Global skyscrapers - Burj Khalifa: the world’s tallest structure
Gone are the times when people stood in awe beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris or New York’s Empire State Building. The luxurious French building held the title of tallest building for an impressive 41 weeks, and the legendary American skyscraper for 23 years. Today, there are countless high-rises all over the world. Their height keeps increasing and the objective is clear – to overcome the existing boundaries.
Burj Khalifa – a symbol of esteem
This luxurious building, the tallest in the world with its 838 metres and a symbol of Dubai’s success, was supposed to be called Burj Dubai. In the end, the name was changed, and as an expression of thanks the skyscraper bears the name of the Emirati president Burj Khalifa. The opening ceremony was held on 4 January 2010.
Built in the desert, and yet unique
The most critical problem that had to be dealt with was the sandy desert subsoil. Equally important was the building’s resilience to high temperatures, which can rise to 50 °C in Dubai. On top of that, the architects were required to build a reference to Islamic culture into the structure. They managed all these tasks admirably well.
Luxurious inspiration from nature
Inspiration from nature is obvious when looking at the skyscraper, coming in particular from a flower called the spider lily. They Y-shaped ground-plan guarantees the even distribution of around 500,000 tonnes. The building tapers towards the top and creates the illusion of a luxurious spiral, which is a characteristic symbol of Islamic architecture. In total, 120,000 m2 of glass panes were used, with special solar and thermal characteristics that prevent the reflection of sunlight and protect against strong winds.
Do you like numbers?
The heart of the structure is a hexagonal core combined with support pilots which protect the building from gusts of wind. The stability of the foundations is ensured by 192 pilots drilled into a depth of 50 metres and a base plate that weighs 10,000 tonnes. The building required 230,000 cubic metres of concrete, 31,000 tonnes of steel and 24,000 glass panels. There are 54 elevators in the building, which houses offices, apartments and an Armani Hotel. There are two public lookout platforms: on the 124th floor (425 metres) and on the 148th floor (555 metres). The building has 189 floors in total.
