BURJ KHALIFA

Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper located in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) that is, with a height of 828 meters, the tallest structure in the world built by humans. The start of the work dates back to 2004 and was completed in 2010.

The tallest building in the world

The Burj Khalifa is, at 828 meters (2,717 feet) the tallest skyscraper in the world to date. Snatching the first position from Taipei 101, in northern Taiwan, in 2007, which at that time had a height of 509 meters and 106 floors.

Likewise, it also surpasses structures such as the National Tower of Canada, with a height that exceeds 553 meters, and that of the KVLY-TV telecommunications tower of the NBC channel, with more than 628 meters, located in North Dakota.

The Burj Khalifa has a total of 189 levels and finds its highest point at 768 meters, then an antenna rises to reach its highest point (828 meters).

Distribution

The Burj Khalifa includes in the distribution of its floors a hotel from the Armani firm that occupies 37 of them. Likewise, another residential part that includes around 700 luxury homes. The rest of the levels are occupied by offices. On the 124th floor there is an exclusive viewpoint frequented by tourists called "At The Top".

At the Top

It is an observation platform that is located on the 124th floor of the building, located approximately 442 meters high, which can be accessed by elevator. In it, the floor and walls are made of glass, which allows you to see the city of Dubai almost from a bird's eye view, with a 360º vision.

Likewise, on the 148th floor there is another viewpoint, located 555 meters away, also glass-enclosed, called "At the Top SKY".

History and opening

The construction of Burj Khalifa started from September 2004 to be conceived as one more part of a larger luxury complex called Downtown Dubai.

Its name is due to Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahayan, the Sheikh and President of the United Arab Emirates.

The American architect Adrian Smith was in charge of the project for this skyscraper, who worked together with the engineering and architecture studio SOM (Skidmore, Owings and Merril) until 2006.

In October 2009, five years after the start of the work, the creation of the external structure was completed.

It was not until January 4, 2010 when it was inaugurated with a spectacular opening ceremony. Then the Urbaco Council of Tall Buildings and Habitat recognized it as the tallest building in the world, thus officially surpassing Taipei 101, which had held the title until then.

Curiosities of Burj Khalifa

• The Burj Khalifa is visible from 95 kilometers away.
• The construction of the skyscraper had an approximate cost of 1.5 billion dollars.
• During the work, 330,000 m³ of concrete were used.
• At the opening ceremony, it is estimated that more than 10,000 fireworks were launched and that more than 6,000 guests attended.
• The building has 57 elevators that go at a speed of 10 m/s.
• The Jeddah Tower (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), a building under construction, by the same architect as the Burj Khalifa, aspires to snatch the title of “tallest building in the world”.
• It is estimated that on the busiest days of construction there were around 12,000 workers dedicated to the Burj Khalifa.
• The exterior of the building is covered with 26,000 glass panels, designed to withstand high temperatures.
• Before its inauguration it was going to be baptized as Burj Dubai, however the name was changed in honor of the president of the United Arab Emirates.
• Initially, Australia was thought of as the location of the building.
• The building requires almost 1 million liters of water daily to be supplied.
• It is estimated that its approximate weight may be 500,000 tons.