Building a skyscraper has obstacles that put any engineer's wits to the test. The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest structure, at 2,723 feet above the ground. This, however, was not possible without solving numerous important engineering design challenges. The main challenge that engineers had to overcome was how to keep the building rigid while being able to sway with the wind. They did this by using moving cables as the structural support system for the building.
The base of the tower is made of 880 concrete cylinders, which are attached to one another with steel rebar. These cylinders are 20 meters (66 ft) in diameter and rise up into the air like giant toothpicks. They weigh about 23 million pounds (10.9 million kg). At the top of the cylinder is an internal elevator, which carries visitors to the top of the building.
The total height of the building is almost as impressive as its weight. The foundation alone weighs 21 million pounds (9.5 million kg), and the entire structure is supported only by this thin layer of earth. In order to achieve such immense heights, engineers had to find a way to be able to construct the base of the tower without having to build it step by step. They did this by using prefabricated sections called modules. Each module is about 44 feet high and 9 feet wide and can be assembled on site into a single tower section.
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). It has 163 stories. The original plan was to build a 164th floor but this was never completed.
The building's name is an Arabic word for "tall" or "huge". It was built by the Dubai Islamic Bank which says it is the first Islamic bank in the world. The building is owned by the Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Guests can take a ride in a glass elevator to the top of the tower where there are restaurants and shops. There is also a viewing deck called the Top of the World that has great views of Dubai and across the Arabian Gulf.
The building was designed by F.R.I.E.N.D.S., an Italian company known for designing skyscrapers. They also designed the Pinnacle Tower in Toronto and the Philips Diamond Building in New York City. The building's construction was overseen by ARK Engineering & Design with assistance from Maximus Architecture. Buro Happold provided the structural engineering while Ericsson provided the phone system.
The Burj Khalifa, at over 828 meters (2,716.5 ft) and more than 160 floors, holds the following records: The world's highest structure. The tallest building in the world by height to top of roof. The tallest man-made structure on Earth.
Other notable buildings include the Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, the Vdara Hotel & Casino in Ras al Khaimah, and the Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai.
The majority of the buildings in Dubai are skyscrapers that can be as high as next-door-neighbor's ceiling. There are also many mid-rise buildings between 50 meters and 200 meters that house offices, shops, etc.
Skyscrapers are not only found in Dubai but all around the world. Some examples include Chicago's Willis Tower (847 m), New York's Petronas Twin Towers (820 m), London's Shard (747 m), Seoul's Lotte World Tower (730 m), and Moscow's Kunstkamera Museum (714 m).
There are three types of skyscrapers: office towers, luxury hotels, and residential buildings. Office towers usually have several levels of parking spaces, while luxury hotels usually do not have any ground floor area besides the entrance lobby.
Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, took six 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 more than 5 million square feet (480,000 m²) of floor space, which amounts to about 1.5 billion dollars worth of living rooms.
The main attraction of the tower is its incredible height. Although the name "Khalifa" means "prince" in Arabic, it also can mean "shell" or "bubble". This is because the Burj Khalifa lacks any kind of protective shell like other skyscrapers have. The only thing between you and death at the top of the tower is air pressure and your desire to go up there.
In fact, only one other major skyscraper doesn't have a protective shell: the World Trade Center. In 2001, when this picture was taken, both buildings were still under construction. But only the Burj Khalifa was ever intended to be open to the public. When September 11th happened, all plans for trade centers 2, 3, and 4 were canceled by their owners, who wanted nothing to do with another attack.
The world's only free-standing structure The world's greatest number of stories It is also the largest manmade object to have ever been built in the UAE.
It was originally thought to be a single floor building but investigations later revealed it to be a skyscraper with 32 floors below ground and 776.5 m (2,444 ft) above sea level. The building has since been expanded twice, in 2004 and 2013. It is currently being constructed under the direction of Al Habtoor Group who are responsible for its design and development.
Burj Khalifa was designed by Zaha Hadid before her death in 2016. The main architect behind the project was Matt Webb who is assisted by Alex Visser.
It cost $1.5 billion to build the tower and it is believed that it will be paid for by Mr Shaikh's fortune which is estimated to be $20 billion. The remainder of the money came from private investors who were given shares in the building as compensation for renting out space.
The Burj Khalifa is not just the world's tallest building, but it has also shattered two other amazing records: tallest structure (formerly held by the KVLY-TV tower in Blanchard, North Dakota) and highest free-standing structure (previously held by Toronto's CN Tower).
The Burj Khalifa was designed by Zaha Hadid and built by the Abu Dhabi government as a symbol of the city and its economy. It stands at 828 meters (2743 feet), making it nearly twice as high as the previous record holder, the 776-meter (2572-foot) Taipei 101 skyscraper. The Burj Khalifa is also almost as wide as it is tall. Its owner, the Dubai World corporation, is a subsidiary of the United Arab Emirates government.
Hadid used simple shapes and angles to create a building that looks like a slender needle piercing the sky, with four thin spokes emanating from its base. This form is typical of Middle Eastern architecture, which had an influence on European design during the late 20th century.
The building was conceived as a monument to the people of Abu Dhabi, but it has become more popular as an icon for Dubai, since it accounts for nearly one fifth of all buildings in the city.
Its height makes the Burj Khalifa visible from most parts of the globe, including many countries where air travel is common.