Emaar 'finalising' Burj Khalifa rebranding

Emaar Properties is still finalising the rebranding process of the Burj Khalifa and will shortly announce whether there will be a new name for the Downtown Burj Dubai area, the developer told Arabian Business on Tuesday.

"Emaar Properties is currently finalising the rebranding and details will be announced in due course," an Emaar Properties spokesperson said when asked about specifics of the rebranding process and the renaming of the surrounding area.

The official inauguration of the 828 metre tower took place on January 4, during which Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum unveiled a plaque announcing that the tower – previously known as Burj Dubai – was to be officially named Burj Khalifa.

Sheikh Mohammed said in an interview after the ceremony that his decision to change the tower’s name was to highlight the unity of the federation.

“Sheikh Khalifa is one of the UAE’s symbols,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai’s Supreme Fiscal Committee and an uncle of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The $1.5bn tower began construction in 2004 and is said to be around 90 percent sold.

The tower’s observation deck on floor 124 opened to the public on January 5, while the first residential units are due to be handed over to residents in February.

"At the Top, the world’s highest outdoor observation deck at Level 124 of Burj Khalifa, has attracted thousands of visitors since it opened to the public on January 5, 2010," an Emaar Properties spokesperson said.