There is at least one superlative associated with the world’s tallest structure that few know about: The 828-meter Burj Dubai, renamed Burj Khalifa on its opening day, Jan. 4, is likely the most monitored skyscraper in the world, from its foundation to the top of its pinnacle. Data collected from the building’s permanent sensors will be used to refine design and construction methods for future supertall towers, say sources. + Image Photo: Emaar Properties Taipei 101, by 320 meters Photo: Emaar Properties Burj Khalifa, formerly called the Burj Dubai, dwarfs the world’s next-tallest building The burj’s lead contractor, Samsung C&T
The developer of the world's tallest building, which finally opened Jan. 4 in Dubai after more than a year's delay, has announced the height at 828 meters. The announcement ends years of speculation, fueled by developer Emaar Properties. Members of the design and construction team, including architect-engineer Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and lead contractor Samsung Corp., were contractually obligated to keep the height a secret. Emaar Properties Burj Dubai opens under its new name, Burj Khalifa The 828-m height makes the building a whopping 320 m taller than the previous world's tallest building, the 508-m Taipei 101. The difference is
Fire-protection engineers and other interested parties have until March 31 to comment on draft guidelines for substantiating a computer fire model for a specific application. The five-step methodology, recently issued by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers for review, has been welcomed by fire-protection and code consultants. “RJA supports the effort to develop a guide that will be a useful tool for the practicing professional that will aid in the communications between fire-protection engineers and the local authorities,” says Martin H. Reiss, president and CEO in the Boston office of RJA Group Inc. He calls the computer simulations valuable tools
It’s a tired, old story and the bane of many a design team: Win an international design competition and then watch helplessly as all the brilliant concepts get whittled away by the developer and its “value engineers” until the constructed building bares little resemblance to the original submission. Slide Show Image Rendering: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture Masdar Headquarters, just starting construction, is billed as the world’s largest carbon- and waste-neutral office building. Slide Show Image: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture This exploded view of the building shows, conceptually, the seven-acre steel-pipe trellis and its support cones (top),
In an effort to accelerate the development of cost-effective, sustainable concrete, Masdar, the developer of the planned carbon and waste-neutral Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, is holding a concrete mix design competition. The first prize is $150,000, for a sustainable concrete production method. The second prize is $50,000 for the lowest-carbon- footprint concrete mix. This is the first of several competitions to help Masdar, an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co., achieve its goals for sustainability at Masdar City, says Omar. M. Waqfi, Masdar's specifications manager. "We are pushing and challenging people on all aspects [of sustainable development],
In seismic zones, construction of concrete high-rises keeps getting easier, thanks to advances in high-strength reinforcing steel used for confinement of high-strength concrete. The first use of 100-ksi rebar, in a just-opening 31-story tower in Seattle, is getting pretty high marks from the structural engineer and rebar fabricator. And the first use of a more price-competitive 90-ksi rebar in a project in nearby Bellevue, Wash., is getting even higher marks. Slide Show Photo: Cary Kopczynski & Co Avalon Towers benefited from the lower cost of the material, which was produced using standard methods. The advantage of using the material on
The specific date in December for the implosion of the faulty, 376-ft-tall condominium tower on South Padre Island in Texas has not been set. But the demolition contractor says it has solved almost all the quandaries of one of its most challenging razings using explosives. If all goes according to plan, when the dust settles, Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) will have broken the height record, which it set in 1975, for imploding a reinforced-concrete tower. Slide Show Photo: Controlled Demolition Inc. Aluminum alloy shores around failed columns have to be factored into implosion plan. Photo: Controlled Demolition Inc. Walls were
Though green-building experts and construction lawyers laud the good intentions of the U.S. Green Building Council about its popular Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green-building rating system, many have serious concerns about at least one new requirement in the latest version of LEED, which went into effect on July 1. The requirement, a “precondition” of certification for all buildings under LEED Version 3, says owners must commit to sharing building energy and water-usage data for at least five years after a new building is occupied or an existing building is certified. Another change sending shudders down the spine of
The $2-million Sustainable Sites Initiative, having included its four-star rating system within its guidelines for developing and maintaining healthy landscapes, is seeking applications for 75 to 150 pilot projects to test the credit-based program. Applications to SSI, which is taking the first comprehensive look at sustainable landscape design, construction and maintenance, are due by Feb. 15. Photo: Sustainable Sites Initiative Sustainable Sites Initiative is the first to take a comprehensive look at greener landscapes. On Nov. 5, SSI released the 233-page “SSI: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009” and “The Case for Sustainable Landscapes,” a set of economic, environmental and social
A San Francisco civic group is seeking support for an ambitious, 50-year plan, called the Resilient City Initiative, that could help minimize loss and speed recovery after the “Big One.” The initiative can serve as a model for disaster preparedness and recovery for all earthquake-prone communities, say sources. Photo: USGS A pre-quake retrofit might have limited damage and allowed a repair rather than a razing. While developed for San Francisco, the resilient-city concept of the nonprofit San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR) Association has “application anywhere a city is trying to deal with natural hazards,” said Chris Poland, chairman