The BURJ KHALIFA Highlights

The worlds’ tallest structure lies in the heart of Dubai, rising gracefully from the desert and honoring Dubai with an awesome majestic glow, the Burj Khalifa, was previously otherwise known as Burj Dubai,  a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  “Burj” is Arabic for “Tower” and records has it that Burj Khalifa is :

• the tallest manmade structure in the world, with the height of  829.84 m or 2,723 feet and presently recorded as thefirst world’s tallest building since prehistoric times to include residential space. It has surpassed the KVLY-TV Tower in North Dakota and the Warszawa Radio Mast; the previous tallest structure ever built. It became the world’s tallest high-rise building on July 24, 2007, and the world’s tallest self-supporting structure on September 12, 2007.
• designed by Adrian D. Smith, FAIA, RIBA Design Partner at Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP.
• built on a man-made lake which was designed to wrap around the tower and to produce dramatic views of the structure. The building sits on a concrete and steel podium with 192 piles descending to a depth of more than 50 meters (164 feet).
• The tower’s architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owingsand Merrill of Chicago, with Adrian Smith as chief architect, and Bill Baker as chief structural engineer.  The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea.
• The total cost for the project was about US$1.5 billion.
•  The total cost for the entire “Downtown Dubai” development was US$20 billion.

• 

  The Burj Khalifa Fountain (Photo Source: Wikipedia)

  The condensation water collected from the A/C system was equivalent to 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools per year, and in turn, used for landscaping.

• The construction began on 21 September 2004, and the exterior of the structure was completed on 1 October 2009. Over 330,000 cubic meters of concrete and 31,400 metric tons of steel rebar was used at the completion of the tower.
• The building officially opened on 4 January 2010, and has become part of the flagship development called Downtown Dubai which covers 490-acres at the ‘First Interchange’ along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai’s main business district.
• The Burj Dubai had its name officially changed to Burj Khalifa during its grand opening in honor of the president of the U.A.E. H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan for his crucial support. The project’s completion has coincided with the global financial crisis of 2007–2012, which led to high vacancies and foreclosures. With Dubai deep in debt from its huge endeavor, the government was forced to seek multibillion dollar bailouts from its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi.

In comparison, Burj Khalifa holds the following Records:

• Tallest existing structure: 829.84 m.  or 2,723 ft.;   (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m/2,063 ft)
• Tallest structure ever built: 829.84 m. or 2,723 ft.;  (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m/2,121 ft.)
• Tallest freestanding structure: 829.84 m. or 2,723 ft.; (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m/1,815 ft.)
• Tallest skyscraper (to top of spire): 829.84 m or 2,723 ft.; (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m/1,671 ft.)
• Tallest skyscraper to top of antenna: 829.84 m or 2,723 ft.; (previously the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower – 527 m/1,729 ft.)
• Building with most floors: 163     ;     (previously Willis (formerly Sears) Tower – 108)
• Building with world’s highest occupied floor
• World’s highest elevator installation  which is situated inside a rod at the very top of the building
• World’s fastest elevators: 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft./s) (previously Taipei 101 –16.83 m/s)
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft.) (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m/1,474 ft.)
• First world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space
• World’s second highest outdoor observation deck: 124th floor at 452 m (1,483 ft.) When it first opened, the observation deck was the highest outdoor observation deck in the World, but it has since been surpassed by Cloud Top 488 on top of Canton Tower.
• World’s highest installation of an aluminum and glass façade: 512 m (1,680 ft.)
• World’s highest nightclub is on the 144th floor
• World’s highest restaurant (Atmosphere): 122nd floor at 442 m (1,450 ft.) (previously 360, at a height of 350 m/1,148 ft. in CN Tower)
• World’s highest New Year display of fireworks.
• World’s second highest swimming pool: 76th floor (world’s highest swimming pool is located on 118th floor of Ritz-Carlton Hotel at International Commerce Centre, Hong-Kong).

The totality of Burj Khalifa is truly unlike any of the other landmarks; exceeding the limits and expectations of people around the globe.