FEATURE Burj Khalifa- Tallest gambling. And so it seemed, Burj Khalifa’s construction Building in the World yet prettier. began in 2004 and was I looked out, overwhelmed completed in 2010, after 22 by the artistic details in the million man-hours. At the peak DUBAI RISING designs, so many exquisite of production over 12,000 architectural wonders in one workers and contractors were ake-up I could have lazed in the posh to Burj Khalifa — the tallest observation deck, I couldn’t place. I wasn’t familiar with the on site everyday, representing calls sound living room, worked at the free building on the planet. (Dubai help but gasp at the light skyline yet, but would soon more than 100 nationalities. harsh in any WiFi equipped office, dined at a rightfully flaunts a slew of reflecting from this site. Below, come to recognize the squared Guides claim that 31,400 table recessed in a round nook, language. these superlatives.) a pea-sized city looked as arch or Financial Center, Al tons of rebar were used in the and used a second bathroom. WBut, they ring hideous when Ticketed guests enter the if I was viewing it from an Yaqoub Tower, the Big Ben skyscraper, enough to extend Instead, I slumped with jet-lag you’ve gone to bed just a tower and stroll past a series airplane, but of course, I was facsimile, and other swooping over a quarter of the way around into a magnificent king-sized few hours earlier, following of construction photos and art, not. Burj Khalifa stretches a edifices. In the distance I the world. Another statistic bed at two in the morning, 24-hours in-flight. However and then pose for an obligatory massive 2,716.5 feet in the air, caught a hint of the World says, “26,000 glass panels, almost unaware of the room’s groggy I was, dawn beckoned souvenir photo taken en route and even from the 124th floor archipelago, a series of islands each individually hand-cut, were most gaga addition — a and I had little time to waste. to the elevator. About 10-12 platform, some 26 stories still sand-dredged from the sea placed in the exterior cladding. triangular glassed-in space. The I’d traveled thousands of miles folks fit (my group spanning teeter above. like Michelangelo sculpted his Over 300 cladding specialists staff explained that guest’s and was scheduled for a full many nationalities) and when Stabilizing myself against the David from marble. from China were brought in for children sometimes use the day of touring. I glanced out the doors close, a multi- glass enclosures, I regained The word “burj“ means tower this part of the project.” recessed bed for sleeping, but the floor-to-ceiling windows, colored psychedelic light and my bearings and soaked in in Arabic, and Khalifa, refers to Architect Adrian Smith I would have reclined to and then stood, agog at the sound show begins playing a panoramic party of epic Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa, incorporated patterns from daydream in the sexy glass glistening new city rising from on the walls. Simultaneously proportions. Fortunately, the sky who came to the rescue when traditional Islamic architecture, point, surrounded by a starry the sea. The vista of downtown a digital monitor displaying remained clear; no sand storms construction funds ran low. in this case using a regional sky — and preferably with a Dubai from the 33rd floor floor numbers whizzes by in blew in, as are common. Although Dubai flaunts its desert flower, the Hymenocallis, glass of wine. of Jumeirah Emirates Hotel rapid succession. The From on high, I could see wealth, the emirate does not or spider lily. Its harmonious Towers presented itself like Alas, I had no elevator jettisons the flat desert, the simple land contain nearly the oil (aka structure is one of the none I’d ever seen before. time to indulge Burj passengers mass that was the entire city fortune) as neighboring Abu organizing principles of the The JumeirahTowers, high-tech from the until recently. Over the past Dhabi. tower’s design. After reading two sister structures, were buttons Khalifa lowest to ten years, Dubai has risen constructed early in Dubai’s that highest at an unprecedented pace, Glassed-In Addition at Jumeirah Emirates Hotel Suite rags to riches rally. Since April, operated stretches stop at as if Sheikh Mohammed, the 2000, one has served as an black-out a massive a rate of emirate’s ruler, doused the office building and the other, a curtains ten meters sands with Miracle Grow. His hotel: actually the world’s third- and opened 2,716.5ft in or almost dream metropolis now includes tallest all-hotel building. The blinds. I the air 33 feet per state-of-the-art infrastructure, shimmery steel and glass icons dressed and second. We eight-lane highways, exude power and pride, and descended to the reached the 124th computerized mass transit, lucky me, I’d slept a few hours in lobby in a crystal clear elevator floor in one minute flat. Whew! and mega-malls with indoor one of their 40 fabulous suites. in time to be whisked off to the Strangely, I don’t recall my aquariums and ski resorts. Had I arrived earlier the Dubai Mall. The mall makes a ears popping. Dubai has been described as previous evening as planned, convenient entrance for visitors As I stepped onto the a city of excess, Vegas without View from the Jumeriah Hotel FEATURE Burj Khalifa- Tallest gambling. And so it seemed, Burj Khalifa’s construction Building in the World yet prettier. began in 2004 and was I looked out, overwhelmed completed in 2010, after 22 by the artistic details in the million man-hours. At the peak DUBAI RISING designs, so many exquisite of production over 12,000 architectural wonders in one workers and contractors were ake-up I could have lazed in the posh to Burj Khalifa — the tallest observation deck, I couldn’t place. I wasn’t familiar with the on site everyday, representing calls sound living room, worked at the free building on the planet. (Dubai help but gasp at the light skyline yet, but would soon more than 100 nationalities. harsh in any WiFi equipped office, dined at a rightfully flaunts a slew of reflecting from this site. Below, come to recognize the squared Guides claim that 31,400 table recessed in a round nook, language. these superlatives.) a pea-sized city looked as arch or Financial Center, Al tons of rebar were used in the and used a second bathroom. WBut, they ring hideous when Ticketed guests enter the if I was viewing it from an Yaqoub Tower, the Big Ben skyscraper, enough to extend Instead, I slumped with jet-lag you’ve gone to bed just a tower and stroll past a series airplane, but of course, I was facsimile, and other swooping over a quarter of the way around into a magnificent king-sized few hours earlier, following of construction photos and art, not. Burj Khalifa stretches a edifices. In the distance I the world. Another statistic bed at two in the morning, 24-hours in-flight. However and then pose for an obligatory massive 2,716.5 feet in the air, caught a hint of the World says, “26,000 glass panels, almost unaware of the room’s groggy I was, dawn beckoned souvenir photo taken en route and even from the 124th floor archipelago, a series of islands each individually hand-cut, were most gaga addition — a and I had little time to waste. to the elevator. About 10-12 platform, some 26 stories still sand-dredged from the sea placed in the exterior cladding. triangular glassed-in space. The I’d traveled thousands of miles folks fit (my group spanning teeter above. like Michelangelo sculpted his Over 300 cladding specialists staff explained that guest’s and was scheduled for a full many nationalities) and when Stabilizing myself against the David from marble. from China were brought in for children sometimes use the day of touring. I glanced out the doors close, a multi- glass enclosures, I regained The word “burj“ means tower this part of the project.” recessed bed for sleeping, but the floor-to-ceiling windows, colored psychedelic light and my bearings and soaked in in Arabic, and Khalifa, refers to Architect Adrian Smith I would have reclined to and then stood, agog at the sound show begins playing a panoramic party of epic Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa, incorporated patterns from daydream in the sexy glass glistening new city rising from on the walls. Simultaneously proportions. Fortunately, the sky who came to the rescue when traditional Islamic architecture, point, surrounded by a starry the sea. The vista of downtown a digital monitor displaying remained clear; no sand storms construction funds ran low. in this case using a regional sky — and preferably with a Dubai from the 33rd floor floor numbers whizzes by in blew in, as are common. Although Dubai flaunts its desert flower, the Hymenocallis, glass of wine. of Jumeirah Emirates Hotel rapid succession. The From on high, I could see wealth, the emirate does not or spider lily. Its harmonious Towers presented itself like Alas, I had no elevator jettisons the flat desert, the simple land contain nearly the oil (aka structure is one of the none I’d ever seen before. time to indulge Burj passengers mass that was the entire city fortune) as neighboring Abu organizing principles of the The JumeirahTowers, high-tech from the until recently.