How high is the Burj Dubai. Is it the world's tallest building?
We don't know for sure yet, it's not finished and they're not saying.
But William Baker, the chief structural engineer of Skidmore Owings Merrill the company in charge of building the Burj Dubai has this to say:
"The structure is almost finished and is expected it will be unveiled in a few weeks' time. But no one is saying how tall it will be.
"We're not allowed to say. The client hasn't announced what it is and I don't think they will," says Mr Baker. "It'll turn into urban folklore, you'll have people measuring the shadows on Google Earth and trying to figure it out.""
Really? Has Mr Baker not heard of 'Triangulation'?
It's a very simple formula involving angles and it's a bit worrying if the man in charge of building the worlds tallest structures isn't familiar with it.
It was known to the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese and the Arabs.
Measure a distance to the base of an object, measure the angle from that point to the top and a bit of simple maths will give you the height.
A very long tape measure and a head for heights is not required.
I doubt the height of the Burj Dubai, when finished, will remain an Urban Myth for long.
Measuring shadows on Google Earth indeed? It makes you wonder if he is the right man for the job.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7798943.stm
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