PRESS RELEASE

CHICAGO, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Burj Dubai, designed by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), is now officially the world's tallest free-standing structure.

SOM announced today that the construction of the Burj Dubai has reached the 150th floor level at 1,821 feet (555 meters), surpassing the height of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, which was previously the world's tallest free-standing structure at 1,815 feet (553 meters). The CN Tower is a communications tower and was completed in 1976.

George Efstathiou, SOM Managing Partner for the project, commented, "Becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure is a pretty big deal especially since the CN Tower held this record for more than three decades."

The height of the Burj Dubai, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will continue to climb as construction continues to the floors and beyond with its architectural spire. The construction is expected to top out in 2008. The final height is still a secret.

When asked to describe the eventual height of the Burj Dubai, Efstathiou frequently refers to two other SOM-designed icons when describing the eventual height of the tower, "Height numbers in feet and meters don't mean much to most people, but when I tell them to imagine the John Hancock Building stacked on top of the Sears Tower I usually get a jaw-dropping response. It's an approximation, but it gives an idea of the scale of the project. The Burj Dubai won't be the tallest building in the world by a few meters: it's going to be well above all the previous records."

Bill Baker, SOM Structural Engineering Partner added, "We invented a new structural system, the "Buttressed Core," that enabled us to reach these heights economically. SOM is known for our experience with super-tall buildings such as the Sears Tower in Chicago and Jin Mao in Shanghai. The goal of the Burj Dubai, though, is not simply to be the world's tallest building; it's to embody the world's highest aspirations. Working on the Burj Dubai is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved with the project."

The Burj Dubai is being developed by Emaar Properties, constructed by South Korea's Samsung Corporation. Turner Construction International is the project and construction manager.

Upon completion, the Burj Dubai will be the tallest building in the world in all four categories recognized by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which compiles and ranks the world's tallest buildings. CTBUH ranks buildings on the basis of spire height, the highest occupied floor, roof height and pinnacle height.

The Burj Dubai will be the center of a large scale, mixed-use development comprised of residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with open green spaces, water features, pedestrian boulevards, a shopping mall and a tourist-oriented old town. The design of the tower combines historical and cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve a high-performance building. Its massing is manipulated in the vertical dimension to induce maximum vortex shedding and minimize the impact of wind on the tower's movement.

About SOM Chicago

Founded in 1936, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP is one of the world's leading architecture, urban design, engineering, and interior architecture firms. SOM's sophistication in building technology applications and commitment to design quality has resulted in a portfolio that features some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th century. Examples include the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago; Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai; Canary Wharf in London; the Washington Mall and Constitution Gardens in Washington D.C.; and the Lever House in New York City. Currently, the firm maintains offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Interviews and Additional Images of the Burj Dubai are available upon request.

Source: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

CONTACT: Amy Hawkinson, Public Relations Coordinator of Skidmore, Owings
& Merrill LLP, ,

Web site: http://www.som.com/