Before modern Dubai, the city was just a bare desert. But following an oil boom in the UAE, unprecedented wealth followed for the Gulf nation. Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his successor, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, effected a plan. To convert the city into the world’s top tourist destination.
Part of the plan was building outlandish landmarks like the Burj Khalifa.
Towering over the city, at 2,717 feet tall with 160 floors, the Khalifa tower has smashed a myriad of Guinness World Record titles. And rightfully so!
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What to Know About Khalifa Tower
Design
- Burj Khalifa (former Burj Dubai) is 270,000 square meters. It’s a remarkable combination of historical and cultural influences complemented with cutting edge technology resulting in a high-performance building.
- Khalifa tower has high-performance glazing with Low E coating: The low-emissivity glass provides the tower with enhanced thermal insulation against the high temperatures in Dubai.
- The cool air temperatures, reduced air density, and reduced relative humidity at the top of the tower allow for more sustainability innovations. By withdrawing ventilation air at the top of the building, less energy for air conditioning, ventilation, and dehumidification is required for the building.
- The tower has one of the largest condensate recovery systems on the planet. It diverts and reuses water from air conditioning. The estimated water collected annually is equal in volume to 14 Olympic sized swimming pools.
- The building’s higher voltage reduces energy losses. This is through improved energy efficiency as compared to low voltage energy distribution.
- The structure’s management system (BMS) is based on low operational costs and an overall more efficient use of building resources and services
- The construction of the building was contracted by a subsidiary of Samsung Group. The group is not only renowned for its electronic products but construction as well. The company prides itself on the construction of many famous buildings around the world including Taipei 101 tower in Taipei.
Height
- Khalifa tower is 828 meters (2717 feet). The measurement includes the top of the spire which is considered an architectural element of the tower.
- Burj Khalifa has proudly owned the crown of the World’s Tallest Building for 10 years. This will likely remain so for another 3 to 5 years. However, in 2022 or later the tower will possibly transfer the crown to the much anticipated Dubai Creek Tower or Jeddah Tower.
- The highest occupied floor sits on a level 154-584m high from ground level.
- There are 3 observation decks on levels 124,125 and 148. Level 148 is currently the world’s highest observation deck at 555 meters high.
- There are a total of 2909 stars from the ground to the 160th floor.
World Records
- The tallest Man-Made Structure in the World:
Khalifa tower stands at 829.8 meters making it the tallest building in the world. The iconic, award-winning architecture is the epitome of building design and engineering in the modern world.
- The World’s Tallest Building Made From Guardian Glass:
The 829.9 meters building is clad with more than 174,000 square meters of Guardian SunGuard Solar Silver 20
- The highest fireworks on a building: More than 1.6 tonnes of fireworks were fired off from the Burj Khalifa on New Year’s Eve 2015.
- The most expensive billboard: In 2012, a 30-second advert featuring an XDubai jetpacking stuntman cost US$15,000 (Dhs55,000)
- Highest residential apartments: Burj Khalifa hosts the highest residential apartments at 385 meters above ground level
- The highest lounge in the world: At the top SKY lounge stands at an incomparable height of 585.36m
- The highest base jump: In 2014, base jumpers Fred Fugen and Vince Reffet leaped from the 828-meter tower.
- The largest light and sound show on a single structure: In 2018 New Year’s Eve the building’s light show saw 109,252 square meters of the Burj Khalifa’s façade light up simultaneously in a record-breaking, spectacular laser show.
Uses
- Khalifa tower is a mix of residential and commercial luxury apartments
- Level 39 and floors below are hotels or residences by Armani
- Level 108 to level 154 are office spaces. This is exclusive of levels 124,125 and level 148, which are the 3 separate observation decks for public sightseeing.
- There’s a restaurant at level 122-At.mosphere
- Level 154 to 163 are all mechanical floors
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The entire project cost 1.5 billion dollars, but the Burj Khalifa fee itself cost 1 billion dollars and deservedly so. The structure is the epitome of innovation, engineering excellence, and architectural design.
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