"A towering symbol of Dubai’s problems; Tallest skyscraper closed indefinitely" by Adam Schreck, Associated Press | February 9, 2010
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The world’s tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.
Related: Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky
Electrical problems are at least partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa’s viewing platform - the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet. But a lack of information from the spire’s owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building - including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower’s more than 160 floors - was affected by the shutdown.
The indefinite closure, which began Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.
Yeah, MSM dropped it so I thought they had fixed their money woes. WTF?
The Persian Gulf city-state had hoped the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa would be a major tourist draw. Dubai has promoted itself by wowing visitors with over-the-top attractions such as the Burj, which juts like a silvery needle out of the desert and can be seen from miles around.
My first reaction would be ugly, and why is it scarring the sky?
In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have lined up for the chance to buy tickets for viewing times often days in advance that cost more than $27 apiece. Now many of those would-be visitors, such as Wayne Boyes, a tourist from near Manchester, England, must get back in line for refunds.
“It’s just very disappointing,’’ said Boyes, 40, who showed up at the Burj’s entrance yesterday with a ticket for an afternoon time slot only to be told the viewing platform was closed. “The tower was one of my main reasons for coming here,’’ he said.
The precise cause of the $1.5 billion Dubai skyscraper’s temporary shutdown remained unclear.
In a brief statement responding to questions, building owner Emaar Properties blamed the closure on “unexpected high traffic,’’ but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault.
After all that $$$$ spent?
“Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion,’’ the company said, adding that it is “committed to the highest quality standards at Burj Khalifa.’’
I'm sorry, whatchasay?
Despite repeated requests, a spokeswoman for Emaar was unable to provide further details or rule out the possibility of foul play.
It's the TERRORISTS!!!! I knew it!!!!
Greg Sang, Emaar’s director of projects and the man charged with coordinating the tower’s construction, could not be reached. Construction workers at the base of the tower said they were unaware of any problems.
Power was reaching some parts of the building. Strobe lights warning aircraft flashed and a handful of floors were illuminated after nightfall.
????????????
Emaar did not say when the observation deck would reopen. Ticket sales agents were accepting bookings starting on Valentine’s Day this Sunday, though one reached by the Associated Press could not confirm the building would reopen then.
Valentine's Day?
Haven't you heard?
That's been canceled!!!
Tourists affected by the closure are being offered the chance to rebook or receive refunds.
I'd want my money back.
Not worth the hassle of going through the airport anyway.
The shutdown comes at a sensitive time for Dubai. The city-state is facing a slump in tourism - which accounts for nearly a fifth of the local economy - while fending off negative publicity caused by more than $80 billion in debt it is struggling to repay....
Complain to the billion-dollars-in-bonuses bankers, not me.
And who is feeling sorry for profit-gouging oil men anyway?
Actually, it is the PERFECT METAPHOR, isn't it?
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Elevator not coming down!!!
"Elevator trouble shuts Dubai tower; 15 people stuck one month after showpiece opens" by Adam Schreck, Associated Press | February 10, 2010
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Visitors on the observation deck of the world’s tallest tower heard a loud boom, then saw dust that looked like smoke seeping through a crack in an elevator door 124 floors above the ground.
TERRORISTS!!!!!
The 15 people inside were trapped for 45 frightening minutes until rescuers managed to pry open the doors.
Because the elevator was stuck between floors, rescuers dropped a ladder into the shaft so those inside could crawl out. On the observation deck, about 60 more people were stranded.
Sounds more like the Towering Inferno.
Shortly after the drama unfolded on Saturday evening, the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa that was supposed to be one of Dubai’s proudest achievements was shut down to the public, just a month after its opening.
And why wasn't this given more prominence in the preceding day's piece? WTF, readers?
My paper is telling me the whole truth everyday? I think not!!!
It was the latest embarrassment for the once-booming Gulf city-state that is now mired in a financial crisis.
Witnesses who were on the 124th-floor observation deck at the time and a Dubai rescue official recounted the chain of events that led up to the shutdown in interviews....
I wouldn't want to go that high even inside.
Keep my feet (and head) on the ground, thank you.
The incident was the latest to tarnish the international reputation of Dubai, one of seven small sheikdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates.
In recent years, Dubai boomed on borrowed wealth that went into extravagant real estate projects such as islands shaped like palm trees and rows of striking new skyscrapers.
Never a good move; that money is gone.
Then the financial crisis hit and real estate prices plunged. The government and many state-run companies struggled to pay their bills. Abu Dhabi, Dubai’s oil-rich neighbor, provided $20 billion in bailout funds to rescue Dubai....
I feel sorry for them, don't you, out-of-work and foreclosed-upon Americans.
The tower’s 57 elevators are supplied by Farmington, Conn.-based Otis Elevator Co., part of United Technologies Corp. Otis spokesman Dilip Rangnekar said the installation is ongoing. He declined to comment, however, on Saturday’s malfunction, saying it was up to owner Emaar to release details.
Oh, no, the elevators were manufactured in AmeriKa?!!
Even when we make something in this country it's crap!!!!
So who stuffed their pockets with contract loot, huh?
Because of its immense height, the Burj will have separate sections on levels 43, 76, and 123 known as “sky lobbies’’ where tenants will change from express elevators to local ones that stop on each floor.
Yeah, if they ever get any tenants.
Visitors to the observation deck use dedicated elevators that whisk them from the base to the 124th viewing floor in about a minute.
The tower was designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which engineered Chicago’s Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower.
Then why do they do such a s***ty job on this one?
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Not everyone feeling so glum, huh?
Or is that just a poor investment at this time?
