46 Burj Khalifa Facts: Explore This Skyscraper In Dubai
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The Burj Khalifa, formerly known as the Burj Dubai, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that was completed in 2010.
The Burj Khalifa is today the world's third-tallest building and structure since opening in 2009, with a full height of 2,722 ft (829.6 m) as well as a roof height of 2,717 ft (828 m),. The outside of the Burj Khalifa was finished in 2009, five years after construction started.
Importance
The Burj Khalifa is important because it holds a large number of world records and brings an immense amount of tourists to Dubai. Some of its most prominent records are:
Tallest of the Supertall (Urban habitat ranking)
The world's highest outdoor observation deck
Tallest service elevator in the world
Burj Khalifa's elevator holds the longest travel distance in the world.
At 1,680 ft (512 m), it is the world's tallest installation of an aluminum and glass façade.
Along with the Burj Khalifa being the world's tallest building, it has also broken two other impressive records.
It won the tallest free-standing structure award, previously held by Toronto's CN Tower, and the tallest structure award, previously held by the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota.
Architecture & Design
The building's main construction is reinforced concrete, and part of the structural steel was obtained from the East Berlin Palace of the Republic, from the old East German parliament.
The construction was concluded in 2010 as part of the Downtown Dubai development.
The building was intended to serve as the focal point of large-scale mixed-use development.
The decision to build the skyscraper was based on the government's desire to diversify its economy away from oil and acquire worldwide prestige for Dubai.
The structure is named after the ruler of Abu Dhabi & president of the UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Abu Dhabi and the UAE government provided Dubai with money to cover its debts.
The structure set multiple height records, including being named the world's tallest building at the time.
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), which were responsible for designing Chicago's Willis Skyscraper (originally the Sears Tower) and New York City's One World Trade Center also, designed the Burj Khalifa.
The Willis Tower's bundled tube design, which was designed by Fazlur Rahman Khan, is used in the Burj Khalifa. Compared to the Empire State Building, the tubular design allowed for half the quantity of steel to be utilized in the construction.
Khan's contributions to tall buildings design have had a significant influence on architecture and engineering.
It would be impossible to identify any global practices in tall building design that have not been impacted by his work, either directly or indirectly.
The Illinois, a mile-high skyscraper proposed for Chicago, and Chicago's Lake Point Tower are both evocative of Frank Lloyd Wright's concept.
Adrian Smith thought as he glanced out of his office window at Lake Point Tower's curving three-wing layout as he was developing the project at SOM, 'There's the prototype'.
According to Strabala, the 73-story Tower Palace Three, an all-residential structure in Seoul, was the inspiration for the Burj Khalifa.
The Burj Khalifa was initially designed to be totally residential.
The architectural integration plans for the Armani Hotel, which is part of the tower, were also created by NORR.
GHD, a worldwide multifunctional consulting organization, was also hired by Emaar Properties to operate as an independent verification & testing authority for cement and steelwork.
The style in the Burj Khalifa is actually inspired by Islamic architecture.
There are 27 setbacks in a spiral pattern as the building rises from the flat desert foundation, reducing the cross-section of the tower as it climbs and providing handy outdoor terraces.
These setbacks are positioned and aligned to reduce vibration wind loads caused by eddy currents and vortices.
The primary core emerges at the top and is molded into a final spire.
The building sways 4.9 ft (1.5 m) at its highest point.
Aluminum & stainless-steel panels, upright stainless-steel tubular fins, and over 28,000 hand-cut glass panels make up the tower's exterior cladding.
Tourism
The Burj Khalifa is an extremely popular tourist destination that attracts thousands of tourists every month from all over the world.
Many popular tourist sites are also located near this tallest building, such as the Dubai Fountain, The Spiral Minaret at the Great Mosque of Samarra, various towers, and many popular buildings in Dubai.
While the Burj Khalifa has held the title of the world's tallest structure for over a decade, it is poised to face competition from yet another Dubai development project.
The Jeddah Tower, which would tower above the Burj Khalifa by an estimated 236 ft (72 m) if it ever opens, started building in 2013.
The Kingdom Tower in Jeddah was scheduled to open in 2021 and was estimated to be over 3,281 ft (1,000 m) tall.
History & Construction
The history of the Burj Khalifa and the construction work of the world's third-tallest building from ground level and up was indeed an architectural marvel. Here is some insight into it.
Samsung C&T, a South Korean firm that previously worked on the Petronas Twin Towers and Taipei 101, built the Burj Khalifa.
The building was erected as a joint venture between Samsung C&T, BESIX of Belgium, and Arabtec of the United Arab Emirates.
On the major construction contract, Turner was the project manager.
The outside cladding for Burj Khalifa was provided by Hong Kong-based Far East Aluminum.
Hyder Consulting was the project's contractor and engineer of record.
The contractor, as well as the engineer of record, are equally and severally accountable for Burj Khalifa's performance under UAE law.
Reinforced concrete makes up the better part of the construction and structural system.
For this project, Putzmeister developed the BSA 14000 SHP-D, a new ultra-high-pressure trailer concrete pump.
The building of the Burj Khalifa required 22 million man-hours and utilized 11,653,840 cubic ft (330,000 cubic m) of concrete.
Putzmeister pumped concrete with more than 21 MPA ultimate compressive strength of gravel from the foundation to the fourth level, and the remainder was via metal columns jacketed or coated with concrete to a then-record holder delivery height of 1,988 ft (606 m), or the 156th floor.
During the building of the top floors, three-floor cranes were utilized, each capable of lifting a 55,115.6 lb (2,5000 kg) weight.
The remainder of the construction work was made of lighter steel.
During peak construction, around 12,000 construction workers, mostly from South Asia, worked on the site.
FAQs
Is the Burj Khalifa built on water?
No, the Burj Khalifa building is not built on water. It is built on a desert foundation. However, the Dubai fountain is built on water. The Dubai Fountain is positioned between the Dubai Mall, Souk Al Bahar, and the Burj Khalifa on a 30 ac (12 ha) lake known as Burj Khalifa Lake or simply Burj Lake.
How old is the Burj Khalifa?
The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, is 12 years old.
What is the height of the Burj Khalifa?
The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest structure and skyscraper, with a full height of 2,722 ft (829.6 m) and a roof height of 2,717 ft (828 m).
Who lives on the top floor of the Burj Khalifa?
Level 160 is the top elevator-access level. Level 160 and the levels above are building mechanical equipment, telecoms equipment, and other not-usually-inhabited spaces.
Who built the Khalifa Tower?
The Burj Khalifa was built by a group headed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the very company that created the Sears Tower in Chicago, the world's tallest structure, until May 10, 2013.
Is the Burj Khalifa empty?
No, the Burj Khalifa is not empty. The Burj Khalifa was developed to house a wide variety of hospitality, residential, and business projects. Health facilities, office space, eateries, and observation decks are among the luxuries, which incorporate a hotel and luxury mansions designed by Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani.
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