Mike
Duh.28.11.09
So, ummm…how did they not see this happening? Surely when they were like…”lets build the tallest, metal, skinniest ass building stretching as far as possible into the sky” they must have realised in reality they were just building a lightning rod…no? Yeah I wouldnt have thought it either, I woulda of been like “Oh snap! Hellz yeah, lets build that sons-a-bitch!”
And with Dubai’s economy now in free fall, it will probably not be anything but a lightning rod for the foreseeable future. Still, they might be able to make a few dirham selling the glass lightning sculptures. It’s not like they are in short supply of sand over there.
On a similar note, imagine if your job was to climb one of these cranes every morning :|
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Burj_dubai_aerial_closeup.jpg
Let me just put on my architect’s hat here for a minute…
Michael my dear boy, they did indeed foresee this very event happening. That is precisely the point (pun intended) of that big spire on top of the building, it diverts the massive charge from the strike harmlessly into the ground, preventing the building’s electrics from getting fried.
If you have a look at some of the other photos from that night, the strikes went on for half an hour, and the lights on the tower remained on. Not so crazy now, eh!
I know I’m a little late to this party, but just wanted to say it’s another top-notch background image.