Burj Dubai- world's tallest building!

London, July 23: Standing tall at 1680 feet, even a year and half before completion, Burj Dubai has become the world's tallest building.

Development company Emaar has expressed confidence that Burj will fulfil all four criteria for the tallest building, listed by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The criteria includes: the height of the structural top, the highest occupied floor, the top of the roof, and the tip of the spire, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole.

Since excavation for Burj Dubai's foundations started in 2004, the tower has slowly overtaken previous skyscraper record holders one after another: New York's Empire State Building at 1,250ft, Shanghai's Jin Mao Building at 1,381ft, Sears Tower in Chicago at 1,451ft, Malaysia's Petronas Towers at 1,483ft and finally the vaunting Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which has dominated the world's skyline at 1,667ft since 2004.

"It's a human achievement without equal," said Mohammed Ali Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, one of the main development firms in Dubai.

Though Burj's final height is a closely guarded secret, Emaar has said its relentless climb to the sky will stop only after it reaches 2275 feet. Burj is expected to be finished by the end of 2008.

With Burj, the Middle East will again reclaim the honour of having the tallest man-made structure - centuries after the construction of Egypt's ancient Great Pyramid of Giza which held the title with its 481ft, before the Eiffel Tower with its height of 1,023ft, including the flag pole, took over from it.

According to the Independent, upon completion, the Burj Dubai will have more than 160 stories and 56 lifts. It will house luxury apartments, boutique shops, swimming pools and spas, exclusive corporate suites, the first hotel owned by the Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, as well as an observation platform on the 124th floor.

ANI>