“Dubai is experiencing unprecedented growth and is fast becoming one of the most vibrant metropolises in the world,” said Ari Bousbib, president of Otis Elevator Company. “Otis is proud to be a participant in the prestigious Burj Dubai project in partnership with premier development, design and construction companies.”

When completed, the iconic tower will change the skyline of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At more than 700 meters (more than 2,297 feet), the 160 plus-story Burj Dubai will become the tallest building in the world, surpassing the 101-story Taipei Financial Center by more than 200 meters (656 feet).

“Otis was committed to seeking solutions and providing the necessary resources to accommodate the unique design and needs of the building,” said Fred Durie, executive director, Emaar Properties, Burj Dubai’s owner and the world’s largest real estate developer by market capitalization. “Given Otis’ outstanding reputation and proven installations worldwide, we felt confident that there were no limits to what we could accomplish in undertaking one of the world’s most ambitious projects.”

As part of the US $36 million contract, Otis will supply and install 58 elevators and eight escalators. Among the elevators are 20 Gen2 machine-roomless units, featuring Otis’ unique coated-steel, flat-belt technology, and two double-deck units, which will service Burj’s observation deck. The double-deck elevators, capable of accommodating 23 persons on each deck, will have the world’s highest rise and longest travel distance, and be among the world’s fastest at 10 meters per second (more than 20 mph).

Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) designed the unique building, which mixes functional modernist surfaces with decorative form. The design of the Burj Dubai is derived from the geometries of the desert flower and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture. The building contractor is Samsung Corporation of Korea, which ranks first in Korea and sixth in the world for high-rise construction. New York-based Turner Construction International is the project and construction manager.

With a total floor area of 460,000 square meters, Burj will include the very first Armani Hotel and combine serviced residences, luxury apartments, world-class restaurants and leisure and entertainment facilities. Burj Dubai is part of a US $20 billion urban development in the heart of Dubai, spreading across 500 acres and combining world class commercial, residential, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with landscaped open green spaces dotted with lakes and numerous water features.

Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products) including elevators, escalators and moving walkways. With headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, Otis employs 60,000 people, offers products and services in more than 200 countries and territories and maintains more than 1.45 million elevators and escalators worldwide. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the commercial building and to the aerospace industries.