Saturday, November 21, 2009

November 11, 2009 16:18 PM

Burj Dubai's High-altitude Cranes Dismantled As Opening Date Nears

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, is nearing completion, following the dismantling of the last high-altitude crane used in its construction.

In preparation for its Jan 4, 2010, opening, the Burj Dubai construction team is now concentrating on the interiors and landscaping.

They completed the tower's external cladding recently, according to a statement from Emaar Properties which is developing the mixed-use tower at the centre of the Downtown Burj Dubai mega project.

Three huge tower cranes were used in moving construction materials up to Level 156 of Burj Dubai.

In all, the cranes lifted over 63,300 tonnes of steel reinforcement, and were operational for a total of 45,000 man-hours.

A team of 35 skilled technicians manned the cranes, a critical component of the 11,000-strong workforce devoted to the construction of the skyscraper.

Emaar said the operators of the cranes worked at dizzying heights of more than 700 metres, almost double the height of the Empire State Building.

-- BERNAMA

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