At.mosphere - World's Highest Restaurants on Burj Khalifa set World Record

At.mosphere, on the 122nd floor, is one private elevator ride up the glass and chrome Burj Khalifa.

Its designers say that At.mosphere, touted as the world's highest restaurant, shows that Dubai may have lost its lustre as a business hub after the financial crisis, but for those seeking the lifestyle of the rich and famous, it can still dish it out.

"Up here, you feel elegant and luxurious, you feel sexy," said the restaurant's designer, Adam Tihany, pointing to the mahogany-panelled rooms and cosy leather booths.

"You are floating ... it's a journey. This is your luxury yacht in the sky," he said.

At.mosphere is a 57-second elevator ride up 442 metres (1,350 feet) that makes ears pop. Dwayne Cheer, the executive chef, tries to limit the number of times he goes up each day.

"I came up yesterday five times and after five times, you feel a bit dizzy. You only want to come up twice."

Cheer recommends the house specialties of foie gras or the beef tartare--but prices here may burn the pocket books of all but Dubai's most well-heeled denizens.

Entrees at the contemporary grille, serving up what Emaar Hospitality's chief executive calls "eclectic, European cuisine", cost an average of 340 dirhams. Appetizers will set you back another $50 each.

At.mosphere's views at noon show ritzy Dubai's past and present: its ambitious artificial island project, The World, lies unfinished amid the blue waves on one side, and the sandy expanses of stalled construction sites are on the other.

Dubai's six-year boom, which fuelled construction of the world's tallest building and artificial island archipelagos, slammed to a halt in 2008 after the global financial crisis.

Millions of dollars of construction projects were slashed or put on hold and the emirate is struggling to dig out from under a massive debt burden, estimated at more than $100 billion.

Developers at Emaar Hospitality, of Emaar Properties EMAR.DU, say the restaurant opening at these soaring heights is a sign that the low point of Dubai's recession is ending.

"I think really the hospitality business has picked up quite nicely," said Emaar Hospitality chief executive Marc Dardenne. "Dubai is still a very attractive destination, with world class hotels and world class restaurants available."

The restaurant, for which owners declined to reveal the costs, faced some delays when Dubai's economy first stumbled. But it was eventually completed, Tihany said, because construction for Burj Khalifa is already almost finished.

"The top of the crown jewel has to be beautiful," he said. "The economy will follow suit, hopefully."

Burj Dubai - The world's tallest Building Launching World Records Video

Most Brands Advertised on a Single Billboard World Record set by Dubai

With 1,233 logos on a single wall, Dubai has made it to the record books yet again.

The ‘Most brands advertised on a single billboard’ were officially unveiled at Dubai Festival City after being certified as a world record by Guinness World Records, on Sunday.Measuring over 10 metres high and 100 metres wide, the massive billboard is Dubai’s latest entry in the record books.

“Dubai is synonymous with the world’s largest, world’s biggest and the world’s most expensive. This is the 78th world record in the UAE and the country is certainly among some of the top record-breakers in the world,” said Adam Wide, Creative Director, Guinness World Records who presented the official certificate to Discovery Exhibition Organisers.

Working for over a year, a team of 70 staff from Discovery Exhibition Organisers set out to persuade brands to advertise on the billboard and make ‘UAE Logos’ a successful project.  “This record is particularly significant because it’s not just about the number of logos on display but it is about the co-operation between thousands of companies who made the feat possible. The scale is absolutely phenomenal and there are a lot of logistics involved in making such a record possible,” said Wide.

Salim Al Khayyal, CEO, Discovery Exhibiton Organisers attributed the success of ‘UAE Logos’ to his team.

“It took a lot of hard work and persuasion to bring together all the brands and make them part of such a record. There had to be no repetitions and every logo present on the billboard belongs to a brand in the UAE,” said Salim.

A representative from Guinness World Records individually verified each of the 1,233 logos on the billboard as the official verification took over four hours to complete.

The advertising billboard is open for public viewing outside the Festival Centre concert arena.

World's Largest Handmade Bead Flag

An Abu Dhabi resident is attempting to make the largest handmade flag with beads to enter Guinness World Records. Indian expatriate Jeyaraman Ravi, 41, is giving final touches to the UAE national flag after a 14-month-long endeavour.

"I have completed two decades of my life here and wanted to give a tribute to this nation by doing something exceptional," Ravi told Gulf News.

"My life has become prosperous after reaching the UAE and this is a thanksgiving gesture," says Ravi who hails from southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He is working as a Public Relations Representative at a computer support systems company and living with his family in Abu Dhabi.

Ravi said he had been working about eight hours daily during the past 14 months to make the 3-metre-long and 1.5-metre wide flag with 288,400 beads. It weighs about 10 kilograms.

He produced the copy of an e-mail from Guinness World Records (GWR) which says a new record category has been opened for him.

As per the requirement of Guinness World Records, he can enter the records by exhibiting the completed flag at a public event and send the proof certified by government and media officials.

But Guinness World Records has also a provision to send their own adjudicator to attend the event and present the certificate recognising the achievement by immediately announcing that a new record has been established, says the mail from GWR.

Ravi says he wants to invite the GWR adjudicator to Abu Dhabi.

"But I am waiting for a sponsor. I am not in a position to bear the expenses [which may come about Dh30,000]," says Ravi who already spent about Dh4,000 to purchase beads and threads.

About the authenticity of his attempt , he claimed he can tell how many beads have been used in each and every part of the flag. "Nobody else can count it".

His wife said Ravi has been spending sleepless nights to reach the final stages of his attempt. "When the entire family was sleeping, he was busy with the beads and threads," said Deepa, who is a teacher at an English Private School.

Doing art works had been his hobby when he was a student. "When I was in college, I used to make wallets and prototypes of animals with beads," said the man who is waiting to establish a world record.
Figures

Number of beads used :288,400
The size of the flag: 3 metres long and 1.5 metres wide
Time taken: About eight hours in 14 months.
Weight :10 kilogram
Threads used: 850 grams.

- Golf News

World Largest Coin like Medallion set Record

Guinness World Records were proud to touch down in Dubai, UAE to measure an attempt to manufacture

e the world's largest coin-like medallion. The item in question was made by Damas LLC, Dubai, one of the Middle East’s leading jewellery retailers, for the 10th anniversary of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Awards for Medical Sciences and was presented to H.H. Sheikh Hamdan himself in the grand ceremony which was attended by top scientists and doctors from over the world.

Guinness World Records is delighted to confirm that the attempt was successful

and the coin measured 1.00 m (3 ft 2 in) across and weighed in at a hefty 185.88 kg (409.8 lb). It was made of solid silver and then plated in gold. It took a team of 85 dedicated staff to complete the unique masterpiece within just 30 days.

This was the latest in a long list of new records achieved in Dubai and Guinness World Records is hoping there are many more to come.”

World's Largest Acrylic Panel World Record set by Dubai Mall

Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre Sets Guinness Record for 'World's Largest Acrylic Panel' at The Dubai Mall. Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre in The Dubai Mall, which opens on November 4, 2008, has clinched the Guinness World Record for the 'World's Largest Acrylic Panel'

Measuring 32.88 metres wide x 8.3 metres high x 750 mm thick and weighing 245,614 kg, the viewing panel at Dubai Aquarium surpasses the current Guinness World Record holder, Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, at 22.5 metres wide x 8.2 metres high and 600 mm thick.

The Dubai Aquarium viewing panel dimensions were set at the limit of production abilities by major acrylic manufacturers when it was commissioned. Thus, its Guinness World Record is set to stay until industry-approved manufacturing capabilities are redrawn to enable the production of bigger panels.

At 750 mm thick, the acrylic viewing panel is built to withstand the enormous pressure of 10 million litres of water used in the aquarium, but transparent to give visitors clear views of the 33,000 plus marine animals on display.

Mr Yousif Al Ali, General Manager, The Dubai Mall said: "With this achievement, we are highlighting the capabilities of Emaar and Dubai to undertake and execute projects of global significance."

Mr John Pilley, Adjudicator, Guinness World Records said: "The Dubai Mall joins Dubai's illustrious list of World Records with the 'Largest Acrylic Panel', once again reiterating the can-do attitude of Dubai. This exemplifies the dedication and passion that make some of our best records."

Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre is developed and operated by Oceanis Australia Group. The Dubai Mall has adopted an International Standard of Ethics and Animal Welfare Policy in its development and operation.

With a total internal floor area of 5.9 million sq ft, The Dubai Mall has 3.77 million sq ft of gross leasable space and hosts over 1,200 retail outlets including two anchor department stores -Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale's - and features over 160 food and beverage options.
Other attractions include the Olympic-size Dubai Ice Rink; Fashion Avenue, a 440,000 sq ft haute couture precinct; The Grove, an indoor-outdoor themed streetscape; the region's first SEGA indoor theme park covering 76,000 sq ft; KidZania(R), an 80,000 sq ft children's 'edu-tainment' centre; and a 22-screen Cineplex, the largest in Dubai.

Mohammeds Name People Gathering World Record

Mohammeds from all over Libya converge to celebrate their name, hoping to achieve a world record. The gathering aims to break the current record of people named Mohammed. which was organised in Dubai in 2003. The record at that time was 1096 people with the same name.

In Zawia, Libya, they have tried to set a new Guinness world record for the number of people with the same name they could gather in one place. A pointless exercise but no more so than eating a plane to get into the record books.

Given that Muhammad/Mohammed (which means "praiseworthy" in Arabic) is the most common Muslim name and probably the most popular men's name in the world – it's even climbing the birth charts in Europe – this can't have been a very challenging exercise.

The organisers claim that some 20,000 Muhammads from across Libya and beyond turned up to the event. Quite frankly, I'm not really that impressed. There are probably more Muhammads in Cairo Stadium on Cup Final night or passing through the city's central train station during rush hour.

Ammar Mohamed, Zawia City Senior official and event organizer, saying (Arabic):
"We only invited residents of this city, but were surprised when people came from all over Libya and beyond. Muslims named Mohammed came here to announce to the world that their name is sacred and that it means a lot to us."

Longest Chinese Whispers Guinness World Record

Emirates Stadium is hosting an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest game of Chinese Whispers today. The record attempt involving more than 1,500 children currently taking place is to raise funds for Arsenal’s Charity of the Season TreeHouse, the national charity for autism education, and Save the Children.

The record attempt will see children aged 7-11 from the Milton Keynes area, join forces with children from north London who participate in Arsenal in the Community initiatives and children’s groups associated with both charities.

With monitors from Guinness World Records? in attendance and cheered on by celebrity supporters and Arsenal legends, the children have formed a huge

circular formation seated in Emirates Stadium’s lower east stand to pass on a secret message.

The message is being passed from child to child around the circle until it arrives at the end of the chain and as with most games of Chinese Whispers, the final message is expected to be very different from the original.

Money raised through the event will be used to further TreeHouse’s plans to open a National Centre for Autism Education in north London and will raise money for Save the Children’s biggest-ever global campaign to stop the 10 million children who die each year before their fifth birthday.

The event partners have been working with all the children involved in the run up to the record attempt helping them practice the game, highlighting the value of face-to-face communications and raising awareness of the work of TreeHouse and Save the Children.

Ken Friar, Director of Arsenal Football Club comments: “The Club is honoured to participate in a record breaking attempt in the name of two worthy causes. This event is a great way to end a fantastic season-long partnership with TreeHouse and we wish everybody involved today the best of luck.”

Vicky Lincoln, Fundraising Manager at TreeHouse comments: “This is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness and educate the public about autism education. Although children with autism do find communication more difficult, education can make a dramatic difference. The fact that pupils from TreeHouse’s school are taking part in the Chinese Whisper record-breaking attempt is a great example of education enabling children with autism to participate alongside their peers.”

Tanya Steele, Director of Supporter Relations and Fundraising at Save the Children says: “Save the Children is asking people to be a part of our biggest-ever campaign to help save a child’s life. Through the Chinese Whisper Record Breaking attempt children from the UK will help save children’s lives around the world and show that it’s simple to save a life; we just need to spread the word and take action.”

Richard Bandell, Managing Director of today’s event organisers, BI adds: “Attempting to break a Guinness World Record for these two amazing charities at Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium is a hugely exciting challenge, but this event is all about enabling kids to help other kids and showing them that giving can be even more rewarding than receiving.”

World Largest Arch Bridge in Dubai

Dubai to Build World’s Largest Arch Bridge : Dubai is set to spend $817-million on building the world’s largest arch bride, at 617-feet tall and 1-mile in length. Expect it to be in service by 2012.

Dubai is the Tetsuo of cities, expanding so fast it’s on the verge of creating of its own universe. And architecture that looks like it’s from the 22nd century only adds to the sheer grandeur of its growth—this bridge, envisioned by NY architecture firm Fxfowle, will be the largest and tallest arch bridge in the world, at one mile long and 670 feet tall.

Construction starts next month and is due to wrap up in 2012 after running some $817 million dollars. World’s first vacuum tube mass transit system will launch in Dubai shortly thereafter.

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Rotating Tower - Worlds First Dynamic Architecture in Dubai

The Dynamic Architecture building, which will be constantly in motion changing its shape, will be able to generate electric energy for itself as well as for other buildings. Forty-eight wind turbines fitted between each rotating floors as well as the solar panels positioned on the roof of the building will produce energy from wind and the sunlight, with no risk of pollution. The total energy produced by this inbuilt ‘powerhouse’ every year will be worth approximately seven million dollars.

Each turbine can produce 0.3 megawatt of electricity, compared to 1-1.5 megawatt generated by a normal vertical turbine (windmill). Considering that Dubai gets 4,000 wind hours annually, the turbines incorporated into the building can generate 1,200,000 kilowatt-hour of energy.

As average annual power consumption of a family is estimated to be 24,000 kilowatt-hour, each turbine can supply energy for about 50 families. The Dynamic Architecture tower in Dubai will be having 200 apartments and hence four turbines can take care of their energy needs. The surplus clean energy produced by the remaining 44 turbines can light up the neighborhood of the building.

However, taking into consideration that the average wind speed in Dubai is of only 16 km/h the architects may need to double the number of turbines to light up the building to eight. Still there will be 40 free turbines, good enough to supply power for five skyscrapers of the same size.

The horizontal turbines of the Dynamic Architecture building are simply inserted between the floors, practically invisible. They neither need a pole nor a concrete foundation. In addition, they are at zero distance from the consumer, which makes maintenance easier.

The modern design of the building and the carbon fiber special shape of the wings take care of the acoustics issues. Producing that much electric energy without any implication on the aesthetic aspect of the building is a revolutionary step in tapping alternative energy sources. Furthermore, this energy will have a positive impact on the environment and economy.

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Many Eggs in one Basket Guinness World Record

Uptown Mirdiff, the host venue for the Dubai Food Festival 2008, got crowds coming in through the evening as a world record attempt for the largest number of eggs held in one hand was held.

Dubai Food Festival is one of the signature events of DSF and features sixteen of Dubai’s finest restaurants till February 2.

The record attempt was part of the Guinness World Records event during DSF. During the week, an attempt to make the largest manakish attracted huge crowds to the lively gathering of different restaurateurs in the city.

Two more records – Fastest rice eating with chopsticks, and the largest chopsticks - will be attempted on January 31 and February 1.

Several volunteers and officials gathered to try and beat the world record of largest number of eggs held in one hand.

With the record standing at 19 eggs in 30 seconds, it was quite a record to break. Nevertheless, a spirited attempt saw 12 eggs get collected in one hand in the specified time.