Showing posts with label Burj Khalifa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burj Khalifa. Show all posts

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Burj Khalifa - Observation Deck - 60 Stranded for Over One Hour Saturday

 
Image Credit: Karen Dias/XPRESS

Gulf News (Dubai) reports that a "minor incident" on Sunday is responsible for the close of the BK's Observation Deck.

Sixty people were stranded for over an hour at the top after an elevator apparently got stuck on the way up. A loud bang and cloud of smoke frightened those on the deck.  The passengers in the elevator had to climb up a ladder to get out.

Two views of the situation.
An American tourist:
"But there was a big lack of communication throughout the whole ordeal and it has certainly put me off going back up or taking visiting friends and family."
An unnamed "official".
"It is absolutely normal for a new building to face minor issues such as this, which involved one of the Burj Khalifa's elevators."
As I noted in an earlier post, often new buildings particularly skyscrapers have problems during their initial opening phase.  That's not the issue.  It is how any such problem is handled.   Pretending that they don't  exist isn't really the best way to go.

So it might be helpful to refer to this not as "maintenance" but what it really is "repairs" - fixing defects.  After only one month in operation, there hasn't been any significant wear and tear.

Sunday 7 February 2010

Burj Khalifa Observation Deck Closed for Maintenance and Upgrade

 
Picture Courtesy of  Bu Jassem at the Buj Al Arab Blog

Gulf News reports that the observation deck has been closed for "maintenance and upgrade".  The National (Abu Dhabi) perhaps a politically less correct article given its first paragraph.

Luckily, it appears that the problems are only technical in nature:  "Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and sub-contractors and the public will be informed upon completion."

Of course, as with any building, one has to perform maintenance to keep it looking new and to repair any wear and tear on the building and its furnishings.   And one shouldn't wait too long to take steps to keep one's building looking "smart".

And one can often charge more rent in a building if one upgrades its facilities and decor.