Hasta La Ideas

Dubai continues to be plagued by its hubris. Just a touch over a month after its grandiose opening, the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, has suddenly and mysteriously closed its doors to the public. The company who runs the massive building have blamed electrical problems and “unexpected high traffic” as the culprits, but nothing more beyond that. As the Guardian says, the rapid closure also puts into question if the businesses and new residents who “are supposed to move in to the building this month” will actually be doing so. This news certainly doesn’t seem entirely surprising, given how often the building’s opening day had been pushed back and how rushed the construction was to even get it ready by New Years. As a whole, Paul Goldberger perhaps put it best when, in his great review of the Burj, he said “Function is hardly the point.” Here’s a bit:

“Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion,” the company said, adding it is “committed to the highest quality standards at Burj Khalifa”.

Despite repeated requests, a spokeswoman for [Emaar Properties] was unable to provide further details or rule out the possibility of foul play. Greg Sang, Emaar’s director of projects and the man charged with coordinating the tower’s construction, could not be reached. Construction workers at the base of the tower said they were unaware of any problems.

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