1. Dubai, UAE; January 4, 2010: The world's tallest tower, developed by
Emaar Properties, was unveiled tonight to a crowd of thousands and the
world in a crescendo of fireworks, lasers and fountain displays.
The official height of the tower, unveiled as 'Burj Khalifa', was announced
as 828 metres (2,716.5 ft).
A closely guarded secret, the official height of Burj Khalifa was flashed
onto a giant screen before an estimated crowd of more than 400,000, as
lasers and fireworks lit up the night sky.
Fireworks cascaded from the tower's spire to the base and lasers blazed
out from all levels leaving the crowds awestruck.
The height was disclosed in arithmetic progression, with the numbers
being flashed onto the screen, one after another. The tower's height
breaks all existing world records for tall buildings.
Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world according to the three
main criteria of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
(CTBUH). The CTBUH ranks the world’s tallest buildings based on
‘Height to Architectural Top,’ ‘Height to Highest Occupied Floor’ and
‘Height to Tip.’
At 828 metres (2,716.5ft), Burj Khalifa is 320 metres taller than Taipei
101, which at 508 metres (1,667 ft) had held the record for the world’s
tallest building measured to the architectural top since 2004, the year
the project was announced.
Burj Khalifa achieved the distinction of being the world's tallest structure
– surpassing the KVLY-TV mast (628.8 metres; 2,063 ft) in North Dakota,
USA – 1,325 days after excavation work started in January 2004.
The tower also beats the 31-year-old record of CN Tower, which at
553.33 metres (1,815.5 ft) had been the world’s tallest free-standing
structure on land since 1976.
Burj Khalifa employs a record-breaking 330,000 cubic metres of
concrete, 39,000 metric tonnes of steel rebar and 142,000 square metres
of glass; and it took 22 million man hours to build.
Other world records for Burj Khalifa include the highest occupied floor in
the world, at over 550 metres (1,800 ft); the highest outdoor observation
deck in the world – At the Top on Level 124; and the tallest service
elevator, which travels to a height of 504 metres (1,654 ft).

2. Mr. Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said that with the
unveiling of the final height of Burj Khalifa, the world now had a new
reference point for high-rise developments.
“Burj Khalifa is an example of collaboration on a global scale, and the
tremendous positive energy that can be generated when people from all
over the world come together to work towards a common goal.
Thousands of professionals and skilled workers from around the world
worked on this once-in-a-lifetime project.”
“More than 60 of the world’s leading consultants including South Korea’s
Samsung Corporation and New York-based Turner Construction
International realised the design for Burj Khalifa of Chicago-based
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM),” he said.
Burj Khalifa employed the latest advances in wind engineering,
structural engineering, structural systems, construction materials and
methods. All design considerations took into account the 12,000 people
who will live and work in the tower. The handover to residents of the
various components of Burj Khalifa will begin in February.
With a total built-up area of about 6 million sq ft, Burj Khalifa features
nearly 2 million sq ft of residential space and over 300,000 sq ft of prime
office space, in addition to the area occupied by the keenly awaited
Armani Hotel Dubai and the Armani Residences. The tower also features
modern lifestyle amenities including clubs, health and fitness facilities,
gourmet restaurants and the 124th floor observation deck, 'At the Top.'
Burj Khalifa is the focal point of the 500-acre ‘mega-project’ by Emaar
Properties, described as the new heart of Dubai.
FIRE WORKS PHOTOS
Fireworks to mark Burj Dubai inauguration
The inauguration of Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, developed by
Emaar Properties, will feature a spectacular display of sound, light, water
and fireworks on the evening of Jan 4.
A combination of dazzling fireworks, light beams, choreographed water displays, and
sound & music effects will describe the evolution of the world’s most iconic new
building in a breathtaking sensory journey.

3. In all, 868 high-powered ‘stroboscope’ lights will be integrated into the facade of Burj
Dubai and the tower’s spire – and each stroboscope will be fired individually to create a
series of hypnotic lighting sequences.
The entire display is controlled by a sophisticated arrangement of ultra high-tech IT
systems, which choreograph at least 50 different sequences of lighting, fireworks, water
and sound effects.
Event experts from France, Britain and the United States collaborated on the project,
demonstrating the global spirit of teamwork which defines Burj Dubai itself.
Powerful strobe lights will be fixed near the pinnacle of the tower, and six ‘narrow beam’
search lights will be positioned 700 metres up the tower.
The entire inauguration show consists of a pre-show and three themed acts – From the
Desert Flower to Burj Dubai, Heart Beat, and From Dubai & the UAE to the World - and
a firework finale.
A giant screen on Burj Park Island, as well as several television screens placed across
Downtown Burj Dubai including the Waterfront Promenade, will broadcast the
inauguration in real-time. Hundreds of international media, including Dubai TV, will
report live from the scene.
The public can watch at the inauguration ceremony from the Waterfront Promenade
adjacent to The Dubai Mall.
The inauguration performance begins with a short film which depicts the story of Dubai
and the evolution of Burj Dubai as the world’s tallest building. A precisely
choreographed sound, light, water and fireworks display then follows.
The first act in the light & sound show, themed ‘From the Desert Flower to Burj Dubai,’
is a co-ordinated water, light and firework display. Guests can watch the unfolding of
the desert lily, Hymenocallis, the design inspiration of Burj Dubai. The segment ends
with a rhythmic water and fireworks show.
The second act, ‘Heart Beat,’ captures the construction of the tower in a dynamic light
show. An astonishing example of technological innovation, the display recreates the
effect of a beating heart and uses no fewer than 300 ‘space canon projectors’ to
generate a shadow-like image of the tower.
In the third act, ‘From Dubai and the UAE to the World,’ sky tracers and space canons
envelop the tower in a strong halo of white light before reproducing the sun beams of
the Emaar corporate logo. These then expand in all directions as the lighting rig on the
tower’s spire activates.
In its spectacular finale, the show will feature an impressive show of 10,000 firework
effects on and from the tower, envisaged as the highest in the world. The sparkling
display will illuminate the entire Downtown Burj Dubai area.
Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, UAE, Emaar Properties, said that the
performance would be unprecedented and symbolic of Burj Dubai’s pioneering status.

4. “Just as Burj Dubai leaves an indelible impression on the mind’s eye, so the
performance dedicated to the tower’s inauguration on January 4 will be a memory to
cherish.”
Standing at more than 800 metres (2,625 ft) high and with over 160 storeys, Burj Dubai
is the world’s tallest building developed by Emaar Properties. The tower anchors the
500-acre Downtown Burj Dubai community, described as the new heart of the city.