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Burj Al Arab:
Like Paris has its Eifel Tower, Sydney its Opera House,
San Francisco its Golden Gate Bridge, Dubai has its Burj Al Arab,
Dubai's Icon and the only seven-star hotel in the world.

Some facts about the building:
- the tower, shaped like a giant sail, is 321m/1,053f tall and has 60 stories.
- It's currently the 20th tallest building in the world.
- Construction started in April of 1996;
- The building was completed in November 1999.
- And designed by WS Atkins & Partners.
- The buildings lies some 15 kilometres from Dubai's city centre.
- It's the tallest all-hotel tower in the world.
- It also has the tallest atrium in the world (182m/596f).
- It is the tallest structure in the world with a membrane facade.
- 212 metres (695f) above the ground a helicopter pad is situated (see picture #196);
This pad is 24 metres wide (79 feet), and was used in the past,
for tennis and golf promotions and advertisements.
- The building is illuminated at night;
This light spectacle starts at 7pm and every 15 minutes the color scheme changes.
- The building is situated on an artificial island in the Gulf (300m offshore).
It's built on sand and supported on 250 columns, 45 metres (148f) under the sea.
- The mast on top is 104 metres tall (341f) in total;
and 60 metres (197f) from the point where it rises above the rest of the building.
- The hotel has 202 suites.
- The building is guarded like a little fortress;
access is only possible with a reservation or an invitation;
and there's a dress code as well; sneakers and shorts are out of the order.
In the past, non-visitors were able to buy admission to the lobby of the hotel,
but this isn't possible anymore.








Click here to go to another Dubai skyscraper page:
DEIRA AREA SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD AREA DUBAI MARINA AREA DUBAI HOME PAGE


Dubai's 10 tallest skyscrapers:
1. EMIRATES OFFICE TOWER 355m/1,163f, 54 stories, 2000
2. BURJ AL ARAB 321m/1,053f, 60 stories, 1999
3. EMIRATES HOTEL TOWER 309m/1,014f, 56 stories, 2000
4. 21st CENTURY TOWER 269m/883f, 55 stories, 2003
5. CHELSEA TOWER 250m/820f, 49 stories, 2005
6. THE TOWER 243m/796f, 54 stories, 2002
7. AL SEEF TOWER 215m/705f, 42 stories, 2005
8. GROSVENOR HOUSE 210m/690f, 48 stories, 2005
9. SHANGRI-LA HOTEL 196m/643f, 43 stories, 2003
10. MESK TOWER 185m/607f, 40 stories, 2003


The building data, the top 10 of tallest buildings and some of the building information
are courtesy of EMPORIS.COM,
One of the world's leading architectural resources on tall buildings on the Internet

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