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Dubai has consistently amazed the world with its building projects. In no area has that been more evident than in the construction of tall buildings - very tall buildings.

The completion of the 1,053 foot-tall Burj al Arab in 1999 is soon to be eclipsed by the Burj Dubai. At 1,900 feet it is said to be the world's tallest building. According to some reports though, the Burj Dubai may be made less significant if Prince al-Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has his way. The prince's tower will be 5,288 feet tall and it is rumored people will be able to view Africa from its peak. All of that though remains to be seen since the world economic crisis is playing havoc with many building plans. So for at least the time being it appears Dubai will have the title as the country with the tallest building.

Constructing these new mega high rises is no simple feat. The Burj Dubai for example has been under construction since 2003 and has enough rebar in it to extend more than a quarter of the way around the globe if it were laid end-to-end. The project uses 10 cranes to move people and material for the construction activities. The amount of area in its exterior covering is equal to the amount of area in 25 football fields. What many people may not realize is that the general contractor on the job is Samsung Corporation from South Korea. When completed people will be able to see the tip of the spire from 60 miles away.

Even though it is shorter, the Burj al Arab had its engineering challenges. The structure, built from 1994 to 1999, was constructed on a man-made island almost a thousand feet from the shore. The builders pounded concrete piles into the sand. Each of those piles was 120 feet long, and there were 230 of them in all. Protecting the foundation from the sea required a combination of large rocks with concrete circled around them. The concrete used in the project came to more than 2.5 million cubic feet. The steel for reinforcement and structural purposes totaled 9,000 tons.

There is a less stunning side to these kinds of buildings though. When it comes to the energy and resources they use the footprint is not exactly light. The Burj Dubai will require 10,000 tons of cooling per hour. The peak electrical use is estimated at 36 MVA. That's enough power to light 360,000, 100 watt light bulbs, simultaneously. And when it comes to water use the people and activities in the tower will consume 250,000 gallons per day.

The critics of Dubai's building extravaganzas generally appreciate the construction technologies employed there but when it comes to the completed Burj al Arab there are those who thought the interior decorating might have not reached the greatest heights. Others viewed the effort as the "triumph of money over practicality." Time will tell how the Burj Dubai is viewed, but all would certainly have to concede it is a very tall building.

Learn more about this author, Duane Craig.
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