Burj Dubai: Now the Tallest Building in the World

Any day now Burj Dubai will overtake Taipei 101 and become the world's tallest building. It's already significantly higher than the Chicago Sears Tower (not counting the spire), and is quickly approaching the title of the highest concrete free-standing structure. Skyscraperpage forum has been quick to announce: "Ladies and Gentleman, the next tallest structure EVER built by the humans race !!!!!", and judging by the following pictures of construction progress, it will be a matter of only a few days.

Construction update:

- Designed by Chicago architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for Emaar Properties.
- Will house hotel and condominiums, be largely residential.
- Completion date: June 30, 2009
- 959 meters high, 189 - 200 floors?
- An observation deck will be located on the 124th floor.
- The top residential level will only be 8 meters wide.
- Will have the fastest elevators in the world with a speed of 700m/min (42.3 kmh / 26.1 mph)
- When finished, It will be almost 40% taller than the the current tallest building, the Taipei 101.

World's weirdest skycraper structures

Koning Keizer Admiraal Transmission Mast
101.2 m
- This was the tallest tower ever built for an illegal radio station. The tower was dismantled in soon after its construction in 2004.













BREN Tower
465.5 m
- This guyed mast tower is used for scientic test research, primarily to measure raditation levels at different heights above the ground.
- This tower was originally erected at Yuca Flat - Area 4 at the Nevada Test Site in 1962.












Funkturm
150.0 m
- World's only observation tower standing on insulators (however these insulators were never in use. It was planned to insulate Funkturm Berlin, which carried until 1935 together with an 80 metre tall guyed mast an antnna for medium wave against ground for embettering the effiency of he antenna, however this was cancelled in order not to endanger the visitors of the tower and so it was grounded over the elevator shaft)

Fallturm UNI Bremen
146.0 m
- This drop tower is used for conducting scientific experiments concerning weightlessness.





















Express Lift Tower
127.5 m
-The only elevator testing tower to have been built in the United Kingdom.