Height Comparison

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Burj Dubai Opens Today

More than twice as tall as the Empire State, the Burj Dubai officially opens today in a heavy cloak of security.

Dubai is set to open the world's tallest building Monday as the city seeks to revitalize its economy after a debt crisis in 2009 that forced the once-hot financial center to turn to neighboring Abu Dhabi for help. The government hopes the unveiling of the 160-plus-story structure, Burj Dubai, will pierce the cloud that has lingered over Dubai since mid-December, when it received a second $10 billon bailout loan from Abu Dhabi, after unpaid bills prompted some creditors to abandon Dubai. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, after navigating the worst crisis in his four years as ruler of Dubai, will lead a day of celebrations for the unveiling of the residential, hotel and office building that on a clear day has views across the Persian Gulf to Iran. About 90 percent of units have been sold in Burj Dubai, which will welcome the first occupants of the Giorgio Armani residences in February and will open the world's first Armani Hotel in March.

The sway at the top of the building in said to be more than five feet.

Photo Of The Day - Burj Dubai

Gizmodo notes that the Burj Dubai, "the world’s tallest, most absurdly ostentatious building," has become the literal lightening rod of the Middle East. That lightning seeks out the Burj Dubai isn't particularly surprising; the Empire State Building gets hit all the time. But given the relative infrequency of electrical storms in that region of the world, folks are starting to wonder what's going on. Gizmodo has lots more cool photos and thinks that when the hotel portion of the 162-story building opens in January, the ad campaign should feature the lightning strikes. What's Arabic for "Put The Spark Back In Life"?

Empire Envy

The two shots below are computer renderings of the view from the Empire State Building and what the view would be, were the ESB as tall as the almost-completed Burj Dubai, which is over 1000 feet taller even though Dubai suffers no lack of available land, relative to Manhattan. More comparisons are here. As a skyscraper junkie, I'd love to see the Burj Dubai someday, but that'll have to wait until Dubai's pesky law against homos is repealed.