert Driver, do you have any idea how high the highest occupied residence is right now? How high can you go in the residential section, what floors have you been on?

Yeah, that's pretty icky. The rest of it is sleek. Love that rich wood and lighting. But yeah, that looks like something you'd find in a mobile home park.

Unfortunately I don't know for sure how high you can go in the residential section, but the following pic shows the Main Elevator Lobby with lifts going up to the 72nd floor. The highest I have been in the residential part was 43rd floor, where the Pool area designated for residents is located.

http://www.verticaldubai.com/burj_khalifa_3007532_y.jpg

BTW:
The building has a good mix of materials, although the veneer panels dominate the walls. However, my pictures might leave an exaggerated impression on the amount of wood used, because I was there to focus on the veneers on behalf of the company which provided them. The pics (especially the other images featured on my website) will be used for their product catalogue.

If wiki is right, the highest residential floor is the 108th. Residential floors are 9-16, 19-37, 44-72 and 77-108.

That photo's from a house in Phoenix, it has nothing to do with this building. :)

http://uglyhousephotos.com/wordpress/?p=11237

I will say this: the Burj looks better inside than outside. I do love the smooth walls and the minimalist decor.

I did not just say 'minimalist decor.'

The problem isn't the Khalifa Tower, but the 1,000 other hi-rise projects throughout the city. If the whole endeavor had been planned better, I doubt they would have crashed as hard. They could have had better mass-transit to boot too. I hear that's exactly what SOM proposed back in the 90's.

Anyway, some renders. I still have to finish this one.
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4...ittlelower.jpg http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/2915/w015.jpg

^Great, as always STR.

^The good ones didn't even show up.
http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/4...ittlelower.jpg

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/7029/dt002.jpg

It's really amazing how much taller the Khalifa is than anything else in the world.

And with the Kuwaiti tower on its heals, it really does seem like a really interesting time for skyrise engineering and architecture

Here's a diagram of the Burj Khalifa i made:

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/8...ildingdiag.png

^^^That is VERY impressive!

Yes, this is a landmark of architecture meaning. Great diagram!

Ridiculous comment since height has nothing to do with it. It's square footage that's the problem. The market over there isn't over supplied with tall buildings. It's over supplied with space.

obviously anything that is 2716.5 ft. would have huge square footage.

Well, according to the Wikipedia page, and I don't know how accurate this is, but they say that it has 3.3 million square feet of floor space. The tower is extremely slender. The WTC towers were 4 million square feet each, as is the Willis Tower. The problem is Dubai has 20+ other 1,000+ foot tall towers under development, too. So the market is over supplied.

Here's an article that says there's 30 million square feet of office space coming online in Dubai. And that's just office space. It doesn't even include residential, hotel or anything else. It says the total square feet on the market for office space is 48 million. That's not all that high actually.
http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articl...ncy-55565.aspx

3.3 million square feet in Dubai is a drop in the bucket to their market.

but at this height its not all that practical,imagine if this was an office tower. what company would lease space on the 160th floor? besides that i really dont know of too many people who want to live this high.given the current economic climate,theres no practical reason to have a tower this tall.

Can't argue with that. If one gets proposed for New York, I'll feel the same way.

Companies that don't have large operations, but want a prestigious address. The boutique offices would be great for law firms, field offices, sales offices, royal officials (we are talking about a Monarchy here). Maybe even a small clinic, there's apparently a dentist in the crown of the Chrysler Building. A lot of people need space in the 5-10,000 sqft range, and this tower caters to that market. If you need a bit more space, there's the office annex near the tower. If you need further space...well there's other buildings for that.

However, the building is primarily residential/hotel, and there is an ideal size for residential buildings. You don't want space that's too far from the window line.

As for practicality, the tower is designed to promote and integrate with the rest of the Burj Dubai complex, including the mall, mid-rise offices, and other residential towers. It's not meant to stand on its own., nor should it be judged.

Thanks dude!!!! I made i for a diagram competition that Flamesrule made at SkyscraperCity. Unfortunately i loss, lol.

This building was not built because Dubai needed square footage like that. For its cost they got very little square footage for their dollar in comparison to other Dubai projects (but still far more than in the USA or any other major nation).

Like Taipei 101, the Petronas Towers and most other supertalls in developing countries, this building was built to show off, instead of having a practical function.

Developers paid for decades on an empty Empire State Building. Unfortunately for Dubai, I don't think their market will bounce back to New York levels. Remember Manhattan has nearly 400,000,000 sq ft of office space to Dubai's 80,000,000.

Happy New Year!

I compiled a couple of videos from my pictures on VerticalDubai.com

Downtown Dubai:

• Video Link


New Dubai:

• Video Link


Inside Burj Khalifa:

• Video Link

A first attempt of making a time lapse, shot from the Rooftop Bar at Four Point Sheraton. Actually, Burj Khalifa was glittering like crazy and radiating swirling beams like a light house. However, this is not visible due to the wide angle lens. Furthermore, the video is a bit too dark. Well, each time you learn something new, I guess...

• Video Link

Watch in HD on Youtube!

http://i46.tinypic.com/1z2k87l.jpg
Christmas three! :D it hasn't greatest architectural shape i think..

Every time I see this building i think of Wiz Khalifa now.

by the way, what does Khalifa mean?

:previous: the caliph owns the so called caliphate.

from wiki:

Correct, but here "Khailfa" refers to the the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The name "Khalifa" means Leader, Successor, among other meanings.

LOL, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone made that connection.

she is really something special, by far tallest in the world.

RESPECT:tup:

• Video Link
I just found this on youtube, it is the craziest Burj Khalifa video, no scratch that, it's the most vertigo inducing skyscraper video ever, not only are these guys on top of the pinacle but they are sitting on tiny perches on top of the pinnacle.

From my account on deviantART:

I shot this through an airplane window on a hazy day at noon against the light. One day I shall have better conditions, insha'allah :)

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...ai-d3f1dk7.jpg
http://verticaldubai.deviantart.com/...eave-206656999

Check out my deviantART gallery! :)

Cheers

From my DeviantART Gallery:

http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/...ai-d3gjhi9.jpg


http://th02.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/...ai-d3gjjz1.jpg


http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/...ai-d3gjkjs.jpg

One more:

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/...ai-d3gl30t.jpg

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...ai-d3gp06k.jpg
http://fav.me/d3gp06k

Taken two hours ago, nice clouds and moon tonight :cheers:

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...ai-d3j3k5z.jpg
http://fav.me/d3j3k5z

Today at sunset, seen from the 38th floor of South Ridge Towers

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...ai-d3jupna.jpg
http://fav.me/d3jupna

Same location, half an hour later:

http://www.ablazewithlight.com/citys...PS_NX_OO_y.jpg
http://fav.me/d3jvb0m

Wow, that is so amazing! She really is a beauty!