Burj Khalifa (Arabic: برج خليفة‎‎, Arabic for "Khalifa Tower"; pronounced English /ˈbɜːrdʒ kəˈliːfə/), known as Burj Dubai before its inauguration, is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest structure in the world, standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft).[4][9]

Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004, with the exterior completed in 2009. The primary structure is reinforced concrete. The building was opened in 2010 as part of a new development called Downtown Dubai. It is designed to be the centerpiece of large-scale, mixed-use development. The decision to build the building is reportedly based on the government's decision to diversify from an oil-based economy, and for Dubai to gain international recognition. The building was named in honor of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Abu Dhabi and the UAE government lent Dubai money to pay its debts. The building broke numerous height records, like being the tallest tower in the world.

Burj Khalifa was designed by Adrian Smith, then of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), whose firm designed the Willis Tower and One World Trade Center. Hyder Consulting was chosen to be the supervising engineer with NORR Group Consultants International Limited chosen to supervise the architecture of the project. The design of Burj Khalifa is derived from patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture, incorporating cultural and historical elements particular to the region, such as in the Great Mosque of Samarra. The Y-shaped plan is designed for residential and hotel usage. A buttressed core structural system is used to support the height of the building, and the cladding system is designed to withstand Dubai's summer temperatures. A total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators .

Development Edit

Construction began on 6 January 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010,[2][10] and is part of the new 2 km2 (490-acre) development called Downtown Dubai at the 'First Interchange' along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district. The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago, with Adrian Smith as chief architect, and Bill Baker as chief structural engineer.[11][12] The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea.[13] The tower's construction was done by the construction division of Al Ghurair Investment group.[14][15]

Conception Edit

Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels (including The Address Downtown Dubai), 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) man-made Burj Khalifa Lake. The decision to build Burj Khalifa is reportedly based on the government's decision to diversify from an oil based economy to one that is service and tourism based. According to officials, it is necessary for projects like Burj Khalifa to be built in the city to garner more international recognition, and hence investment. "He (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) wanted to put Dubai on the map with something really sensational," said Jacqui Josephson, a tourism and VIP delegations executive at Nakheel Properties.[16] The tower was known as Burj Dubai ("Dubai Tower" until its official opening in January 2010.[17] It was renamed in honor of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Abu Dhabi and the federal government of UAE lent Dubai tens of billions of USD so that Dubai could pay its debts – Dubai borrowed at least $80 billion for construction projects.[17] In 2000s, Dubai started diversifying its economy but it suffered from an economic crisis in 2007–2010, leaving large scale projects already in construction abandoned.

Records Edit
Tallest existing structure: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m or 2,063 ft)
Tallest structure ever built: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m or 2,121 ft)
Tallest freestanding structure: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m or 1,815 ft)
Tallest skyscraper (to top of spire): 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m or 1,671 ft)
Tallest skyscraper to top of antenna: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower – 527.3 m or 1,730 ft)
Building with most floors: 163 (previously World Trade Center – 110)[18]
Building with world's highest occupied floor: 584.5 m (1,918 ft)[19][20]
World's highest elevator installation (situated inside a rod at the very top of the building)[21]
World's longest travel distance elevators: 504 m (1,654 ft)[21][22]
Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft)[23]
World's tallest structure that includes residential space[24]
World's highest observation deck: 148th floor at 555 m (1,821 ft)[25][26]
World's highest outdoor observation deck: 124th floor at 452 m (1,483 ft)
World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade: 512 m (1,680 ft)[27]
World's highest nightclub: 144th floor
World's highest restaurant (At.mosphere): 122nd floor at 442 m (1,450 ft) (previously 360, at a height of 350 m (1,148 ft) in CN Tower)[28][29]
World's highest New Year display of fireworks.[30]
World's second highest swimming pool: 76th floor[31] (world's highest swimming pool is located on 118th floor of Ritz-Carlton Hotel at International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong).

this is awesome

twinskenny:
this is awesome

it really is

Wow, abeg make una sponsor me to Dubai to take a view, but truly awesome, as in beautiful.

Wow

Adenle041:
Wow, abeg make una sponsor me to Dubai to take a view, but truly awesome, as in beautiful.

lol...where d money dey?

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1. The Burj Khalifa stands at 828 meters (2,716.5 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, it pieces stretch over a quarter of the way around the world.


Views of the Dubai Fountain from the top of the Burj Khalifa
2. Aside from holding the World Record for being the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa holds six other World Records: tallest freestanding 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 longest travel distance in the world, and tallest service elevator in the world.


Views of Dubai and stretching the Persian Gulf from the top of the Burj Khalifa
3. The weight of the concrete is equivalent to 100,000 elephants. The total weight of aluminum used on Burj Khalifa is equivalent to that of five A380 aircraft.

4. Every year 15 million gallons of water are collected sustainably.


5. It has the longest single running elevator, which is 140 floors. The elevators go 10 meters per second and are among the fastest in the world. It took us approximately only one minute to reach the observation deck on the 124th floor.


Craning our necks to look up at the sphere from the ground level
6. The tip of the sphere of the Burj Khalifa can be seen up to 95 kilometers away.

7. At the peak of construction, 12,000 workers worked on the building per day.

8. It took more than 110,000 tons of concrete, 55,000 tons of steel rebar, and 22 million man-hours to complete the Burj Khalifa.


Burj Khalifa still stretches up for many more stories from the observation deck
9. Excavation began in January 2004. Six years later, the Burj Khalifa finally opened in January 2010.

10. Burj Khalifa is designed to resemble the Hymenocallis flower; the central core emerges at the top and culminates in a sculpted spire.

View of the the Dubai Fountain from the top of the Burj Khalifa

Following with keen interest.

View of Dubai and stretching the Persian Gulf from the top of the Burj Khalifa

The uae is set to displace many dso called eveloped countries in term of architectural and luxurious cities.

All this tallest, biggest whatever is to compensate for lack of girth

Are you mocking us
are you reminding us that we are so poor and can't afford a visit to the location

its not your fault

I blame APC for this

So no news again,op how can this poo hit fp

Dubai.
from desert to Wonderland.
Naija... which way?

God is behind the brain that built it.

God gimme tu money tu employ brains like those dat built it. 8-)

how do they manage to build it so high?

Every human must be made to study engineering first, before going to pursue their dreams. Engineering is beautiful. Engineering is life.

n3xt:
Following with keen interest.

Clash of Clans

OP , who that building don EPP?Buruji kashamu ko, Wiz Khalifa ni .....

I will be there this year

Viktoreze:
View of the the Dubai Fountain from the top of the Burj Khalifa

Clash of Clans

i know the place naaa infact am on 30th floor with friends right now....the building is cool oooo........ You need foto Wait I dey come

sign if END TIME

was there in July 2014.............. is a place for a tourist

I can't imagine myself up there! It's too high. I'd be thinking negative things like 9/11 all the time

e go better

America never reason their matter

These are the kind of topics that should make FP often, not all those CRAP!!!

@seun
@lalasticlala

Wetin de for dat up up