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The world\u2019s tallest tower - Dubai\u2019s Burj Khalifa - had its grand opening ceremony on 4th January, 2010, heralded with the launch of 10,000 fireworks. Previously known as \u2018Dubai Tower\u2019, it was re-named at the last minute in tribute to the Sheik of Abu Dhabi, who\u2019d bailed out the neighbouring Emirate with a $10billion loan.\nDespite being built on sand, the 160-storey structure is over half a mile tall - but that includes 244 metres of unusable space in the spire. It\u2019s so high up that Ramadan begins two minutes earlier at the bottom than in the mosque at the top!\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the building\u2019s architects avoided the tower being toppled by winds; consider the cost of the 22 million hours of mostly immigrant labour it took to construct; and explain why, despite its state of the art design, it still isn\u2019t connected to Dubai\u2019s wastewater system\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\n\u2018Economy Is Down, but Dubai Tower Tops All\u2019 (The New York Times, 2010): https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/economy-is-down-but-dubai-tower-tops-all/?searchResultPosition=13\n\n\n\u2018The lost floors of Dubai's Burj Khalifa - why 200m of world's tallest building is empty\u2019 (Daily Star, 2022): https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/lost-floors-dubais-burj-khalifa-26173492\n\n\n\u2018Richard Hammond: The Physics Behind The Burj Khalifa And Why It Doesn't Fall Over\u2019 (Quest TV, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5i3UsiSoYY\n\n\n\n#UAE #Dubai #Architecture #2010s\nLove the show? Join\xa0\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\xa0\U0001f334 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!\nPlus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.\nJoin now via\xa0Apple Podcasts\xa0or\xa0Patreon.\xa0Thanks!\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices