Opening date confirmed for Burj Dubai

Mohammed Alabbar, the Emaar chairman, has confirmed for the first time that the Burj Dubai is set to open on 2 December this year - UAE National Day.

The opening date was first revealed by Arabian Business two months ago, but has never been officially confirmed by Emaar. However, speaking on CNN, Alabbar said he was "shooting for UAE National Day", adding that "12,000 staff were working inside trying to get the building ready."

Last month, details were announced of the interactive journey on offer to visitors to Burj Dubai. The 'At The Top of the World' experience will include travelling by lift at a speed of 10 metres per second to the observatory deck on Level 124, which will take about 60 seconds. to reach

In addition, earlier this month, Emaar announced that the exterior cladding of the Burj Dubai was complete, while the building - currently measuring over 800 metres in height - has accomplished a new world record for the highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade.

Looking at the specific details of the building, a total of 24,348 pieces of cladding were fitted to the tower, the first piece having been fixed in May 2007.

The total weight of the aluminum cladding is equivalent to the weight of five A380 Airbus aircraft and more than 11 tonnes of nuts and bolts have gone into the cladding, which is the equivalent weight of six BMW cars.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the total glass used can cover 14 standard football pitches and the final length of stainless steel used is the equivalent to the area of 34 NBA basketball courts.

Lastly, a total of 2074 truck deliveries were undertaken to take the panels from the factory to the Burj Dubai site - the distance is equal going round the earth once, or trekking the Great Wall of China six times.

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