With its impressive size and design, this skyscraper in Dubai is something you must see in person, in order to recognize its real greatness…
The construction of the tallest building of the world began in 2004, and it was completed in 2010. This building was a part of the Downtown Dubai development, and the goal was to construct a building, which will bring Dubai international recognition and an enviable position in the world tourism market. Burj Khalifa has many uses, which include office spaces and restaurants, and it was named after the ruler of Abu Dhabi and leader of UAE, Khalif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Burj Khalifa was praised all over the world after it grand opening, even though it raised quite a few controversies during its construction.
Of course, when we’re talking about something that grandiose, the possibility of emerging of some interesting facts is really big. Some are maybe known, while others could be a little bit surprising. Burj Khalifa has many interesting details, while some of them may seem incredible. This time, we’re presenting you with ten facts which you (probably) didn’t know about this Dubai establishment.
10. This is the tallest building of the world
Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the entire world. You’re wondering how high it is? Well, it has an architectural height of 828 meters. That is the overall height from bottom to top of the tower. Second in height is the Shanghai Tower, 623 meters tall. As you can notice yourself, there is a large difference between the highest and the second highest building, which makes Burj Khalifa really impressive. In order to see the full picture, Burj Khalifa is three times taller than the Eifel tower!
9. Interiors
If you thought that its’ exterior is the only impressive thing about this building, make sure you check out its’ interiors. It doesn’t only contain office space – it also has some levels which you’d never imagine inside a building of this type. The observatory which is located inside this skyscraper is located 452 meters above ground. The tower itself has 163 floors above ground and one level beneath. It has 58 elevators, which move in the speed of 10 meters per second, which makes them one of the fastest elevators in the world. Also, there are 2.975 parking spaces, 304 hotels and 904 apartments here. If you’re worried or curious about the safety of the people inside the tower, do not worry – there is a special elevator system, created for controlled evacuations during incidents, safety threats, fires and other.
8. Its’ design is American, while its’ construction is South Korean.
Even though Burj Khalifa is located in Dubai, the concept of this project was created by an American company. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill have worked on the development of this project, on its structural system particularly, which aids the support of 160 and more floors, which are a part of this building. The construction of the tower is work of a South Korean company Samsung Engineering and Construction.
7. Multiple record holder
Of course, we already know that this building is the tallest one in the world, but did you know that Burj Khalifa holds many other world records? It is the tallest individual building, it has the tallest occupied floor, the most levels, elevators with the longest trails, the tallest service floor and a second tallest observatory.
6. A lot of work has been invested here
In order to set up a project which is high and spectacular as this, a lot of time and effort have been invested in its construction. In order to make Burj Khalifa the building what it is today, more than 22 million working hours were invested so the whole process of construction could be completed for a period of six years. During main business days, the site had more than 12,000 workers.
5. Incredible weight
If you think that the height of the tower is impressive, did you expect something different from its weight? Of course, a lot of material was used to build something this big. Huge amounts of aluminum were used for the creation of the Burj Khalifa, the severity of which is five times larger than one A380 aircraft. Of course, there was the steel, 55,000 tons, and 110,000 tons of concrete. In order to comprehend this nicely, Burj Khalifa weight is equal to the weight of 100,000 elephants. If we lined up all steel parts next to each other, they’d occupy an area of one quarter of the Earth's diameter.
4. Can you handle the heat?
Dubai is a city that can be quite hot. In doing so, we are not talking figuratively, but literally, as temperatures reach extreme values in this part of the country. The average summer temperature in Dubai is around 44 degrees Celsius. The highest recorded temperature was 52.2 degrees, and the warmest day was July 6, 2002. When you consider the heat, whatever building that is planned, must be able to withstand these extreme conditions. For this reason, over 300 Chinese experts were working on the isolation system that will be able to withstand the summer sun in this city.
3. A whole lot of power and energy
When in one building contains a lot of activities, you need a lot of resources so that they all run smoothly. As the Burj Khalifa tower is so massive, it requires about 250,000 gallons of water each day. About 80 to 100 gallons people use in their homes on a daily basis. It also uses a lot of electricity, which is equivalent to the energy consumed by 360,000 bulbs that are turned on at the same time.
2. Much cleaning
On the exterior, which has about 26,000 individually cut glass panels, it is a miracle that this building is cleaned regularly. Once again, the answer lies in something truly impressive. Burj Khalifa has over 12 machines, each aspiring to thirteen tons and clean each its path on the outer facade of the building. On each machine works 36 workers.
1. It is inspired by a flower
The design of this tower was inspired by the Hymenocallis, which is a flower that has long petals extending from its central core. It can be seen in tropical climates around the world. The name of this flower, translated from Greek means "beautiful cone". How is the flower associated with Burj Khalifa? Well, the building has wings, which are arranged around a central point, like the petals of a flower.
Do you know any interesting facts that we have not mentioned?
