This building is tall.  Really really really really tall.  In fact it is now the tallest structure on the planet.  It is diffucult to wrap your mind around the sheer scale of this skyscraper.  Currently a staggering 2,320 ft high the Burj Dubai is, at present, 613ft taller than The Sears Tower and has 50 more floors.  Unbelievably the building is still growing, upon its completion in September of next year it could rise to a height of 2,684ft!  The final height of the building is a tightly held secret and won’t be known until construction is finished.

The first photo comes from yesterday’s excellent Big Picture story “Dubai and the UAE”.

November 7, 2008 - the tallest man made structure in the world, despite being still incomplete. The skyscraper stands at 707 meters (2,320 ft), with 160 floors and growing, and is scheduled to be complete by September of next year. (© Fadi Chami) #

The following hi-res pictures of the unmatched tower come from David Hobcote.  You can check out the full collection at Gizmodo.com here.

From Inhabitat.com -

This is an excellent article on the birth of Green High-Rises in the United States.  It is informative and filled with great links to help lead you in your exploration of the Green building and Green technology revolution.

Enjoy!

Green Home 101: US cities Sprout Green High-Rises

by

Hailey Zaki

From green cleaning products to energy-efficient appliances, Green Home 101 has delved into several different aspects of what makes a sustainable, environmentally responsible household. But what about the home itself? Look skyward in any major American city and you’re likely to see a soaring new green high-rise. With scarce land in urban areas, the cost of housing skyrocketing, and increasing demand for better communities, high-density development is experiencing a renaissance in the US. But development is not just growing up, it’s growing green. As consumers look for long-term savings and seek to live in healthier environments, more big developers have grasped onto the fact that the green in the building can lead to green in the bank. Inhabitat’s Green Home 101 takes a closer look at some of the new high-rise projects sustainable residential towers are sprouting up all over the US.

The Visionaire - New York City, NY

Built upon excavated land from the building of the World Trade Centers, the Battery Park City neighborhood in New York City is quickly becoming one of the greenest neighborhoods in the country. Leading the way with progressive green building guidelines, many of its structures have been LEED certified and in 2003, the first sustainable high-rise residential building in the U.S. was developed in Battery Park City: The Solaire by the Albanese Organization. Today from the same developer comes The Visionaire, another LEED Platinum high-rise.

EnV - Chicago, IL

Not to be left out of the mix, the Windy City recently announced a new green high-rise project called the EnV. The 29-story, 249-unit luxury apartment development under construction in Chicago’s River North neighborhood will feature environmentally responsible design and building practices and is expected to be one of the city’s first LEED-certified rental properties. Designed Valerio Dewalt Train and owned by developer Lynd Development Partners, the project is expected to open in Spring 2010.

Read the rest of Haily Zaki’s article here.

If you enjoyed the video I highly recommend you check out the web site for Liz Diller’s firm DS + R here.