Emaar chairman Mohammed Alabbar has confirmed for the first time that the Burj Dubai is due to open on December 2 this year – UAE National Day.
The opening date was first revealed by Arabian Business two months ago, but has never been officially confirmed by Emaar. However, speaking on CNN, Alabbar said he was “shooting for UAE National Day”, adding that “12,000 staff were working inside trying to get the building ready.”
Last month, details were announced of the interactive journey on offer to visitors to Burj Dubai.
The At The Top of the World experience will include travelling by lift at a speed of 10 metres per second to the observatory deck on Level 124 which will take about 60 seconds.
Early this month, Emaar announced that the exterior cladding of the Burj Dubai, is now complete.
The building, currently measuring over 800 metres, has accomplished a new world record for the highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, Emaar Properties said in a statement.
A total of 24,348 pieces of cladding were fitted to the tower, located in Downtown Dubai, with the first piece fixed in May 2007.
Burj facts
The total weight of aluminum cladding is equivalent to the weight of five A380 Airbus aircraft.
More than 11 tonnes of nuts and bolts have gone into the cladding, equivalent to the weight of six BMW cars.
More than 48,180 gallons of silicone have been used in cladding.
The total glass used can cover 14 standard football pitches.
The total length of stainless steel used is equivalent to the area of 34 NBA basketball courts.
The total length of the gaskets if laid end-to-end is equivalent to the distance from Dubai to Damascus.
A total of 2,074 truck deliveries were undertaken to take the panels from the factory to the Burj Dubai site – the distance is equal going round the earth once, or trekking the Great Wall of China six times.
