Burj Dubai Favelle Favcos break records
24 July 2007Three Favelle Favco cranes, on top of the Burj Dubai, soared into the record books today as the tower overtook the Taipei 101 tower, in the race to be the world’s tallest building.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill announced today that the construction of the Burj Dubai has reached the 141st floor level at 1,680ft (512.1m), surpassing the height of Taipei 101, which was previously the world's tallest building at 1,667ft (508m). The height of the Burj Dubai, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will continue to climb as construction continues to the 160th top floor and beyond with its architectural spire. The construction is expected to top out before the end of the year.
There are on three Favelle Favcos on the building, a 380D, a 440D, and a 760D. The largest of these, the 760D, can lift a maximum of 64t and lift 12t at 60m radius. It can hoist at a speed of 160m/min. These are the same type of cranes that are currently building the Shanghai World Financial Centre in China and were also used to build the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the world's tallest hotel, as well as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. While the benefit of speed and power makes them a popular choice on skyscrapers, the downside of diesel-hydraulics is that the diesel has to be lifted all the way up there for refuelling and engine maintenance is required at height.
George Efstathiou, managing partner for the project, said that he frequently refers to two other SOM-designed icons when describing the eventual height of the tower. "Height numbers in feet and meters don't mean much to most people, but when I tell them to imagine the John Hancock Building stacked on top of the Sears Tower I usually get a jaw-dropping response. It's an approximation, but it gives a real idea of the actual scale of the project. The Burj Dubai won't be the tallest building in the world by a few meters: it's going to be well above all the previous records."
Favelle Favco cranes on the Burj tower, in a photo taken earlier this year. The Burj tower The Burj Dubai in February The Burj February The Burj Dubai, earlier this year Burj The Favelle Favcos on the Burj Dubai in June Burj, from Brian McMorrow
