PROM/007

ICMR Center for Management Research

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a

Monument to Hubris?
This case was written by V. Namratha Prasad, under the direction of S. S. George, ICMR Center for Management Research
(ICMR). It was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to
illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation.

2010, ICMR. All rights reserved.

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PROM/007

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic

Strength or a Monument to Hubris?
This is a symbol of the economic momentum that Dubai had and an ironic reminder of its
property bubble.1
- Saud Masud, a Dubai-based analyst at global financial services company, UBS AG,
speaking about the Burj Dubai, in 2010.
We get one chance in a lifetime to deliver a world-class project such as the Burj Dubai. Our
main objective is to ensure that the very best in engineering, architecture, interiors, finishes, and
infrastructure support are employed in the making of this iconic building, which is the pride of
Dubai.2
- Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties PJSC, in 2008.
While Cairo has the original pyramids, Dubai is the epicenter for the new-age ones, the ones
that are blurring the lines between architectural fantasy and reality. And nothing symbolizes this
quantum leap from impossible to probable better than the worlds largest building, the Burj
Dubai.3
- Jeremy Lissek, a columnist, in 2008.

INTRODUCTION
On January 4, 2010, Dubai inaugurated the worlds tallest building, after renaming it as Burj
Khalifa in honor of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan -- who had ruled Abu Dhabi since 2004
and was also President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (See Exhibit I for a picture of the
Burj Khalifa). The building, which till then, had been called Burj Dubai, was renamed after Dubai
received a US$ 10 billion lifeline from Abu Dhabi to deal with the financial crisis that it was
facing.
Mohammed Ali Alabbar (Alabbar), Chairman of Emaar Properties PJSC (Emaar), a Dubai-based
company responsible for constructing the tower, said that the height of the building was 828
meters (2,717 feet). The tower was the tallest building in the world, as it exceeded all the criteria
listed by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)4 in ranking the height of
buildings. The criteria included the height to architectural top of the building, height to highest
occupied floor, and height to tip of spire/antenna.

3
4

Zainab Fattah and Ayesha Daya, Dubai Towers Name Reflects U.A.E. Shift, www.businessweek.com,
January 5, 2010.
Emaar Increases Height of Burj Dubai; Completion in September 2009, www.albawaba.com, June 18,
2008.
Big Ambition, www.hauteliving.com, September 4, 2008.
CTBUH, founded in 1969, is an international body that catalogs the worlds tallest structures. It is a nonprofit organization that publishes newsletters, journals, guidebooks, reference manuals, etc.
1

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

The Burj Dubai project was conceptualized in 2004 by the Dubai government and Emaar. By
building the worlds tallest tower, Dubai wanted to draw the attention of the world to itself and
consolidate its position as a major business and tourist hub in the Middle East. In 2003, after an
international design competition, the responsibility for designing the tower was assigned to
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) (See Exhibit II for more about SOM).
SOM designed a supertall structure that could withstand the unique climatic conditions of Dubai,
including extreme temperatures, sandstorms, and high winds. The Y-shaped structure made of
reinforced concrete used a structural system called the buttressed core system that ensured its
stability while allowing for a greater height and the ability to withstand moderate earthquakes.
Emaar said the tower would have a hotel in the lower floors, and then residential units, with the top
floors to be used for business purposes. In 2004, the construction contract for the tower was
entrusted to a joint venture (JV) between Samsung Engineering & Construction (Samsung), a
Belgian firm called Belhasa Six Construct LLC (BESIX), and a local firm, Arabtec Construction
LLC (Arabtec) (See Exhibit III for more information on the three companies).
The project commenced in September 2004 and was expected to be completed by December 2008.
Construction went smoothly in the initial stages, with one floor being constructed every three days.
However, labor unrest, bankruptcy of the company making the towers outer cladding, and some
design changes to increase the height of the tower, caused a delay in the project.
In 2008, the global recession cast its shadow on the real estate market in Dubai. The fall in demand
for property caused real estate prices in the tower to fall by almost 50-60%. Emaar incurred losses
and also stalled several of its other construction projects. It kept postponing the inauguration of the
tower, citing unfinished interior work as the reason. Finally, it announced that it would inaugurate
the tower in January 2010. Some analysts felt that the inauguration of the tower would provide
some positive press coverage for Dubai and also help its real estate market recover to some extent.
In marked contrast to this, there were other analysts who felt that there would be insufficient
demand for commercial and residential space in the tower. Saud Masud, a Dubai-based analyst at
global financial services company UBS AG, said, [the Burj Khalifa] is the most expensive
square footage in the region and Im not sure in the current downturn that will translate into strong
residential or commercial demand, despite the prestige factor.5

THE RATIONALE FOR THE PROJECT

In 1971, Dubai joined Abu Dhabi and four other Persian Gulf states Sharjah, Ajman, Umm alQuwain, and Fujaira to form the UAE. Ras al-Khimah too soon joined the group. Over the
years, the UAE became a prosperous state on the back of oil revenues and also due to the fact that
it was situated on one of the main waterways of the Middle East.
However, Dubais continued prosperity was in doubt due to the fact that its oil reserves were
limited. It, therefore, went all out to project itself as an economic destination and as a safe haven
for business in a volatile region. In 1985, it established the Jebel Ali Free Zone, an economic
zone which offered business and tax incentives, in addition to a variety of products and services
like business centers, ready to use offices, warehouses, factories, and infrastructure ready plots.
Over time, the economic zone attracted several businesses, becoming a significant source of
revenue for Dubai.

Zainab Fattah and Ayesha Daya, Dubai Towers Name Reflects U.A.E. Shift, www.businessweek.com,
January 5, 2010.
2

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Dubai also sought to project itself as a tourist destination, building parks, zoos, museums, art
centers, libraries, malls, recreational arenas, and sports stadiums. In addition, it began hosting
several major international sporting events, encouraged the construction of world class hotels,
spruced up its beaches, and organized events like the Dubai Shopping Festival. All these
measures ensured that Dubai gradually became one of the worlds top tourist destinations.
The growth of Dubai as a business and tourist destination resulted in a real estate boom, with the
number of office buildings, residential buildings, hotel rooms, shopping malls, and entertainment
centers growing rapidly. Construction companies designed and built several architecturally unique
buildings in the emirate, some of which became tourist attractions in their own right (See Exhibit
IV to learn more about some of these projects). By 2003, real estate and construction accounted
for 22.6% of Dubais GDP, while oil accounted for only 6%.6
The idea for the skyscraper was conceived in 2003, at the peak of the real estate boom in Dubai.
The project planners wanted to build a tower that would be the tallest in the world and draw the
attention of the world to Dubai. Jacqui Josephson, a tourism and VIP Delegations Executive at
Nakheel Properties (Nakheel),7 said, He [Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum] wanted to
put Dubai on the map with something really sensational.8
The project planners sought to project the tower as an emblem of Dubais building prowess,
financial strength, and global ambitions. It was also expected to reinforce Dubais status as a
financial and tourist hub in the Middle East and bring in additional foreign investment and
business. Talking about the fascination for tall buildings, Greg Sang (Sang), Projects Director of
Emaar, said, The height says something about the strength of the economy. In the 1900s when
skyscrapers were first built in the United States, it wanted to show industrial might. Then in the
1980s to the 1990s, when Asian economies took off, there were structures like the Petronas
Towers in Malaysia and Taipei 101 in Taiwan. Now it is the Middle East where the growth rates
are in double digits.9

THE DESIGN OF THE BURJ DUBAI

Emaar, founded in 1997, was one of the largest real estate companies in the world as of 2009 and
the Middle Easts largest home builder by market capitalization. The company was 31.88% owned
by the Dubai government and also had foreign investors. Alabbar was also a member of the Dubai
Executive Council, the government body responsible for executing all growth initiatives in Dubai.
Over the years, Emaar had completed several important real estate projects, including the Dubai
Marina and Arabian Ranches. Apart from Dubai and other places in the UAE, the company had
projects in places like Saudi Arabia, India, etc. It had acquired John Laing Homes (JL Homes),
Americas second largest privately held home builder, and Hamptons International, UKs premier
realtor. Moreover, to boost its project execution capabilities, it had a JV with US-based Turner
Construction Companys10 subsidiary, Turner International.

6
7

8
9
10

Prospects of Dubai Economic Sectors, www.dcci.gov.ae, 2003.

Nakheel, founded in 2000, is the property arm of Dubai World an investment company that manages the
various business interests of the Dubai government. It is responsible for several projects, including
Dubais archipelagos like Palm Islands, the Dubai Waterfront, The World, and The Universe Islands.
Burj Dubai, http://mightyinteresting.com, January 16, 2009.
Mahmood Saberi, Burj Dubai Is the Height of Success, http://gulfnews.com, April 19, 2008.
Turner Construction Company is a subsidiary of German construction company, Hochtief AG. It is a
construction management company that offers services like general contracting, consulting, construction
procurement, insurance, and risk management
3

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

In 2003, Emaar organized a limited design competition among five prominent international
architectural firms to design the Burj Dubai. The company then selected the design submitted by
Adrian Smith (Smith)11, an architect at SOM. SOM said that the design was inspired by a 73storey tower called the Tower Palace Three12, which it had earlier constructed in Seoul, South
Korea. Marshall Strabala (Strabala), who worked as Associate Partner and Lead Designer for
SOM, said, The structural system and philosophy of how the Burj works is based on that [Tower
Palace Three], it was adapted and changed for the new program of the Burj.13
SOM created a 90-member team for the detailed design of the Burj Dubai. The height of the tower
in the original design was only marginally more than the Taipei 10114 tower in Taiwan, which in
2004, was the worlds tallest tower. However, over a period of time, the design was modified to
make the tower taller.
The Burj Dubai had three wings forming a Y-shaped floor plan (See Exhibit V for the floor plan
of Burj Dubai and some other supertall structures). Sources quoting Smith said this three-lobed
cross-section was inspired by the Hymenocallis, a desert flower native to the region.
The designers used a new structural system which they called a buttressed core system, with a
central core flanked by the three wings, for the building. This was done as SOM realized that there
were limitations on the height that could be achieved with the rectangular plan, commonly used for
multi-storey residential buildings, with two rows of apartments with windows, and a corridor
running down the middle. Bill Baker (Baker), Structural Engineering Partner, SOM, said, When
we analyzed those types of buildings, we found they were very strong in the long direction and not
so strong in the short direction. So essentially, this building has three of those arranged in a Yshape, so one wing buttresses the other two wings. In the very center, theres a hexagonal concrete
core that encloses all the elevators, and acts as a giant axle.15
SOM added that the buttressed core system ensured the stability of the structure, helped distribute
the weight of the tower evenly, and also provided it the strength to resist moderate earthquakes.
The core also kept the wings firmly anchored, so that they did not sway in the wind a
particularly serious issue in all supertall structures. Baker said that the buttressed core system also
enabled the height of the building to be increased at any stage during construction.
The reinforced concrete hexagonal core gradually narrowed as it rose and tapered off with a steel
spire. The designers decided to use concrete for the building not only for its robustness but also for
its superior ability, in comparison to steel, to withstand fire. This aspect was considered crucial,
since the twin towers of the World Trade Center had collapsed in the 9/11 attacks, as their steel
framework had buckled due to the heat from fires set off by the airliner crashes.
One of the biggest challenges that the designers faced was dealing with the powerful winds at that
height. SOM used a series of design models and wind tunnel tests to ensure that the structure did
not sway significantly and that it also had the capacity to tolerate high wind loads. In order to
reduce the wind shear, SOM altered the shape and width of the floors. In order to reduce the stress
from prevailing winds, the engineers rotated the building by 120 degrees from its original layout.
The top stories of the structure had a wind sway of 1.2 meter or 3.9 feet.
11

12

13
14

15

Adrian Smith was the key architect of the Burj Dubai and was an employee of SOM until 2006. He
designed several tall skyscrapers including Shanghais 1,378-foot Jin Mao tower, the worlds fourth
tallest.
Tower Palace Three, constructed in 2004 by SOM, is the tallest building in South Korea and the fourth
tallest all-residential building in the world. Its shape is formed by three oval lobes joined together. It has
73 floors and is 264 meters (866 feet) high.
Tom Arnold, Architect Reveals Burj Dubai Height, www.arabianbusiness.com, December 3, 2008.
Taipei 101 is a skyscraper in Taiwan, which on its completion in 2004, became the worlds tallest
skyscraper. It is 509.2 meters or 1,670 feet tall and has 101 floors above ground and five floors
underground.
Katie Puckett, Burj Dubai: Top of the world, www.building.co.uk, October 3, 2008.
4

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

The Burj Dubai had 24 setbacks16 that reached upwards in a spiraling helical pattern, making the
structure gradually slimmer as it rose. The setbacks not only served as a crucial defense against
the wind, but also served to minimize other forces that could destabilize the building. Baker said,
Its like a childs swingset. If the child is kicking their feet at the natural harmonics of the swing,
they can go very high. On this building, theres 24 major setbacks so its like having a child with
24 different feet. Each foot is kicking a little bit different so it doesnt get going too much.17
The Burj Dubai was completely curved with no right angles on the outer perimeter and virtually no
horizontal ledges. This ensured that sand and dust from the sandstorms that were a regular feature
of Dubais environment, did not settle on the tower. Smith said, I wanted to use only vertical
elements here because the fine dust in Dubais air will build up on any horizontal projecting
elements of the wall.18
The outer design of the tower was said to be derived from patterns embodied in Islamic
architecture and bore a resemblance to the onion-shaped domes typically found in Islamic
constructions. Talking about other Islamic influences, Smith said, The base of the building will be
very dense with a stainless steel latticework, which will have characteristics similar to the
traditional mashrabiyya screens used in Islamic architecture. The base of Burj Dubai will be
heavily screened on the first three or four levels to give it a dense metallic texture.19
The concrete tower was to be clad with reflective glazing, aluminum, and textured stainless steel
spandrel20 panels and vertical stainless steel tubular fins. SOM Associate Director, Nada Andric,
added, The client was very interested in simplicity, so we developed a color and materials palette
that was reduced to a very few materials, inspired by the fine sand and the pearls that have been
harvested in the region for centuries.21 The high performance exterior cladding was designed to
withstand the extreme summer temperatures in Dubai, and the high wind pressures acting on the
structure, in addition to ensuring optimum energy utilization in the tower.
In January 2005, SOM was also awarded the contract for the Burj Dubais interior design (lobbies
and other public areas) and the landscaping around the towers foot.

OTHER PROJECT FEATURES

The Burj Dubai was to be the centerpiece of Downtown Burj Dubai; an urban project spread over
two square kilometers. Downtown Burj Dubai, included the Dubai Mall (to be the largest
shopping mall in the world), nine hotels, 19 residential towers, 30,000 homes, an entertainment
complex, 6.2 acres of parkland, and a 30-acre manmade lake, with one of the biggest fountains in
the world.

16

17
18
19
20

21

A setback is a step-like recession in a structure. A setback in a tall building is achieved by reducing the
footprint of the levels in the building as it rises toward the sky.
Katie Puckett, Burj Dubai: Top of the world, www.building.co.uk, October 3, 2008.
Interview with Adrian Smith, https://community.emporis.com, November 2003.
Interview with Adrian Smith, https://community.emporis.com, November 2003.
In a multi-storey building, the term spandrel refers to the space between the top of the window in one
story and the sill of the window in the story above
Katie Puckett, Burj Dubai: Top of the world, www.building.co.uk, October 3, 2008.
5

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

According to the original construction plan, the lower floors of the Burj Dubai were allocated for
The Armani Hotel Dubai22 -- a super luxury hotel, designed by renowned international designer
Giorgio Armani (Armani)23. The upper floors were to be residential apartments; with 144 of them
to be Armani Residences designed by Armani. The residents of these would have access to the
amenities offered by the hotel including concierge, 24-hour room service, and housekeeping.
However, at a later stage in the project, Emaar decided to earmark the topmost floors of the tower
for corporate offices and suites, while the middle floors were allocated for residential units.
Strabala said, The design of the Burj was primarily a residential building. We changed the top to
office very late in the game. With a hotel at the bottom, it was primarily super high-end luxury and
I think [Emaar chairman] Mohamed Ali Alabbar had a terrific business model for doing it as his
whole development is around the Burj this was an element that marked this part of the city.24
Over a period of time, more details about the Burj Dubai Tower began to emerge. The tower was
to have around 200 floors, out of which about 160 would be habitable and the remaining floors
earmarked for services. The first 37 floors were to be occupied by The Armani Hotel Dubai with
175 guest rooms and suites. The next 68 floors would have about 1,000 residential units, and the
topmost floors, more than 220,000 square feet of prime business space. Around 35,000 people
were expected to live, work, and stay in the apartments, offices, and the hotel.
In addition, the tower was to have four swimming pools, including an outdoor swimming pool on
the 78th floor, a cigar club, a library, several spas, an observation platform on the 124th floor
(providing visibility of up to 50 miles), an exclusive residents lounge, a 15,000-square-foot fitness
area, four steel-framed communications floors at the top, and 3,000 parking spots on four levels
(See Exhibit VI for more about the Burj Dubai).
Though details about the security systems in the tower were not released, it was stated that the
tower was highly compartmentalized, with pressurized air-conditioned refuge floors provided for
every 25 floors, where people could shelter during their long walk down to safety during an
emergency. SOM said that the most complex design challenge was the task of encasing all the
services, systems, and elevators within the buttressed core. Baker said, Its a Swiss watch. We did
a tremendous amount of detailed drawings on where the penetrations in the core could be. Things
werent left to chance.25
SOM reduced the number of lift shafts with a system of high-speed and local elevators, with sky
lobbies along the way. The tower had more than 50 elevators and they travelled at a speed of
18m/sec (64km/hr). The double decker elevators (with two elevator cars that were attached one on
top of the other) had the capacity to carry 42 people at a time. Apart from having a system to
control pressure in the elevators, the building also had a system to control pressure in the upper
floors.
The project was also extensively peer reviewed by experts in tall building design, who checked its
geotechnical engineering, wind engineering, and structural engineering aspects.

22

23

24
25

Armani Hotel Dubai is the worlds first hotel to be opened by Armani Hotels & Resorts, a partnership
between Emaar and Armani. As of 2009, Armani Hotels & Resorts had plans to open 10 to 15 hotels in
several cities across the world including, Milan, New York, and Shanghai.
Armani is widely acclaimed as the most successful designer to originate from Italy. He co-founded
Giorgio Armani S.P.A., a fashion house that designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails haute couture,
ready-to-wear, leather goods, etc.
Architect Reveals Burj Dubai Height, www.thedubailife.com, December 3, 2008.
Katie Puckett, Burj Dubai: Top of the world, www.building.co.uk, October 3, 2008.
6

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

THE ECONOMIC DETAILS

Emaar announced that the total budget for the Burj Dubai was US$ 4.1 billion26, while the budget
for Downtown Burj Dubai was US$ 20 billion.27 George Efstathiou (Efstathiou), Managing Partner
of SOM, said, Ive seen a lot of clients dreaming of building a supertall. Not many come to
fruition, because you really have to know what youre doing. You have to have the financial
wherewithal. You have to have the guts. The recipe is very complex. Everything has to be in place.
Otherwise its all talk.28
Similarly, Sang said that economic factors rather than technical ones tended to place limitations on
building height. He said, Theres no limit. Anythings possible. You can design anything. Its not
a technical question, but an economical one.29 He also said that tall buildings were efficient, as a
dense population concentrated in one place meant lower per capita energy consumption, and also
ensured that all amenities were available in the immediate vicinity, eliminating the need for long
drives to go shopping.
Other experts like Ron Klemencic, Chairman of CTBUH, thought that tall buildings were not
economically viable. He said, Around 70 to 80 stories, the amount of shaft space consumed by
the elevators is so great that the economic equation for the building begins to fall apart. Beyond
70-80 floors, prestige is the driving factor.30
However, Emaar and SOM disagreed with this view. At an early stage in the project, Smith said,
We do believe that we have a project here that can be justified economically. The building will
offer terrific condominium units of the highest standard with incredible views at a very high
efficiency ratio of net to gross area. The combination of residential and hotel uses makes this a
viable project economically. It happens to be a very efficient and cost-effective structure because
its all concrete. Concrete is the least expensive and most rigid material for tall buildings.31

CONSTRUCTION
In early 2004, bids were invited from major global contractors for constructing the Burj Dubai
Tower. The US$ 871 million contract was finally awarded to a JV formed by Samsung, BESIX,
and Arabtec. The JV reportedly won the contract based on their prior technical expertise in the
construction of high rise buildings, even though their bid had not been the lowest.
The contract financing for the Burj Dubai was provided by three UAE banks -- Emirates Bank
International, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, and Mashreqbank. The syndicated facility was to be
shared equally by the three banks, with Mashreqbank acting as the Facility Agent and Security
Agent.
The Burj Dubai project was scheduled to be completed in four years, and construction began on
September 21, 2004, with excavations for the foundation, through sand and brackish water. The
sandy soil posed a few challenges and required a large foundation which weighed around 110,000
tons and rested on nearly two hundred 164 meter deep piles.

26
27

28
29
30

31

http://www.burjofdubai.com/costs-funding-and-financing-of-the-burj-dubai/
Many sources mentioned that the cost of construction for the Burj Dubai was US$ 4.1 billion. However at
the time of the towers inauguration in January 2010, Alabbar said that the cost of the tower was US$ 1.5
billion.
Big Ambition, www.hauteliving.com, September 4, 2008.
Mahmood Saberi, Burj Dubai Is the Height of Success, http://gulfnews.com, April 19, 2008.
Linda Crites, The Rise of the Few: Key Ingredients for the Worlds Tallest Skyscrapers,
www.archnewsnow.com, September 27, 2005.
Interview with Adrian Smith, https://community.emporis.com, November 2003.
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The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

A very strong, high density concrete made up of Portland cement combined with silica fume, fly
ash, and ground granulated slag was used for the building. Each batch of concrete was tested for
strength and consistency; otherwise it tended to develop cracks, which could affect the stability of
the structure. The concrete core was cast first, and after a few floors were completed, the wing
walls and their slabs were cast. The project used the services of several sub-contractors (See
Exhibit VII to learn more about the sub-contractors for the project).
The designers and builders had to overcome several challenges, while constructing the tower.
Dubais high temperatures proved to be challenge while the concrete was being transported during
construction, as it tended to set faster. Therefore, the concrete was mixed with ice, and pumped
during the night when it was comparatively cooler. The contractors had to use high performance
concrete pumps to raise the concrete to the required heights.
The tower also had the worlds fastest high-capacity construction hoists, with speeds of up to
2m/sec, to transport men and materials. In addition, the height of the tower made communication a
tricky issue, with construction crews facing problems like communication delays or no reception
on their walkie-talkies when they went past 30 floors.
In the initial stages of the project, the building rose at the rate of about one floor a week. Later, the
rate of construction was accelerated to complete one floor every three days. At the height of
construction activity, 8,000 workers were employed on site, besides 300 management personnel,
supervision staff, contractors, and engineers.

DELAYS DURING CONSTRUCTION

In 2006, the project, which had till then been progressing slightly ahead of schedule, fell behind
schedule. Workers from countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, were used to construct the
towers and they complained that they were being paid very low wages. It was reported that skilled
carpenters and other craftsmen were paid US$ 7.60/day, while manual laborers were paid just US$
4/day. In March 2006, several of the workers at the site rioted -- upset over low wages and poor
treatment -- damaging property worth US$ 1 million. Due to this and other reasons, construction
work was stalled for a few days, and this resulted in delaying the project.
By November 2006, even though 80 floors had been constructed, the cladding work had not begun,
with the result that the concrete structure remained exposed to the elements. According to the
original construction schedule, cladding work was to begin in the first quarter of 2006, to keep
pace with the rise of the tower. Emaar revealed that the delay was due to the bankruptcy of the
parent company of Schmidlin LLC UAE (Schmidlin)32, which had been contracted to install the
cladding on the tower, in February 2006.
It was estimated that with only 115 weeks left for the projects completion, the cladding would not
be completed on time, even if it was done at the rate of 1.3 floors per week. Talking about the
effect of the delay on the project timeline, a Project Manager said, Normally if the building is
reaching level 70, they should have fixed the curtain walling up to level 45. They will never catch
up. The whole project looks to be delayed by a year minimum.33 The lack of cladding also meant
that interior work that required dry conditions could not be taken up.

32

Schmidlin was a part of Schmidlin Ltd. Faade Technology, a 100% subsidiary of Switzerland-based
Schmidlin Ltd. Faade. In February 2006, Schmidlin Ltd. Faade Technology went bankrupt. Schmidlin
remained solvent and was subsequently taken over by a group of local investors, including a diversified
trading group based in Dubai called Geap International.
33
Burj Dubai Is Hit by Curtain Wall Delays, www.itp.net, November 11, 2006.
8

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

In January 2007, Schmidlin was removed from the project and the contract for the cladding was
given to a new JV between Arabian Aluminium Company LLC34 and Hong Kong-based Far East
Group35. At that time, an Emaar spokesperson said that the work on the cladding would be
accelerated to keep the project on track and to ensure that the completion date remained
unchanged. Efstathiou said, Its very unusual for a tower to be this tall without cladding. But we
have a new contractor on board and they have a local partner and a scheme to get us back on
track.36
Installation of the cladding began in June 2007, with Emaar stating that the project would be
delayed by only a couple of months. The cladding panels were first loaded onto the installation
floors and then later moved into position using small cranes. About 380 engineers and technicians
were required to install a total of 24,348 cladding panels over a curtain wall area of 132,190 square
meters. Later, Alabbar said, The cladding work has involved considerable innovation vast
amounts of research and simulation have pioneered advanced materials and installation
techniques.37
Later, the original design of the structure was changed to increase the height of the tower. This
resulted in BESIX, Samsung, and Arabtec seeking a time extension to accommodate the extra
work. Ivan Bruyninckx, BESIX Deputy Project Director, said, The final height of the tower will
indicate what extra time we will be allowed to work with, because the initial program was for a
certain height and the new height is different from the initial height. So there may be an adjustment
of timing, but all of this is not clear yet. We are still hitting for substantial completion by the end
of 2008 or the early months of 2009.38

MAKING PROGRESS
Even as its construction met with delays, the tower continued breaking height related records
regularly. In February 2007, Burj Dubai overtook the Sears Tower located in Chicago, US, for
being the building with the most floors, after 100 floors were built (See Exhibit VIII for a
comparison of Burj Dubai with other prominent skyscrapers).
In July 2007, Burj Dubai became the tallest building in the world when it surpassed the Taipei 101
in height. In August 2007, it even overtook the Sears Tower antennas height of 527.3 meters or
1,730 feet. In September 2007, at 150 floors, it became the tallest freestanding structure in the
world, surpassing the 553.33 meter (1,822 feet) CN Tower located in Toronto, Canada. At that
stage, Emaar initiated the next stage of construction with the commencement of the structural steel
work for the upper floors.
In October 2007, 144 one- and two-bedroom Armani Residences were sold out within a period of
three days. Later, floors 45 through 108 with about 700 apartments were sold out in just eight
hours. According to one of Dubais largest real-estate brokers, Betterhomes, at the height of the
emirates property boom, one-bedroom apartments in the Burj Dubai were selling for between US$
1,715 and US$ 2,776 a square foot in the secondary market. In mid-2007, Hisham El Far, Chief
Executive of real estate company Coldwell Banker, said, Residential space in the tower is being
sold for Dh4,000 to Dh6,000 per square foot, while commercial space is going for Dh5,000 to
34

35

36
37
38

Arabian Aluminium Co. LLC is part of Al Ghurair Construction Industries, which in turn is a part of the
UAE-based Abdullah Al Ghurair Group. It was established in 1967 and was one of the first companies in
UAE to market design, manufacture, and install architecture aluminum and glass elements in buildings
and other structures.
The Far East Group, established in 1969, is a publicly listed company in Hong Kong. It has exterior
facade contracts in various countries including the UAE, USA, Canada, Chile, Singapore, and China.
Burj Dubai Is Hit by Curtain Wall Delays, www.arabianbusiness.com, November 11, 2006.
Burj Dubai Exterior Aluminium Cladding Completed, http://steelguru.com, October 6, 2009.
Burj Dubai Is Hit by Curtain Wall Delays, www.itp.net, November 11, 2006.
9

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Dh8,000. Prices have increased by almost 25 per cent in a couple of months and are bound to
increase as Burj achieves more remarkable feats.39 Later, Alabbar said that most of the apartments
in the Burj Dubai were sold out.
In November 2007, the construction activity at the Burj Dubai was halted for a week after Arabtec
workers went on strike over poor pay and unsatisfactory working conditions. In March 2008,
Emaar decided to redesign the interiors of the tower. At that time, the company said that the tower
was four months behind schedule and by the time the interiors were finished the project would be
delayed by another eight to nine months. The redesign was taken up because Emaar felt that the
interiors needed to look more contemporary, as the initial design had been done in 2004.
Emaar also entered into talks with prominent artists from around the world to create signature
pieces for the lobby of the building. The interiors of Burj Dubai were expected to showcase more
than 1,000 pieces of art, while the lobby was set to have artwork featuring 196 bronze and brass
alloy cymbals, representing the 196 countries of the world. In April 2008, the Burj Dubai became
the worlds tallest man-made structure when it exceeded KVLY-TVs (at North Dakota, US) mast
height of 628.8 meters or 2,063 feet.
Later, Emaars decision to install a communications center in the tower necessitated some changes
in the project, including the addition of extra floors. This resulted in the completion date of the
project being pushed from April 2009 to the end of the year. Alabbar later announced that
September 2009 was a possible and reasonable date for completion, and that the Burj Dubai
would be inaugurated at the same time as another prestigious project The Dubai Metro40.

CHANGES IN THE DUBAI REAL ESTATE MARKET

In late 2008, the world economic crisis, combined with a slump in the price of crude oil and a fall
in world trade, had an adverse impact on the real estate market in Dubai. Consequently, real estate
prices plunged, and there was a steep fall in the demand for homes and offices. Most of the real
estate companies in Dubai found themselves in financial difficulties, with late payments from
clients and other liquidity problems. This halted Dubais expansion plans and many real estate
companies began initiating cash saving moves, including laying off of staff. In addition, several
real estate projects, worth around US$ 300 billion, were either delayed or scrapped.
It was further revealed that as of 2009, Dubai had total borrowings of US$ 80 billion, and US$ 50
billion of that debt was set to become due over the next 3 years, most of it in 2011 and 2012.
Speaking about Dubai, an analyst said, This has been the most spectacular spending mission on
Earth. But its a mirage. If complex debt structures have brought the financial world to its knees,
Dubai is the worlds biggest toxic time bomb.41
In March 2009, in a bid to cover part of its looming obligations, Dubai launched a five-year US$
20 billion bond program and the UAE federal government, through the UAE Central Bank,
subscribed to the first half of it, thereby providing it with funds of US$ 10 billion. The real estate
companies in Dubai become the major beneficiaries of the funds.
The real estate situation in Dubai continued to deteriorate in 2009. According to The Colliers
International (Colliers), a property consultancy, residential property prices in Dubai fell by 48% in
2009, when compared to 2008, and were expected to further drop by 20% as more ongoing
projects were completed. JP Grobbelaar, Director of Research and Advisory at Colliers, said, One
in every four units is standing empty. Unless there is a dramatic improvement in economic
39
40

41

Burj Dubai Set to Scale New Heights in Real Estate Prices, www.zawya.com, July 25, 2007.
Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network in Dubai. A 52 km stretch of the Dubai Metro
called the Red Line was inaugurated on September 9, 2009.
Dubai Vows to Keep Building despite Global Crisis, www.thedubailife.com, November 30, 2008.
10

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

conditions, this oversupply will continue for at least the next two to three years. Speculators were
treating property like a grocer would a can of beans on the shelf, with no intention of eating it and
only wanting to hold on to it for a day or two. But they got their fingers burnt.42
However, analysts pointed out that while Dubai had shut down several construction projects, it was
still pushing some projects like the Burj Dubai and the Dubai Metro towards completion.

PROJECT COMPLETION
Emaar was also affected by the downturn in the real estate market in Dubai. In late 2008, the price
of property at Burj Dubai slumped by about 50%-60%, while prices in the surrounding Downtown
Burj Dubai fell by at least 22%.43A few of the residential units in the Burj Dubai were listed in the
secondary real estate market.
Emaar began making losses from the second half of 2008 and also described the first half of 2009
as extremely challenging. In Q2 2009, it posted a loss of US$ 350 million after it was forced to
write off US$ 470 million on JL Homes, purchased in 2006. For the same quarter in 2008, it had
posted a net profit of US$ 571 million. The company said that part of the loss was due a change in
its accounting policies brought about in April 2009. With the new policy, it booked the profits only
when a completed property was handed over to the client.
To deal with the downturn, Emaar announced that it was putting its expansion plans on hold and
planning to finish its existing projects. Alabbar said that for the most part of 2009, Emaar had been
focused on finishing its projects, especially the Burj Dubai, and strengthening its customer
relationships. Emaar also offered its customers the choice of shifting their investments from
projects that were scrapped or delayed to projects that were nearing completion. In Q3 2009,
Emaar posted a net profit of US$ 178.5 million (Dh44 655 million). Mohammed Ali Yasin, the
General Manager of securities trading firm, Shuaa Securities, said, The Dh 655m was ahead of
expectations, which, for a real estate company in Dubai, is a very good thing, especially after the
last three quarters.45
In July 2009, Emaar announced that it was postponing the opening of the Burj Dubai from
September 9, 2009, to December 2, 2009 -- the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Day -- as
there was still a lot of work to be completed both internally and externally on the tower. Some
sources also speculated that the delay was because of Emaars plans to extend the height of the
tower by another 70 m from a height of 818 m.
In a poll conducted by a large Middle Eastern business portal, Maktoob Business, a majority of
respondents said that they were disappointed that the Dubai Metro and the Burj Dubai were not
being inaugurated on the same day -- September 9, 2009. Of the respondents, 43% felt that by
launching the two on the same day, Dubai would have been able to gain more attention and
positive global press coverage, especially after a long period of constant negative publicity. Some
also felt that by sticking to its September 2009 deadline for the Burj Dubai, Dubai could have
shown the world that it stuck to its deadlines and completed its projects on time.
Analysts expected the opening of the Burj Dubai to not only boost Emaars global reputation, but
also to increase its revenues by almost US$ 1 billion after the residential units were handed over to
the owners. Most of the residential apartments in the tower had been purchased as vacation homes
or as investments by wealthy people from the Middle East, India, and Pakistan. Most owners were
42
43
44
45

Karen Attwood, Focus: A Monument to the Folly of Dubai, www.thisismoney.co.uk, October 27, 2009.
Burj Dubai Tower Sees 50% Drop in Property Prices, www.ameinfo.com, November 12, 2008.
Since 1997, the Dirham has been pegged as 1US$ = 3.6725 Dirhams.
Angela Giuffrida, Handovers Return Emaar Profits, www.thenational.ae, October 22. 2009.
11

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

expected to make their final payments and close the deals as they had already paid up a large part
of the sales price. Alabbar added that 90% of the properties in the tower had been sold prior to the
financial crisis and that Emaar had earned a return of 10% on its investment.
In October 2009, installation of the cladding on the Burj Dubai was completed. The spire atop the
tower was expected to be visible from over 90 km away. Dubai expected 10 million tourists in
2010, with the tower emerging as a major tourist attraction, offering as it did spectacular views and
interactive tours. Baker believed that the time for which the tower would remain the tallest
building in the world would be around five years the time it would take to build another tall
building. He added, I dont think theres a structural limit to how tall a building can be at least
were not there yet.46
In November 2009, Emaar again postponed the inauguration of the Burj Dubai, this time to
January 4, 2010, to coincide with the four-year anniversary of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum becoming the ruler of Dubai. However, in the same month, Dubai found itself in the
midst of a financial crisis, when Dubai World (the investment company that managed the
businesses and projects for the Dubai government) asked for a six-month delay in repaying US$ 26
billion of debt. The extent of the debt created chaos in several global financial markets, and dented
the image of Dubai as a regional powerhouse.
On December 14, 2009, in a move that surprised analysts, Abu Dhabi provided Dubai with US$ 10
billion, out of which US$ 4.1 billion was given to Dubai World to meet its immediate obligations.
However, most analysts thought it to be temporary relief as the bulk of the debt still remained to be
paid.
Emaar had expected the tower to become a much sought after residential and business address in
Dubai. However, during the five years of the towers construction, the property market of Dubai
went from being the worlds best performing to one of the worst performing markets. The tower,
which was to have been surrounded by other high rise buildings, was expected to stand alone for
quite a long time, as the funds meant for constructing these high rises were diverted into other
projects that had a better chance of being completed. Moreover, Nakheel, which had planned to
build a 3,274-foot tall building called the Al Burj in Dubai in competition to the Burj Dubai as
part of a US$ 38 billion commercial and residential project, was in severe financial straits. This
meant very little possibility of the tower being constructed.
On the occasion of the towers inauguration, Alabbar said that the cost of its construction was US$
1.5 billion.47 Analysts felt that people who had purchased the apartments as investments were
likely to be badly affected, as the Dubai real estate market continued to fall. Moreover, office
leasing was expected to be a major challenge for property investors. Roy Cherry, an analyst at
investment bank, Shuaa Capital PSC, said, Those who bought with the intention of leasing will
face a difficult time because few companies today can justify paying premiums for luxury.48
The situation in the Dubai real estate market was expected to worsen, as even after the cancellation
of several construction projects, several new buildings were expected to come into the market in
2010, thereby further pushing down property prices.

46
47
48

Burj Dubai: Top Of the World, www.propertyweek.com, October 3, 2008.

Dubai Opens Worlds Tallest Skyscraper, http://news.ph.msn.com, January 5, 2010.
Zainab Fattah and Ayesha Daya, Dubai Towers Name Reflects U.A.E. Shift, www.businessweek.com,
January 5, 2010.
12

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Exhibit I
A Picture of the Burj Khalifa

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Burj_Khalifa.jpg.

13

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Exhibit II
About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the worlds leading architecture, urban
design, engineering, and interior architecture firms. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore
and Nathaniel Owings, who were joined by John O. Merrill in 1939. The firm has offices in
Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, London, Hong Kong, and
Shanghai.
Over the decades, SOM has worked on creating some of the most important architectural
structures of the 20th century. It has completed over 10,000 projects in the US and in more than
50 countries around the world, including the Manhattan House (1950), the Lever House in New
York City (1952), John Hancock Center (1969), Chicago Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower
(1973), and Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai (1998).
Since inception, SOM has received more than 800 awards for quality and innovation. About 125
of these were received after 1998.
Compiled from various sources.

Exhibit III
About Samsung, Besix and Arabtec
Samsung Engineering & Construction (Samsung) is a part of the Samsung Group, the 14th
largest company in the world. The Group has three major subsidiaries -- Samsung Electronics,
the worlds largest electronics company, Samsung Heavy Industries, the worlds second largest
shipbuilder, and Samsung C&T, a major global construction company. Samsung was involved
in the construction of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Samsung
Tower Palace 3 in Seoul, South Korea.
Belhasa Six Construct LLC (BESIX) is a leading Belgian multi-disciplinary group of building
companies in which Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), an Egypt-based EPC (engineering,
procurement and construction) contractor has a 50% stake. BESIX has been executing
construction projects in the Middle East for over 40 years and has an outstanding reputation in
the region. BESIXs projects include the ETSALAT in Dubai, the Baynunah tower in Abu
Dhabi, the headquarters of ADMA OPCO & ADGAS in Abu Dhabi, and the Emirates Tower
Hotel in Dubai.
Arabtec Construction LLC (Arabtec), founded in 1975, is a leading construction firm in the
UAE. It has vast experience in executing major construction projects in all sectors of real estate
and infrastructure. Its projects include Burj Dubai Lake Hotel, Sky Gardens Tower at DIFC,
DIFC Gate Village, and DIFC Truck Tunnel.
Compiled from various sources.

14

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Exhibit IV
Some Major Structures in Dubai
From the late 1990s onwards, Dubai created several marvels in construction and set numerous
world records like the biggest man-made islands (the Palm Jumeirah, the World islands and the
Universal islands); the biggest shopping mall, (the Dubai Mall); the biggest indoor ski area,
(Ski Dubai); the worlds largest fountain (Dubai fountain) and the worlds tallest hotel (Rose
Tower); the worlds largest passenger and cargo hub (Dubai World Central International
Airport) and the greatest number of seven-star hotels. As of 2009, Dubailand, which was
expected to be almost twice the size of the Walt Disney World Resort, was under construction.
The top ten tallest buildings in Dubai were

No.

NAME

HEIGHT
(m/feet)

Burj Dubai

818 / 2,684

Almas Tower

363 / 1,191

Emirates Office Tower

355 / 1,163

Rose Tower

333 / 1,093

The Index

328 / 1,076

Burj Al Arab

321 / 1,053

HHHR Tower

317 / 1,040

Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel

309 / 1,014

The Address Downtown Burj Dubai

306 / 1,004

10

Ahmed Abdul Rahim Al Attar Tower

301 / 988

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org.

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The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Exhibit V
A Comparison of Burj Dubais Floor Plan with Some Other Structures

Source: www.essential-architecture.com

Exhibit VI
Information about Burj Dubai
Burj means tower in Arabic and so Burj Dubai translates to Dubai Tower. The Burj Dubai
is located on Sheikh Zayed Road at the intersection of Doha Street.
Some facts about the tower:
The peak electricity requirement for Burj Dubai is estimated to be 36mVA, comparable
to 360,000 x 100 watt light bulbs, all operating at the same time.
The tower needs 250,000 gallons of water a day, in addition to 10,000 tons of cooling
water/hour.
It is estimated that 15 million gallons of supplemental water would be collected each
year from the condensation of moisture from the humid air through air conditioning.
The water that is equivalent to 20 Olympic swimming pools is expected to be used to
irrigate the landscaped grounds around the tower.
The building service/firemans elevator has a capacity of 5,500 kg and will be the
worlds tallest service elevator.
The curtain wall of the Burj Dubai is equivalent to 17 football (soccer) fields or 25
American football fields.
The total amount of concrete used on the building is equal to the weight of about
100,000 elephants.
The total weight of aluminum used on Burj Dubai is said to be equal to that of five
double-decker A380 aircrafts.
The air temperature at the top of the tower is up to 8 degrees Celsius (14 degrees
Fahrenheit) lower than at the base.
Contd
16

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Contd
In what is called the chimney effect, if a door at the top and a door at the bottom, in
addition to the airlocks in between are opened, strong winds will rush through the airconditioned building.
Some of the other records achieved by the Burj Dubai were:
Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction) at 601 m or 1,972 ft. The
previous record-holder was the Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant that pumped
concrete up to 532 m or 1,745 ft.
Worlds highest elevator installation.
The highest residential floor will be level 109 the highest in the world.
Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building) at 601 m or 1,972 ft. The previous
record was held by Taipei 101 at 449.2 m or 1,474 ft.
Worlds fastest speed for elevators at 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s). The
previous record was held by Taipei 101 at 16.83 m/s.
The supertall building with most floors at 160. The previous record was held by both 1
& 2 World Trade Center at 110 floors.
Compiled from various sources.

Exhibit VII
Sub-Contractors for the Project
ROLE

NAME OF CONTRACTOR

Wind analysis

Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc.

Consulting engineers

Hyder Consulting Ltd.

Subcontractor

Dorma GmbH & Co. KG.

OGRO Beschlagtechnik GmbH.

Foundations

Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH.

Middle East Foundations Group LLC.

Project management

Turner Construction Co.

Software

Computer and Design Services.

Source: http://en.structurae.de.

17

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

Exhibit VIII
Comparison of Burj Dubai with Other Prominent Towers

.
Source: Stefania Bianchi, How Far up Will Dubai Tower Finally top out? http://online.wsj.com, August
19, 2009.

18

The Burj Dubai Project: A Symbol of Economic Strength or a Monument to Hubris?

References & Suggested Readings

1. Samsung to Build Tallest Building, http://news.bbc.co.uk, December 9, 2004.
2. How Dubai Manages Its Mega Projects, www.ameinfo.co, December 29, 2006.
3. Burj Dubai Takes on a Shimmering Glass Facade with Installation of Curtain Wall
Glass Panels, www.aeconline.ae, May 20, 2007.
4. Robert Ditcham, At 150 Stories, Burj Dubai Towers above All the Others,
www.blueverticalstudio.com, September 14, 2007.
5. Emaar Properties Unveils Luxury Armani Residences in Burj Dubai,
www.ameinfo.com, October 28, 2007.
6. Jessica Rowson, Burj Dubai Reaches 601m On Schedule, www.nce.co.uk, November
12, 2007.
7. Burj Dubai Set to Influence Generations of Architects, www.ameinfo.com, March 5,
2008.
8. Louise Armitstead, Dubai Vows to Keep Building despite Global Crisis,
www.telegraph.co.uk, November 29, 2008.
9. Funds on Way to Help Dubai Companies; Property Firms on Priority List,
www.estatesdubai.com, March 14, 2009.
10. Maurice Picow, Burj Tower in Dubai a Steep Investment during Tough Economic
and Environmental Times, www.greenprophet.com, March 21, 2009.
11. Chris Sleight, More Delays Rumored for Burj Dubai, www.khl.com, July 14, 2009.
12. Burj Dubai Armani Hotel Is Upbeat on Occupancy, www.uaeinteract.com, July 15,
2009.
13. Jebediah Reed, In Teetering Dubai, A New Metro and Worlds Tallest Building Are
about To Debut (Photo Tour), www.infrastructurist.com, July 28, 2009.
14. Timon Singh, Details of Burj Dubai Opening Revealed, www.menainfra.com,
September 22, 2009.
15. Nathalie Gillet, Emaar May Cancel Burj Dubai Towers, www.thenational.ae, October
18, 2009.
16. Timothy Brooks, Burj Dubai, A Pinnacle of Innovation, www.thenational.ae,
November 11. 2009.
17. Jamal Al Majaida, 3 UAE Banks to Fund Samsung for Dubai Tower,
www.theseoultimes.com, accessed on November 16, 2009.
18. Mike Caggeso, A View from the Burj: Dubais Economy Fueled by High-Powered
Government Investing, www.moneymorning.com, accessed on November 27, 2009.
19. Alasdair Soussi, Hard Times for Arab Capital of Cool, www.bdcnetwork.com,
accessed on November 27, 2009.
20. Realizing The Fantastic: Is Dubai The Worlds Development Laboratory?
www.rudi.net, accessed on November 27, 2009.
21. Jack Lyne, Tussle For Worlds-Tallest-Building Title Heating Way, Way Up,
www.siteselection.com, accessed on November 27, 2009.
22. http://skyscraperpage.com.
23. www.ctbuh.org.
24. www.burjdubai.com.
25. www.burjofdubai.com.

19