Dubai officially inaugurated the centerpiece of its decade-long construction boom to coincide with the 4th anniversary of Accession Day of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and with the surprise revelation that the world-beating 168-story skyscraper seen by some as a symbol of the city’s economic excess was even bigger than previously thought.
The Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai has been officially recorded as 828 meters tall, adding 10 meters on to previous height claims. Six years in the making, and now 319 meters higher than previous skyscraping record-holder Taipei 101, Dubai’s newest masterpiece offers dizzying views of the ambitious building program that has transformed the emirate of Dubai.
One of the most interesting things about the Burj Khalifa project is that it pushed all the boundaries of design, construction and engineering and had over 60 consultants from over 100 countries.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is a shining example of global collaboration. Every element was a challenge and it pushed the boundaries. One challenge was the skin of the building in achieving the right colour, the right finish and the right structure including the ability to handle wind, earthquake, water and so on which is just some of the things that makes the building so beautiful. The top of the Burj is monitored electronically all the time and the building is extremely resilient.
The project did not need any financing due to the fact that 90% was already sold when construction began. Not only were all costs covered but a profit was also made.
Dubai first announced plans to build the Burj Khalifa in January 2004, and six years later the building has become a reality. Up to 12,000 people will live, work and play inside the world’s tallest building.
The tower is the focal point of the 500 acre master planned community Downtown Burj Dubai, which is widely described as the most prestigious square kilometre on Earth. It pushed the boundaries of design and engineering further than many thought possible.
The construction underground is as fascinating as the tower itself, more than 45,000 cubic metres of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes, make up the tower’s steel-reinforced foundations, with 192 piles running to a depth of more than 50 metres.
Work on the Burj Khalifa tower superstructure began in March 2005, with the foundation work alone taking 12 months. The distinctive triple-buttressed outline of the Burj Khalifa was inspired by the desert lily hymenocallis.
Extensive seismic and wind tunnel testing was carried out to perfect the design of the tower. Once the lengthy construction work on the foundations was completed the vertical ascent of the Burj Khalifa was surprisingly fast. The first 100 levels of the tower were completed only 1,093 days after excavation started. A level was added every three days before the uppermost levels were reached. The spire may resemble a needle at ground level, but in reality it is a colossal structure made up of 4,000 tonnes of steel.
With a total built-up area of around six million sq ft, the Burj Khalifa is set to become a living community in the heart of the city.