The world's tallest building is now open in Dubai. Christopher Corbett takes you up to the 124th floor.
The photos shown here were taken on the days following the January 4th opening of the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai). I went up to the 124th floor observation level two days later on January 6th. Tickets need to be bought ahead (usually one day in advance), costing 100 Dirhams (US $27) each, though instant gratification without reservations can be had for 210 Dirhams. As it turned out, my reserved day, January 6th turned out to be a much better day for viewing than the other opening days, as it was clear with good visibility (the air in Dubai is often hazy and dusty).
Christopher Corbett is Senior Master Planner and Acting Head of Master Planning for AECOM's Dubai office. This is the fourth time he's worked in the Middle East. He was previously with the Planning Department in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in Doha-Qatar 1995-1998; then with CH2M-Hill in Dubai 1998-2000; and then with GHD (an Australian engineering consultancy) in Doha-Qatar during 2002-2003. During 2005-06, he worked for CDM in Louisiana on FEMA-sponsored post-Katrina community recovery planning and during 2007 for same in Greensburg-KS following destruction of the town by a May 2007 tornado. He has a Master's of Urban Planning from the Univ. of Washington in Seattle. His current USA home is San Francisco.
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