High time as Dubai deck on duty again
April 5, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
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The observation deck of the world's tallest skyscraper reopened yesterday in Dubai, two months after a lift malfunction that left visitors trapped more than 120 stories above ground forced it to close.
Dozens of tourists were lining up yesterday for tickets to take an elevator to the 124th floor of the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa, where the observation deck is located.
The deck was shut in February after an elevator packed with visitors got stuck between floors for 45 minutes before rescuers dropped a ladder into the shaft so those inside could crawl out.
Two months later, it's still unclear what caused the elevator to fail.
The breakdown proved a major embarrassment for Dubai, whose government hoped the Burj Khalifa, which officially opened in January, would be a major tourist draw and buoy the Gulf city-state as it struggles to revive its image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.
Outdoor terrace
At 828 meters, the tapering, silvery tower ranks as not only the world's highest skyscraper, but also the tallest freestanding structure.
Its developer, Emaar Properties, has not officially announced the observation deck's reopening.
The Burj Khalifa tower rises more than 160 stories, though the exact number of floors is not known.
The observation deck is mostly enclosed, but includes an outdoor terrace bordered by guard rails and is about two-thirds of the way up.
Two elevators, with up to 15 people each, whisk people up to the observation deck daily, running every half hour from 10am to 9pm.
Most visitors who paid the 100 dirhams (US$27) for a 3-minute ride to the observation deck, which boasts a view of Dubai's skyline, the desert and the emirate's Gulf shore, either didn't know about February's elevator malfunction or did not mind the ride's bumpy start.
"We feel fortunate to have gone up," Sheetal Gulati, a tourist from the United Kingdom on a three-day trip to Dubai, said yesterday.
"The view is very nice and worth seeing."
Burj Khalifa was designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which has a long track record engineering some of the world's tallest buildings.
Dozens of tourists were lining up yesterday for tickets to take an elevator to the 124th floor of the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa, where the observation deck is located.
The deck was shut in February after an elevator packed with visitors got stuck between floors for 45 minutes before rescuers dropped a ladder into the shaft so those inside could crawl out.
Two months later, it's still unclear what caused the elevator to fail.
The breakdown proved a major embarrassment for Dubai, whose government hoped the Burj Khalifa, which officially opened in January, would be a major tourist draw and buoy the Gulf city-state as it struggles to revive its image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.
Outdoor terrace
At 828 meters, the tapering, silvery tower ranks as not only the world's highest skyscraper, but also the tallest freestanding structure.
Its developer, Emaar Properties, has not officially announced the observation deck's reopening.
The Burj Khalifa tower rises more than 160 stories, though the exact number of floors is not known.
The observation deck is mostly enclosed, but includes an outdoor terrace bordered by guard rails and is about two-thirds of the way up.
Two elevators, with up to 15 people each, whisk people up to the observation deck daily, running every half hour from 10am to 9pm.
Most visitors who paid the 100 dirhams (US$27) for a 3-minute ride to the observation deck, which boasts a view of Dubai's skyline, the desert and the emirate's Gulf shore, either didn't know about February's elevator malfunction or did not mind the ride's bumpy start.
"We feel fortunate to have gone up," Sheetal Gulati, a tourist from the United Kingdom on a three-day trip to Dubai, said yesterday.
"The view is very nice and worth seeing."
Burj Khalifa was designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which has a long track record engineering some of the world's tallest buildings.
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