Burj Dubai apartments finished, set for Sept opening

Construction of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, will be completed in time for a soft opening in September, a top official with construction firm Arabtec has said.

“The spire is done, what you can see now is its maximum height. On the issue of finishing, the cranes are being removed, the cladding is almost done. I believe it will be finished on time,” chief financial officer Ziad Makhzoumi told Arabian Business.

Asked if the construction of the tower had been slowed by the global credit crunch, Makhzoumi said: “It depends what you mean by slowed? When I was there on Saturday, there were lots of apartments that were finished. They are ready to be occupied. So when people are saying it is not finished, probably parts of it were not planned to be finished by now.

“I am not aware of all the details, because different contractors do different parts. But I know the hotel is being fitted, and the apartments are being fitted. There should be a soft opening in September, and I think all the indications show that that will happen.”

No one working for Arabtec had died while working on the tower, he added.

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