BURJ KHALIFA
Introduction
Burj Khalifa,
Khalifa also spelled Khalifah, mixed-use skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that is the world’s tallest building,
according to all three of the main criteria by which such buildings are judged (see Researcher’s Note: Heights of Buildings). Burj Khalifa
(“Khalifa Tower”), known during construction as Burj Dubai, was officially named to honor
the leader of the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al Nahyan. Although the tower was formally
opened on January 4, 2010, the entirety of the interior was not complete at
that time. Built to house a variety of commercial, residential, and hospitality
ventures, the tower—whose intended height remained a closely guarded secret
throughout its construction—reached completion at 162 floors and a height of
2,717 feet (828 meters). It was designed by the Chicago-based architectural
firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Adrian Smith served as architect, and
William F. Baker served as structural engineer.
World Records
At over 828
metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds the
following records:
- Tallest building in the world.
- Tallest free-standing structure in the world.
- Highest number of stories in the world.
- Highest occupied floor in the world.
- Highest outdoor observation deck in the world.
- Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world.
- Tallest service elevator in the world.
Tallest of the Supertall
Not only is Burj Khalifa the world's tallest building but it
has also broken two other impressive records: tallest structure, previously
held by the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota, and tallest free-standing
structure, previously held by Toronto's CN Tower. The Chicago-based Council on
Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has established 3 criteria to
determine what makes a tall building tall. Burj Khalifa wins by far in all
three categories.
Height to architectural top
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian
entrance to the architectural top of the building. This includes spires but
does not include antennae, signage, flagpoles or other functional-technical
equipment. This measurement is the most widely used and is used to define the
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat rankings of the Tallest Buildings
in the World.
Highest occupied floor
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest continually occupied floor within the building. Maintenance areas are not included.Height to tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element. This includes antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment.10 FUN FACTS ABOUT BURJ KHALIFA
- The Burj Khalifa height is a staggering 828 meters (2716.5 feet) tall, soaring over Dubai. It’s three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower and nearly twice as tall as the Empire State Building. Laid end to end, its pieces stretch over a quarter of the way around the world. It’s cloud-piercing height is certainly one of the most impressive facts about Bruj Khalifa.
- Aside from holding the world record for being the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa holds six other world records. The Burj Khalifa is also the tallest freestanding structure in the world, has the highest number of stories in the world, has the highest occupied floor in the world, has the highest outdoor observation deck in the world, has the elevator with longest travel distance in the world, and has the tallest service elevator in the world.
- One of the most mind blowing Burj Khalifa facts is how much the materials weigh. To put things in to perspective, the weight of the concrete is equivalent to 100,000 elephants. The total weight of aluminum used on the Burj Khalifa is equivalent to that of five A380 aircraft.
- Burj Khalifa fun facts that you can truly applaud are its sustainability and reuse of resources. Every year 15 million gallons of water are collected sustainably. The water is used for irrigation to water the landscaping and plants, for the cooling system and to supply the Dubai Fountain.
- Some Burj Khalifa trivia about the elevators: the building has the longest single running elevator, which is 140 floors. The Burj Khalifa elevator speed is 10 meters per second, making the elevators among the fastest in the world. The Burj Khalifa elevator time to reach the observation deck on the 124th floor is only one minute.
- One of the lesser known and more interesting facts about Burj Khalifa is that the tip of the sphere of the Burj Khalifa can be seen from up to 95 kilometers away.
- Fairly known Burj Khalifa information is that at the peak of construction, 12,000 workers worked on the building per day.