The Burj Khalifa is a high-rise building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest building in the world since 2009, with a height of 829.8 meters. It is also called Khalifa Tower. It is a 163 storied mega-tall skyscraper. It was inaugurated on 4th January 2010. This skyscraper was named in honor of the president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
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| Fig 1. The Burj Khalifa |
DESIGN OF BURJ KHALIFA
The Burj Khalifa was designed by Adrian D. Smith, the chief architect of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) LLP, an American architectural and engineering firm. In 2004, the building construction started and by 2009, all the exterior works are completed. The building is designed in such a way that it can withstand the hot climatic conditions. The chief structural engineer of the building was William Frazier Baker, the structural engineering partner of SOM.
Samsung C&T was the main contractor and the overall construction was by the Al Ghurair investment group. Emaar properties are the owner of the building.The building has 57 elevators and 8 escalators.The design of the building is in reference with the Islamic Architecture. Several world records are there for the building. Also, it has won several awards.
Samsung C&T was the main contractor and the overall construction was by the Al Ghurair investment group. Emaar properties are the owner of the building.The building has 57 elevators and 8 escalators.The design of the building is in reference with the Islamic Architecture. Several world records are there for the building. Also, it has won several awards.
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Major engineering partners involved in the execution of the mega-tall building are,
- Emaar properties
- NORR group
- Hyder Consulting
- Al Ghurair Investment group
- Turner International LLC
- Samsung C&T Corporation
- Kinemetrics Inc
- Far East Global Group
- Rolf Jenson and Associates
- Lerch Bates
- Fisher Marantz Stone
- SWA group
- Hirsch Bedner Associates
- Walker Parking Consultants
- Besix
- Arabtec
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| Fig 3. Dubai Fountain |
The construction of the building was started on 21st September 2004 and was completed on 31st December 2009. Before its inauguration, it was known as the Burj Dubai. The Dubai Foundation, an outdoor observation deck, the Burj Khalifa park, are the main attractive tourist features of the building. In 2010, Burj Khalifa won the best project of the year award at the Middle East Architects Award 2010.
The building has a total number of 900 apartments and with 304 hotel rooms. The building has about 2957 parking spaces.The Burj Khalifa is one of the major tourist destinations of Dubai. Online ticket booking facilities are there for witnessing the panoramic views of the building.
