Burj Dubai scales 150 storeys and is the world's tallest free-standing structure

• Taller than CN Tower, current holder of the world's tallest free-standing structure
• Mixed-use tower with residential, commercial and leisure outlets

At 555.3 metres (1,821.85 ft), Burj Dubai has now also scaled 150 livable levels, the largest number of storeys for any building in the world. The tower already holds the distinction of being taller than Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which at 508 metres* (1,667 ft) has held the tallest-building-in-the-world title since it opened in 2004. Burj Dubai now surpasses the 31-year-old record of CN Tower, which at 553.33 metres (1,815.5 ft) has been the world's tallest free-standing structure on land since 1976.

"Burj Dubai is setting new world records in construction of super tall buildings, and the accomplishment of being the world's tallest free-standing structure is another defining moment for the multinational team of over 5,000 people who are using their collective intelligence to make this iconic structure a symbol of human achievement," said Mr Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties. "This architectural and construction master-piece is truly an inspirational human achievement that celebrates the 'can do' mindset of Dubai."

When completed, Dubai's landmark tower will be the tallest structure in the world in all four of the criteria listed by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The council measures height to the structural top, the highest occupied floor, to the top of the roof, and to the tip of the spire, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole.

CTBUH, the acknowledged source of information based at the Illinois Institute of Technology, measures the height of a building from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural top. This includes spires but not television antennas, radio antennas or flag poles. Burj Dubai is billed to scale past the KVLY/KTHI television mast in Blanchard, North Dakota, which at 628.8 metres (2,063 ft) is the world's tallest mast and technically qualifies to be the world's tallest structure, even though it is stabilized with a series of guy-wires.

More than 320,800 cubic metres of reinforced concrete and 63,300 tonnes of reinforcing steel have been used in the tower's construction so far.

Burj Dubai became the tallest free-standing structure in the world in just 1,325 days since excavation work started in January, 2004. More than 5,000 consultants and skilled construction workers are employed on site, and the world's fastest high-capacity construction hoists, with a speed of up to 2 m/sec (120 metres/min), move men and materials.

Structural steel work for Burj Dubai will begin soon, and cladding work using a high-performance system has been completed on several levels. The primary cladding materials of reflective glazing, aluminium and textured stainless steel spandrel panels and vertical stainless tubular fins accentuate the tower's height and slenderness to the eye.

Emaar Properties has teamed up with South Korean construction major Samsung Corporation, New York-based Project Manager Turner International and global engineering consultancy Hyder Consulting to develop Burj Dubai based on the design of internationally admired architect Adrian Smith and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago.

Burj Dubai will be at the centre of Downtown Burj Dubai, a US$20 billion, 500-acre downtown development billed as the most prestigious square kilometre on earth. The tower will feature residential, commercial and retail components including the world's first Armani Hotel and Armani Residences, exclusive corporate suites, a business centre, four luxurious pools and spas, an observation platform on Level 124 and 150,000 sq ft of fitness facilities.