In Dubai the Burj Tower is still under construction but in July 2007 it already became the world’s tallest building and it currently stands at more than 600m. Including its steel spire it could one day reach 810m, when complete, the 160 story high rise is expected to have 4 million sq/m of floor space and will house a hotel, shops, offices and apartments. To enable the tower to stand firm in the desert sand it was built on around 300 piles, driven into the ground to a depth of up to 55m. The facade of the Dubai-based Burj Tower is decorated with stainless steel from Germany. ThyssenKrupp Nirosta produced the material and rolled it at its Dillenburg plant. German partner company Strukturmetall processed it and supplied it to Dubai in a total quantity of 400tns. There it was cut into strips. The 420mm wide strips are fitted on the faces of the story platforms and frame the huge glass windows in the building’s skin. Parts of the tower are currently still being clad with the stainless steel. In selecting the material to frame the window front the engineers and designers were guided not only by stainless steel’s architectural beauty and resistance to environmental influences, but they also took care to ensure that the material would not reflect the sun too strongly and distract pilots approaching Dubai Airport.
