Burj Khalifa is finally finished. To the adorning crowd 828m below, they must looked like ants while it stands tall & mightily peeping towards Oman. The western world was watching Dubai in cynical anticipation after it was known that the Sovereign state needed extra funding from its neighbour Abu Dhabi to lubricate its development projects. Regardless, is a still a testament that the Emirate is capable of weathering the global financial crisis even though a boost was needed. It is therefore apt that a mass text was rife among the locals during the opening ceremony stating that, the new Burj Khalifa is the biggest & tallest middle finger to the West. Take that you ignorant slime! Thank you very much.
No expense was spared to make this dream a reality. I wonder whether Adrian Smith or Marshall Strabala was giggling like school children during the initial budget meeting for the project. It must have gone something like this:
'What sort of budget do you envisaged this will be?' asked by the SOM architects. Looking at the Emaar directors, 'We don't have a budget. Just make sure it is built. And remember, once you have determined the price, we do not appreciate if you go over it!' Not happy with the answer given, the architects ask again, 'It is going to be ridiculously expensive to make a structure like this. Not to speculate but I think it will be in the region of $800 million'. Emaar directors looked amongst themselves and said, 'OK! Our whole project is $20 billion. So, will $1.5 billion budget be sufficed?' while looking deadpan. Architects stunned. Meeting ends.
While last minute finishing is done before the official moving in date in March 2010, the owners of Burj Khalifa must certainly be proud while praying at the highest mosque in the world (158th floor) and 'gesturing' us at the same time.
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