DUBAI | Burj Khalifah (Burj Dubai) | 828 M / 2,716.5 FT - Pinnacle | 162 FLOORS - Page 397

Aleks · #**7921** Posted **Nov 1, 2009, 6:49 AM**

Omg! Those shots are just amazing, nothing less!

The BD looks so sci-fi. The whole skyline looks like 2078. I just wish there were more cool, sci-fi looking buildings instead of the ugly, balcony infested residential buildings.

sebast13 · #**7922** Posted **Nov 1, 2009, 4:08 PM**

About the debate on the place of rivers in North American Cities.

I'd like to give the example of Quebec City and the St-Charles river that once was one of the most polluted river in North America and had been trapped in concrete walls for years.

For the 400th anniversary of the city, the concrete was removed and the shores of the river were renaturalized. The result; a wonderful natural space in the heart of the city where everyone can relax.

Here's a few pics on the evolution of the river. I think this kind of project could be applied to cities like Chicago, despite their density.

I had a hard time finding past pictures of the river but there was industries all along the shore (Only the one on page 243 of this book http://books.google.fr/books?id=orqP...age&q=&f=true). It also received all the sewers of the city and was commonly used as a dump by the citizens. Think of the most disgusting river you can imagine, there even were cars in the river. Nothing could live in it.

Plan of a part of the project

Removing concrete along the whole river

The river today

Now, animals are coming back in the river and it's starting to become natural again.

Aleks · #**7923** Posted **Nov 1, 2009, 8:57 PM**

Alright, I think that's enough. Let's carry on with the topic of this thread. Which is the BD not the river system in cities.

If you feel like you have to reply to these previous comments then don't even bother because they'll get deleted.

There's a City Discussions forum for that.

Pizzuti · #**7924** Posted **Nov 2, 2009, 6:02 PM**

^Aleks, do you have ability to delete other peoples' posts?

^^^I'm looking at those photos of Dubai from the water, and I noticed that you can't even see the marina supertalls in this pic. I already knew that Dubai was decentralized, but is there anything in the city that could be considered "downtown" or to be the core of the city? It seems that the Burj Dubai is way out in the outskirts of town, closer to the open desert than the core of the city, making it especially ironic that the tallest man-made structure on Earth is a "subrban" skyscraper.

I've also been looking for a good map of Dubai so I can figure out where the general areas are, but its hard to find a single map that lists everything I'm interested in.

Is this map to scale? Or is it just a gimmick. I have a feeling that the small buildings are much smaller and more numerous than they appear on this map, especially considering the size of the palms. http://www.earlybird.net/eb/images/m...nicipality.jpg

Desert Diver · #**7925** Posted **Nov 2, 2009, 6:45 PM**

The Burj is close to the desert, because Dubai stretches some 50km (30miles) along the coast and the urban areas do not reach much further than 5 to 10km (3 to 6 miles) into the desert - yet.

Actually, Dubai has two "cores":

Downtown Dubai in the north (Burj Dubai and surroundings, Financial District, Business Bay and the skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road)
New Dubai in the south (Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai Marina, Media City and Internet City)

Here is a link to most of Downtown Dubai in maps.google
And if you like you will find pictures on my website showing that Downtown Dubai is not all that suburban as you might think

: www.verticaldubai.com/downtown_dubai.html

And here is a link to most of New Dubai in maps.google
Again you may find images of New Dubai on my website in the respective section: www.verticaldubai.com/new_dubai.html

Hope this gives you an idea how Dubai is set up geographically. Please consider that the google pictures are are a bit old, a lot happens here within a few months! Also, future plans for urban development will reach far more into the back country and eventually Burj Dubai will be surrounded by more than enough urbanity. As an example, Business Bay alone will consist of some 300 skyscrapers

If you have any questions feel free to post them or send me a message

LoverOfDubai · #**7926** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 3:13 AM**

Actually, the true core of Dubai is here. This area is the oldest part of Dubai and historically was Dubai. On one side of Dubai Creek is Bur Dubai and on the other side of the creek is Deira.

The presence of skyscrapers does not always signify a core (similar to Paris). Desert Diver already alluded to this, but Dubai is a very poly-centric city. Unlike the traditional city where most businesses and offices concentrate in one area (the downtown), Dubai has multiple areas that serve as hubs for a variety of industries.

If you think of a downtown as the densest part of a city, then without a doubt it is in Deira and Bur Dubai. If a downtown is where there is a high concentration of employment, then Dubai does not really have a true downtown.

Desert Diver · #**7927** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 3:19 AM**

You are right! I just answered in terms of urbanity as referring to a high density of skyscrapers. Deira and Bur Dubai are the true core, of course.

Pictures of the Creek

Pizzuti · #**7928** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 8:08 AM**

Well, it's just that in most North American cities all the different definitions of "downtown" coincide in the same area. Denver seems to be the epitome of that, with all three major stadium/arenas, all major office skyscrapers, some significant museums, a state capitol building, very dense apartment buildings, the core of regional mass transit and a huge university campus with 3 different universities in it all within a couple of miles of each other. I think this partially happened on purpose and partially happened because it's easier to tear down abandoned warehouses to expand downtown than it is to build downtown-like amenities in the residential neighborhoods that fill the rest of Denver proper. Anyway, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and most of the other major cities I've been to are particularly well-cored and centralized cities.

I think it has most to do with speed of growth, though. Cities that seemed to go up overnight just don't seem to have the same kind of core. The closet thing to Dubai I can think of is Las Vegas, where there is a lot of money to encourage large developments but otherwise you have a very sprawling city that grew very, very quickly; so quickly in fact that infill was implausible (the structures new projects would be replacing are themselves new), and major developments that happened close to the outskirts of town (the strip goes all the way to the airport now). Interestingly both cities are built on very barren deserts, so I wonder if the cheapness of real estate has something to do with the way they've grown. San Diego, too, grew very quickly, sprawled a lot, and ended up being less centralized.

I suppose that mega-cities are often multi-cored; New York City can be said to have downtowns in both Lower Manhattan and Midtown, and I know that Tokyo and Paris and London have old downtowns and new downtowns.

Like I always say, though, Dubai will come around over the next few decades when a more natural pace of growth takes hold. I still think the areas with skyscrapers really need mid-rises, and the neighborhoods, which seem to be economically segregated, may start to blur as new and expensive areas lose their chic to become more middle-class.

GO_UAE · #**7929** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 9:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pizzuti

The closet thing to Dubai I can think of is Las Vegas.

No disrespect to LV , but this is so untrue on so many levels it laughable. Not you , the statement you made. Dubais core has been settled by people for over a thousand years trading in pearls spices and gold. Hundreds of thousands of people move here on a yearly basis to settle , 160+ nationalities ... 2nd biggest container port , 3rd largest sea port and fastest growing airport ... almost 10 million tourists , most of which are international tourists .. and this number is expected to grow to 15 mill soon ... Dubais future and what it plans on becoming , and the money allocated to fulfill these goals is going full steam ahead , Dubai might of looked like las vegas in 1999 since the only picture online available to you was that stupid strip with the emirates towers on one end and a few scattered here and there , but man its 2009 now going on to 2010 , and you have the fastest city in the world , you should expect huge changes in this span of time.

I would say Dubai reminds me alot of los angeles city .... or perhaps singapore ....

[img][/img]

Images are Copyright Brian J. McMorrow 1999-2005

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2126/...9a8c947b_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1166/...f6f9c05c_o.jpg

Desert Diver · #**7930** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 11:23 AM**

Business Bay and Burj Dubai, seen from 22nd floor of Ubora Towers.

Click here or on above image for large format!

(The construction teddy is a registered trademark by Imre, all copyrights reserved

)

Imre · #**7931** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 2:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 234sale

• Video Link

Sorry forgot to turn the sound on,, enjoy.

03/November/2009

Burj Dubai from the Ubora Towers (Business Bay)

nice view for the workers

Desert Diver

Desert Diver and 234Sale

some pics behind the scenes

Imre · #**7932** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 3:13 PM**

03/November/2009

Burj Dubai

Tom In Chicago · #**7933** Posted **Nov 3, 2009, 6:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pizzuti

Well, it's just that in most North American cities all the different definitions of "downtown" coincide in the same area. . .

I think your questions and comments need to be sent to the appropriate sub-forum. . . this section is to discuss the Burj Dubai building. . .

Also, a little bit of research goes a long way on these forums. . . pedestrian observations are not typically met with open arms on these boards. . .

. . .

Imre · #**7934** Posted **Nov 5, 2009, 4:57 PM**

05/November/2009

Burj Dubai

Desert Diver · #**7935** Posted **Nov 5, 2009, 5:43 PM**

Click here or on above image for large format

peanut gallery · #**7936** Posted **Nov 5, 2009, 7:31 PM**

Damn, guys, those are some beautiful shots.

CalibratedZeus · #**7937** Posted **Nov 6, 2009, 3:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desert Diver

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Click here or on above image for large format

This shot is absolutely gorgeous, thank you so much for being an awesome photographer.

I can not wait until the Burj Dubai is fully occupied and lit up at night, not to mention the rest of the amazing construction going on around it. Those blank silhouettes of buildings under construction do not do the city justice at night. Dubai will truly be a sight to behold when all is said and done.

WonderlandPark · #**7938** Posted **Nov 6, 2009, 4:15 PM**

I am soooooo bummed, the opening is now delayed a month. I will be in Dubai Dec. 16-20 and was hoping that the BD would be open, it was supposed to be Dec. 2.

Burj Dubai opening delayed until early 2010
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The supertall skyscraper in Dubai, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago, had been scheduled to open on Dec. 2. But its debut has been pushed back to January 4. When complete, the Burj will be the world's tallest building. Read the full story here.

Imre · #**7939** Posted **Nov 9, 2009, 9:35 PM**

09/November/2009

Burj Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Road

Desert Diver · #**7940** Posted **Nov 9, 2009, 10:06 PM**

Click here or on above image for large format