The Burj Khalifa was built as a major attraction for travelers and business people. But the timing of its opening in January has been difficult. In December, Dubai entered a major debt crisis. And in February, the Burj Khalifa closed its observation deck, reportedly because of electrical problems.
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BOB DOUGHTY: You might be wondering how the height of a building is officially measured. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is in Chicago, Illinois. The group is supported by building designers and experts connected to the operation of tall buildings. The Council helps decide on the official heights of buildings. The Council also sets rules about what defines a building. For example, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada is not included in the tallest building category because it is a communication tower. To be a building, half of a structure’s height must have usable floor space.
STEVE EMBER: Calculating building height was not a complex measurement in the late nineteenth century with early skyscrapers like the Home Insurance Building in Chicago. The Council explains on its Web site that early tall buildings were generally measured from the ground floor to the top of the building, not including flagpoles. By the nineteen thirties, some of the possible record-making skyscrapers were being designed with spires. Spires are the thin, pointy tops of buildings. These spires were considered an architectural part of the building, so their length was included in the building’s height measurement.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25