Dubai, UAE. 2010.1.3 - A spectacular fireworks display has announced the completion of the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, (formerly known as Burj Dubai) which has a mosque on the 158th floor!.
 

 
At more than 800m, the building totally eclipses the previous world record, which was held by Taiwan's 508m 'Taipei 101' and is twice the height of the Empire State Building.
 
The project design and structural engineering contractor was Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), a company which has previously built several of the tallest buildings in the worl. These include the John Hancock Center (1969, second tallest in the world when built) and the Sears Tower (1973, tallest in the world for over twenty years), both in Chicago, the city in which SOM was founded in 1936.
 
The design combines cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve a high-performance building. Its massing is manipulated in the vertical dimension to minimize the impact of wind on the tower's movement. Dubai can be subjected to wind speeds on the ground of 50km an hour. At the top of the building wind speeds can reach 150 kph!
 
An extensive programme of wind tunnel tests on a scale model were undertaken in the Canadian boundary layer wind tunnels of Rowan William Davies and Irwin (RWDI). The programme helped determine the impact of different forces acting on the structure, established a statistical model of the wind climate for the project area, measured localised pressures and simulated the dynamic behaviour of the building.
 
In the construction sector, Digital Tsunami has a strong heritage in both video production and online solutions. The company has been responsible for the online presence of Leighton Asia since 2000, and has delivered web solutions to Thiess Services Middle East (based in Abu Dhabi), Leighton International (with an offshore division, Habtoor Leighton Group based in Dubai), and numerous recruitment companies focused on the building, construction and engineering (BCE) sector.
 
Films, videos and photography have been produced for Barclay Mowlem, Bilfinger Berger, Frank Contractors, and Kerry Properties.
 
Digital Tsunami's capabilities encompass all aspects of marketing communications solutions including: eStrategy, film, identity, interactive, photography and print for global brands, MNCs and innovative SMEs through offices in Australia and China.