Setting new global records in practical engineering and architecture, Burj Dubai, the iconic tower developed by Emaar Properties, has recorded another global first with the installation of glass panels at a height of 512 metres.

Arabian Aluminium Company set the new record on Monday by laying out the high-performance cladding system on Level 141.

The cladding system uses reflective glazing, aluminum & textured steel spandrels and vertical stainless steel tubular fins as the primary materials.

Ahmad Al Matrooshi, UAE managing director, Emaar Properties, said Burj Dubai was setting a new world record in all aspects of high-rise construction.

'With cladding undertaken on Level 141 of the tower, we have pushed the frontiers of engineering high-rises one-notch higher. Every aspect of the tower now serves as a referral source on the practicalities of developing skyscrapers,” he observed.

Bashar Kayali, general manager, Arabian Aluminium Company - a member of Al Ghurair Construction Industries, said the cladding work of Burj Dubai was being undertaken on a fast-track basis.

'Installing glass panel at high altitudes is a very challenging task that demands the integration of several work-flow systems. With the completion of glass panel installation on Level 141, we are now entering a new realm in executing cladding works,' he added.

At  636 metres and more than 160 storeys high, Burj Dubai is now the world’s tallest building and tallest man-made structure having recently surpassed the height of the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, USA - 628.8 metres.

Burj Dubai is taller than Taipei 101 (508 metres; 1667 ft) in Taiwan and CN Tower (553.33 metres; 1815.5 ft) in Toronto, Canada.

When completed, Burj Dubai will meet all four criteria listed by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which classifies the world’s tallest structures.

CTBUH measures the height of buildings to the structural top, the highest occupied floor, the top of the roof and the tip of the spire, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole.

Burj Dubai anchors Downtown Burj Dubai, an Dh73 billion ($20 billion) mixed-use mega project, already a bustling community described as the new ‘heart of the city.’ The tower features residences, commercial space and retail space and hospitality elements including the world’s first Armani Hotel and Armani Residences.-TradeArabia News Service