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It’s People’s Tower: Emaar CEO
“I take a look at the Burj and I smile,” declared Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar from the tower's 124th floor.
- PUBLISHED: Wed 6 Jan 2010, 12:02 AM UPDATED: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 2:23 PM
Local and international media flooded into the more than 160-storey edifice on Monday morning, before being whisked up to the world's highest observation deck for a preview.
“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.
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The Burj Khalifa officially opened for business on Monday to coincide with fourth anniversary of the Accession Day of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and 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 glass in an aluminium façade.
More importantly, however, the tower has dwarfed the world's previous tallest building, the 508-metre high 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.”