Travel Fun

The Burj Khalifa: Standing Tall and Proud

The United Arab Emirates owns the distinction of having the tallest building internationally. Measuring a staggering 2,717 feet (828 meters), the Burj Khalifa, formerly known as Burj Dubai, is the highest man-made structure in history. It can be found along Sheikh Zayed Road generally business district in Dubai.

This marks the second time the Middle East has claimed the honor of having the tallest artificial structure in the world. The Great Pyramid of Giza once held that distinction for many hundreds of years until England built the Lincoln Cathedral in 1311.

Named in honor of one or more of the project's top supporters and the actual president of the United Arab Emirates and king of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Sayed Al Nahyan, the Burj Khalifa gained the attention and recognition of the rest of the world. It was constructed with the primary goal of diverting the country's image from a debt-ridden oil-producing country into a tourist mecca generating necessary income and investments. Conceptualization and construction began in 2004 and the building was launched on January 4, 2010 during the rise to the throne of Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashin Al Maktoum.

The Burj Khalifa was designed by architect Adrian Smith and engineer Bill Baker who were with Chicago's Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) right at that moment. Among the other groups involved in the actual construction were South Korea's Samsung Engineering and Construction (primary contractor) and Besix and Arabtec. Emaar Properties served as the project's developer. The $1.5 billion tower was inspired by Islamic traditions and culture and featured patterns prevalent in Islamic architecture. The three-lobed base of the building was patterned after the flower Hymenocalli.

Among the lavish features of the Burj Khalifa are the 57 double-deck elevators with modern LCD displays for the visitors' entertainment. There are also eight escalators and a total of 2,909 stairs. The 124th floor showcases the highest open-air observation deck internationally, the At the Top. It was opened to the public on the 5th of January, the day after Burj Khalifa's inauguration and also houses the Behold Telescope.

Apart from being the tallest building ever, the Burj Khalifa holds a number of other records. Among them are:

• The most number of floors (160) - beating the former record holder Willis Tower by 52 floors

• The highest occupied floor (160th floor)

• The highest pool - situated at the 76th floor

• The highest nightclub - located at the 144th floor

• World's highest mosque - discovered on the 158th floor

• The highest outdoor observation deck at 1483 feet - aptly named At the Top and situated at the 124th floor; it is the second highest observation desk on record

• The highest restaurant - At.mosphere that is on the 122nd floor and at a height of 1450 feet, a distant 302 feet over CN Towers' 360 restaurant

• The world's fastest elevator which goes at a speed of 64 kilometers per hour

• The highest elevator installation

• The tallest man-made structure that has residential features, and

• The world's highest New Year's Eve celebration and firework display

The Kingdom of Crystal in the southeastern region of Smaaland in Sweden is an enchanting place where nature and art glass make a lasting impression on visitors.

The natural environment

Entering Smaaland you are met with a wild environment consisting chiefly of dense forests, blocks of stones and waters everywhere. You are immersed in nature - life has its own rhyme and meaning there. This is certainly a place to go to if you need peace and time for reflection and healing.

Its natural resources were decisive in the choice of the region for creating a new industry in the kingdom of Sweden in 1742. These key raw materials were wood, peat, quartz, water power to which could be added ample manpower.

1742 to today

The Kosta glassworks was founded in 1742, initially using the services of glassblowers from Bohemia until Swedish manpower could take over. It was the only glassworks in the area for a long time. However, towards the end of the 19th century, about 50 new blowing rooms were established in the region. Over the years many glassworks had to shut down for financial reasons.

The term "Kingdom of Crystal" dates back to the 1960s as part of a campaign to market the region as a cultural hub to attract tourism.

Nowadays, one distinguishes between glassworks and studio glassworks.

Glassworks are for the most companies employing glassworkers to produce artifacts designed by an artist or a designer. As a rule, they produce high-quality utility glassware on a large scale. Orrefors Kosta Boda AB is the biggest entity resulting from a series of mergers

Studio glassworks are small entities operated by one or commonly several glass artists who handle the design, production and sale of their works of art themselves.

In reality, the line is somewhat blurred by the fact that artists from studios sometimes act as designers for the glassworks and glassworks can also commercialize art glass produced by the studios.

Producing glass

The materials - Glass is obtained by melting sand to which other raw materials have been added. The quality of the glass is determined by the mix of raw materials, with soda and crystal glass as the most common types. While soda glass is used chiefly for producing household glassware, crystal glass is more refined and better suited for cutting and engraving.

Together with the quality of the melt, the furnace and crucible are vital elements of glass blowing. The temperature in the furnace can reach up to about 1450 degrees Celsius. By 1200 degrees the glass is of the right consistency to be worked with, as it has become viscous, glossy as well as free of bubbles.

Who does what? Traditionally, the work was performed by a master and his assistant. Nowadays, the production of art and sundry glass can require teams of 5 people headed by a glass master.

The techniques - A number of more or less advanced techniques have been developed over time. Among the advanced techniques developed in the region are (i) the Graal technique or working with a glob of glass of different colored layers where blasting, painting or engraving can also be used and (ii) the Ariel technique where air is captured in a pattern within the glass.

By the end of the process, the glass has come down to a temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius. At this point, it is essential that it cools down slowly to avoid cracks in the glass caused by stress during the process. The time needed will depend on the size of the object, from about 4 hours for a bowl to several weeks for a large sculpture.

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