When the world's tallest structure, the Burj Dubai, completed in January 2010, it was renamed the Burj Khalifa at the last minute as a gesture to the Abu Dhabi royal family, who had handed its neighbor a $20 billion debt bailout lifeline (PS12.7bn; 16.4bn euros). The tower is also called "The Torch" because of its resemblance to the torch used by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of UAE and father of the current ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan.
The tower was originally going to be named "Freedom Tower" but this name was rejected by the Civil Rights Movement for America because it would have been considered a political statement. The original plan was to call the building "The World Trade Center Towers", but this name was also rejected by Mayor Giuliani because it would have been seen as a statement about his view on terrorism.
Finally, after much debate, they decided to call the building the "Burj Khalifa". This name was chosen because it is the famous nickname of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who proposed the idea of the tower to his government before he died. The tower is also called the "Archer" because of its resemblance to a bow and arrow. But this name was never used during construction because it would have been considered racist by some people.
The Burj Khalifa (Arabic: brj khlyf@, Arabic for "Khalifa Tower"; pronounced English:/'be: rdZ k@'li: f@/), formerly known as the Burj Dubai before its 2010 inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 2,723 feet (837 m) tall, it is the tallest building in the world. The building also holds the record for the fastest-rising building completion time with only 4 months required to build the structure up from zero floors to its current height.
In addition to being a landmark and symbol of Dubai's prosperity, the Burj Khalifa is also considered by some experts to be an architectural mistake. They claim that it does not comply with the original design of its owner, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and instead was built according to American engineering standards which makes it look small compared to its neighboring buildings.
The building was originally intended to be just over 3,000 feet (914 m) tall but increased capacity calculations at the top floor resulted in the extra 70 meters being added in stages throughout its construction. It was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster who called it his "giant cupcake" due to its shape. The main body of the building is decorated with layers of colored glass etched with gold leaf which reflect sunlight during morning and evening colors shows.
Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, took 6 years to build and was inaugurated on January 4, 2010. The building is 828 meters tall, and the entire system is made of reinforced concrete towers. It contains over 100 rooms and can accommodate up to 2,300 people.
The main attraction of the tower is its incredible design. The thing that first catches your eye is the spire, which reaches 331 m above ground level. This makes it the highest freestanding structure in the world.
But what is interesting about this building is not only its height, but also its shape. The designer, Binyamin Elia, chose to use the technique of self-skinning instead of employing any form of external scaffolding. This means that the whole exterior is composed of pre-cast panels that are brought to the site and then connected together without any support inside the structure.
This way, the building's mass is distributed evenly and there are no visible supports inside or out. Also, there are no workers living on the top either! All the amenities needed for a full life are located at the bottom of the building, including a supermarket, restaurants, bars, etc.
The Burj Khalifa /Began operations on January 4, 2010
Burj Khalifa ("Khalifa Tower"), known as Burj Dubai during construction, was formally named after the ruler of the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al Nahyan. Although the skyscraper was publicly inaugurated on January 4, 2010, the interior was not finished at the time.
Since its completion in 2009, the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and skyscraper in the world, with a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft) and a roof height (without antenna) of 828 m (2,717 ft). The Burj Khalifa's construction began in 2004, with the exterior finished five years later in 2009. It is located near Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
In terms of volume, it is the largest building in the world. With a gross floor area of 2,716,800 m² (30,000,000 sq ft), the tower uses about 9 million L of water per day. The observation deck occupies 20 floors above the 8th floor, or 100 meters, of the tower. Visitors can purchase tickets for the ride up here which costs $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12 years old.
The elevator has four cars and takes about 3 minutes to climb from the ground level to the top. There are also two other elevators but they only go as high as the 39th floor.
As you might expect given its name, the "Khalifa" means "successor" in Arabic. It was built by the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam as a replacement to the Burj Al Arab, a similar design hotel that stands across the street from the Burj Khalifa.
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