by Jbs010809 d3 — January 11, 2010—The world’s tallest tower was officially opened January 4 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in a lavish ceremony orchestrated by Prisme International. Burj Khalifa, previously known as Burj Dubai, was renamed this week after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE, who gave Dubai 6.13 billion last month to help it pay off its debts, according to the BBC.
The ceremony began by illuminating the tower with a 72,000-watt light projector. Then a display of water fountains and fireworks illustrated the rare Hymenocalis desert flower, which was the architect’s inspiration for the design of the tower. A lighting presentation replicating a beating heart highlighted the construction phase, ending with 320 space canon projectors reaching 10 kilometers into the sky to outline the tower. The finale was a fireworks show.
Emaar Properties, the developer of Burj Khalifa, unveiled a new Web site days before the opening ceremony due to increasing international interest in the project. The interactive portal provides an in-depth introduction to the tower’s construction as well as life, work and leisure inside the structure, which includes exclusive residences and offices. It also covers the surrounding community of Downtown Burj Khalifa, a 500-acre project that includes the world’s largest shopping mall.
At over 800 meters (2,625 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa takes its place as the world’s tallest building and the world’s tallest man-made structure. The building also holds such world records as: the highest number of stories, the highest occupied floor, the highest outdoor observation deck, the tallest service elevator, and the elevator with the longest travel distance.
