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Burj Dubai awes first visitors to the 124th floor
“I take a look at the Burj and I smile,” declared Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar from the tower's 124th floor.
- PUBLISHED: Mon 4 Jan 2010, 3:04 PM UPDATED: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 2:22 PM
Click here to view videos from Observation Deck at Burj Dubai
Local and international media flooded into the 160-storey edifice today morning, before being whisked up to the world's highest observation deck for a preview.
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“We wanted to achieve something more. Everything is possible if you do it well and have good people around,” added Alabbar during the raucous press conference.
The Burj officially opened for business today to coincide with Accession Day, celebrating the fourth anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum becoming Ruler of Dubai.
Excavation work began in January 2004. Even before its opening, the Burj has managed to shatter 10 world records – including the world's highest swimming pool at 260 metres and the highest installation of a glass an aluminium façade.
More importantly however, the tower has dwarfed the world's previous tallest building, the 508-metre tall Taipei 101 in Taiwan.
Nonetheless, developers remain tight-lipped as to the building's exact height, simply stating that it exceeds 800 metres.
“I'm very proud of this iconic building,” said Issam Galadari, CEO of Emaar Properties, while flanked by a throng of reporters and photographers. “We have used the most advanced technology in our design and we believe it's the safest building in the world. It is the people's tower.”
