Dubai:World Central

[Pas]

Work is already underway on an exciting project in Dubai. Called the Burj Dubai which include a skyscraper of over 2000ft/610m tall (although the official height has been guarded a secret .. presumably for fears of rivalry. The design by SOM was chosen from the winning entry from a design competition held by the developer.

For more info / renderings visit website of its architect - Skidmore Owings & Merrill: www.som.com (see 'supertall' section).

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The super tall Burj Dubai will be the centerpiece of a large scale mixed-use development being developed by Emaar Properties PJSC of Dubai, which will combine residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with open green spaces, water features, pedestrian boulevards, a shopping mall and a tourist-oriented old town.

The design of Burj Dubai is derived from the geometries of the desert flower, which is indigenous to the region, and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture. It combines historical and cultural influences with cutting edge technology to achieve a high-performance building which will set the new standard for development in the Middle East and become the model for the future of the city.

The tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat desert base, setbacks occur at each element in an upward spiraling pattern, decreasing the mass of the tower as it reaches toward the sky. At the top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a finishing spire. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes views of the Persian Gulf.

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BTW SOM is also collaborating with Libeskind Studios on the Freedom Tower (new WTC) project in New York.. although tower might not hold the crown for world's tallest when the Dubai project is finished

[pnarre]

It would be good to see pictures and detailed info ... but they certainly wanna protect it as much as possible.

[ncr]

Some more info/pix are here:

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7787

Skyscrapers.com (now Emporis) doesn't feature this building yet (strangely enough), but should be recommended anyway if you are interested in highrises :

www.emporis.com

And then there is the project developer's page, though it actually doesn't have much information:

http://www.emaar.com/new/projects_burjdubai.html

It really seems that this WILL be built (well it has been started) and also that it WILL be the world's tallest building upon completion. There are certainly competitors that will eventually beat Taipei 101 (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=100765), but I think there are currently no other concrete plans for a building over 600 m (we have to assume that Burj Dubai will definitely surpass that mark)!

[Pas]

Originally posted by ncr
Some more info/pix are here:

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7787

Skyscrapers.com (now Emporis) doesn't feature this building yet (strangely enough), but should be recommended anyway if you are interested in highrises :

www.emporis.com

Well.. you'd be surprise how much information there are on that website that is just not available to the public. What the website doesn't show you are all projects that are proposed or under construction. To get access to these info you need to subscribe to Emporis, or have access to its extranet database (ie. as an editor or photographer for the website). I can access these info since I've been an editor for that website (formerly skyscrapers.com) since 2001

And then there is the project developer's page, though it actually doesn't have much information:

http://www.emaar.com/new/projects_burjdubai.html

yeh I find that strange too. I'll try to source out any news from from other emporis editors responsible for Dubai. There may be news in Arabic media that we don't know of.

It really seems that this WILL be built (well it has been started) and also that it WILL be the world's tallest building upon completion. There are certainly competitors that will eventually beat Taipei 101 (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=100765), but I think there are currently no other concrete plans for a building over 600 m (we have to assume that Burj Dubai will definitely surpass that mark)!

yep.. very true, although there is a mysterious project in Istanbul to be around 600m called Three Empire tower. The project has backing by the Mayor of Istanbul but seems it is only a proposal at this stage.. It will be difficult to build such high tower in such an earthquake prone area but they have built Taipei 101 and Jakarta is also building the world's tallest observation tower.

SO, the only serious SUPERTALL projects at the moment are:

Freedom Tower (New York) to be completed around 2008, designed by SOM, to be developed by Larry Silverstein, lease holder of the WTC site.
Kowloon MTR Tower (Hong Kong) to be completed in 2008
about 480m tall, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox - KPF.
Shanghai's World Financial Centre will be about 490m (to be completed in 2008, also designed by KPF), developed by Mori building co. of Japan.

[The Enforcer!]

I see from the press that the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, at 321m, is claiming the crown of tallest hotel in the world!

It surpasses our own Baiyoke Sky Hotel by 1m! Pity Baiyoke did not complete the top of their building with the lovely blue cupola that was first shown.

The Enforcer!

[admin]

Was Baiyoke Sky Hotel ever really the tallest hotel? I thought the record was held by a hotel in Singapore and the rule was that the entire building had to house a hotel (that is, it couldn't be a mixed use building with a hotel in it).

[ncr]

Burj Dubai is now to be found on Emporis

(http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=182168),

and the height they announce for it is - brace yourself - 705m!

I think I'll have to go to Dubai in 2008!!!

[The Enforcer!]

Unfortunately I gave away my previous GBR so cannot see what they 'officially' had as the record holder.

Emporis website actually gives the title now to Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea but I believe that that was not completed or opened!

It certainly listed Baiyoke II as the world's tallest hotel 1997 to 2000 when it says the Emirates Hotel Tower took the title.

The Enforcer!

[ncr]

Soem facts.

The official height of Baiyoke II is 304m, as antennas are not counted in the structural height. So the Burj Al Arab is substantially higher at 321m. The current second highest hotel though (also in Dubai....), the Emirates Hotel Tower, surpasses Baiyoke by just 5 meters.

But actually it doesn't really matter anymore, as they are busy setting one construction record after the other in Dubai, with the Abbco Rotana Hotel (333m) scheduled to open in 2006.

Yes, The Stamford in Singapore (226m) was the tallest before Baiyoke II was finished and shortly held the record. Not sure about the regulations though, I also thought it has to be all-hotel, not mixed use. Oh, wait...... I just saw they defined that "90% of the occupiable height" must be devoted to hotel uses.

And the Ryugyong in Pyongyang is certainly an interesting contender - but never held any title as it is not completed. Just recently they found out that it is actually 330m, not 300m!


All the related links on Emporis:

Stamford: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=106471
Baiyoke: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=107136
Emirates Tower: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=107806
Burj Al Arab: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=107803
Abbco Rotana: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=203224
Ryugyong: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=130967


On the other hand, the "World's 50 tallest hotels" list on Emporis (http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/ty/ho/) contradicts what they write elesewhere, as it is headed by the Ryugyong (because here all "topped out" structures are counted):

# Building City Height Height Floors Year
1. Ryugyong Hotel Pyongyang 330 m 1,083 ft 105 1992
2. Burj Al Arab Dubai 321 m 1,053 ft 60 1999
3. Emirates Hotel Tower Dubai 309 m 1,014 ft 56 2000
4. Baiyoke Tower II Bangkok 304 m 997 ft 85 1997
5. JR Central Hotel Tower Nagoya 226 m 741 ft 53 2000
6. Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore 226 m 741 ft 73 1986
7. Marriott Renaissance Center Detroit 221 m 726 ft 73 1977
8. Westin Peachtree Plaza Atlanta 220 m 723 ft 73 1976
9. Four Seasons Hotel New York City 208 m 682 ft 52 1993
10. Sofitel Jin Jiang Oriental Pudong Shanghai 207 m 679 ft 46 2002

[Pas]

Originally posted by admin
Was Baiyoke Sky Hotel ever really the tallest hotel? I thought the record was held by a hotel in Singapore and the rule was that the entire building had to house a hotel (that is, it couldn't be a mixed use building with a hotel in it).

I think you're right, a building has to be 100% hotel, the base of B2 is used for retail so that may not count.
Well despite the claim by its developer B2 was never officially recognized as the tallest hotel building in the world. When the building was completed in 1997 the Guiness Book of record listed the Stamford Raffles (now Swisshotel) in Singapore as the tallest hotel in the world. Also in 1998 Guiness Book of Record listed the Burj Dubai as the world's tallest hotel even though B2 has higher occupiable floor.

The Grand Hyatt Shanghai Hotel which occupies the 53rd to 87th floor of Jin Mao tower in Shanghai has the highest occupiable hotel floor (JinMao building is measured 420.5m to top of the spire).

From what I gathered the Ryukyong Hotel in Pyongyang has been under construction since the 80s but was never finished. The building looks like a giant rocket!!

And I heard Dubai is building another very very tall hotel - I forgot the name...

[ncr]

Khun Pas,

sorry, but did you only read the first two posts in this thread?

And I heard Dubai is building another very very tall hotel - I forgot the name...

Yes, that is the abovementioned Abbco Rotana:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=203224 (BTW, I really like this building's design.....)

I think you're right, a building has to be 100% hotel, the base of B2 is used for retail so that may not count.

No, as I already laid out above, it just has to be a 90% hotel use at minimum, and this criterion is used for the official list on the Emporis website. At least that's what I gathered through a quick search there. In the "World's Tallest Building" thread you once told me that you are an editor for Emporis and have access to lots of 'hidden' information on that site. So if I as a normal user could find that info, I cannot see what the difficulty is and why you are making statements based on assumptions here.

P.S. No offence.... I was just wondering why you apparently ignored my post....

[ncr]

From what I gathered the Ryukyong Hotel in Pyongyang has been under construction since the 80s but was never finished. The building looks like a giant rocket!!

Yes, but it also bears a striking resemblance to the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's "1984"......

See http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/...05BUILDING.htm for a description and two photos.

[Pas]

Another very tall hotel underconstruction right now is
Ritz Carlton Jakarta, it's going to be 327 metres. I'm trying to ascertain the no. of floors and date of completion.

[Pas]

Originally posted by ncr
Khun Pas,

sorry, but did you only read the first two posts in this thread?

Yes, that is the abovementioned Abbco Rotana:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=203224 (BTW, I really like this building's design.....)

No, as I already laid out above, it just has to be a 90% hotel use at minimum, and this criterion is used for the official list on the Emporis website. At least that's what I gathered through a quick search there. In the "World's Tallest Building" thread you once told me that you are an editor for Emporis and have access to lots of 'hidden' information on that site. So if I as a normal user could find that info, I cannot see what the difficulty is and why you are making statements based on assumptions here.

P.S. No offence.... I was just wondering why you apparently ignored my post....

Khun NCR I'm really sorry I was glancing through the post very quickly and between that doing something else. no offence taken.
I could have find out the info if I had followed those links.

On that note I noticed another editor at emporis has added to the building fact that *Baiyoke 2 is an all hotel. That's not true because the hotel occupied the 22nd floor to 74th floor and the lower part occupies by a garment center.

But I am really just curious to know why the Guiness Book of Records never 'officially' recognise B2 as the tallest hotel. This raise doubt in my mind.. what criteria do they use?

BTW thanks for the info on that hotel building in Dubai.

[ncr]

No problem, Pas!

Hope to meet you at the next 2bangkok.com meeting!