Dubai helicopter Downtown tour

Burj Al Arab برج العرب
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab in 2007
Interactive map of the Burj Al Arab برج العرب area
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Luxury hotel
Architectural style	Structural expressionism
Location	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Construction started	10 July 1994; 31 years ago (1994-07-10)
Completed	1999; 27 years ago (1999)
Opening	1 December 1999; 26 years ago (1999-12-01)[1]
Cost	US$1 billion[2]
Management	Jumeirah
Height
Architectural	321 m (1,053 ft)
Top floor	197.5 m (648 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	56 (3 below ground)[3]
Lifts/elevators	18[3]
Design and construction
Architect	Tom Wright of WKA
Developer	Jumeirah Group
Structural engineer	Atkins
Main contractor	Murray & Roberts / Concor
Other information
Number of rooms	202[3]
Website
www.jumeirah.com/en/stay/dubai/burj-al-arab-jumeirah
References
[3][4][5][6][7]

The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, lit. 'Arab Tower'), commonly known as Burj Al Arab, is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.^[8] Developed and managed by Jumeirah, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space.^[9][10][11] Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island that is 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a dhow.^[12] It has a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.

The beachfront area where Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach.^[13] The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land, 280 m (920 ft) offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The former hotel was demolished during the construction of the Burj Al Arab.^[14] The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tanks, known locally as Kazzans, on the site.^[13]

The Burj Al Arab was designed by the British multidisciplinary consultancy Atkins, led by architect Tom Wright of WKA. He came up with the iconic design and signature translucent fiberglass facade that serves as a shield from the desert sun during the day and as a screen for illumination at night.^[15] The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory, and construction managed by David Kirby also of WS Atkins. The Burj Al Arab's interior is by British-Chinese designer Khuan Chew. Construction of the island began in 1994 and involved up to 2,000 construction workers during peak construction. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The setting of a high rise building on saturated soil and the novelty of the project required groundbreaking dynamic analysis and design to take into consideration soil-structure interaction, effect of water, high winds, and helipad among other loads, to help finalize the design and take the project into construction.^{[16][failed verification]}

The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts, now renamed Concor and Al Habtoor Engineering. The interior designs were led and created by Khuan Chew and John Carolan of KCA international and delivered by UAE based Depa Group.^[17]

The building opened on 1 December 1999.^[1] The New Year's Eve fireworks celebration originated in 2000 with the inauguration of the United Arab Emirates.

The hotel's helipad was designed by Irish architect Rebecca Gernon.^[18] The helipad is at the building's 28th floor, and the helipad been used as a car race track, a boxing ring, has hosted a tennis match, and the jumping off point for the highest kite surfing jump in history.^[19]

In 2017, the hotel hosted the wedding of Daniel Kinahan, head of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group.^[20] The wedding was attended by several prominent drug traffickers, such as Ridouan Taghi, Edin Gačanin, 'Ricardo (El Rico) Riquelme Vega, and Raffaele Imperiale.^[20]

Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 40-metre-long (130 ft) concrete piles into the sand by drilling method.^[21]

Engineers created a ground surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m³ (92,000 yd³) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.^[21]

Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.^[22]

Given the height of the building, the Burj Al Arab is the world's fifth tallest hotel after Gevora Hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur and Rose and Rayhaan by Rotana. But if buildings with mixed use were stripped off the list, the Burj Al Arab would be the world's third tallest hotel. The structure of the Rose Rayhaan, also in Dubai, is 333 metres (1,093 ft) tall,^[23] 12 m (39 ft) taller than the Burj Al Arab, which is 321 metres (1,053 ft) tall.^[23]The Burj Al Arab's helipad, located 210 meters above ground, has been the site of several high-profile events, including a tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, and stunts by Red Bull athletes.^{[citation needed]}

The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. The hotel has 199 exclusive suites each allocated eight dedicated staff members and a 24-hour butler service.^[24] The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m² (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m² (8,400 sq ft).^[25]

The Royal Suite, billed at US$24,000 per night, is listed at number 12 on World's 15 most expensive hotel suites compiled by CNN Go in 2012.^[26]

The Burj Al Arab is very popular with the Chinese market, which made up 25 percent of all bookings at the hotel in 2011 and 2012.^[27]

There are six restaurants in the hotel, including:

Al Muntaha ("The Ultimate"), is located 200 m (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator.^{[citation needed]}

Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 L (260,000 US gal) of water. The wall of the tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.^{[citation needed]}

While the hotel has sometimes been described as "the world's only 'seven-star' hotel", the hotel management claims never to have done so themselves. The term appeared due to a British journalist who had visited the hotel on a tour before it was officially opened. The journalist described Burj al Arab as "more than anything she has ever seen" and therefore referred to it as a seven-star hotel.^[28] A Jumeirah Group spokesperson said "There's not a lot we can do to stop it. We're not encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising."^[29]

Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be."^[25] The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel's decor. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes negative critiques for the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance."^[25] Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab ... The result is a baroque effect".^[25]

The last chapter of the espionage novel Performance Anomalies^[30][31] takes place at the top of the Burj Al Arab,^[32] where the spy protagonist Cono 7Q discovers that through deadly betrayal his spy nemesis Katerina has maneuvered herself into the top echelon of the government of Kazakhstan. The hotel can also be seen in Syriana and also some Bollywood movies.^[which?]

Richard Hammond included the building in his television series Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections.

The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab serves as the cover image for the 2009 album Ocean Eyes by Owl City.

The Burj Al Arab was the site of the last task of the fifth episode of the first season of the Chinese edition of The Amazing Race, where teams had to clean up a room to the hotel's standards.^[33][34]

The building is featured in Matthew Reilly's novel The Six Sacred Stones, where a kamikaze pilot crashes a plane into the hotel, destroying it in an attempt to kill the protagonist, Jack West Jr.

The building was the location of the main challenge of the ninth episode of the Canadian-American animated television series Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race,^[35] where contestants were tasked to either return a serve from a tennis robot on the hotel's helipad, or squeegee an entire column of the hotel's windows.

• W Barcelona (Hotel Vela) – skyscraper of similar appearance in Barcelona, Spain (sail)
• Oman TiT – residential skyscraper of similar appearance in Taipei, Taiwan (sail)
• Elite Plaza – a similar-shaped skyscraper in Yerevan, Armenia
• JW Marriott Panama (Panama City) – similar structure
• Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth – similar structure in Portsmouth, UK
• Vasco da Gama Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Lisbon, Portugal (sail)
• Sail Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Haifa, Israel (sail)
• List of tallest buildings in the United Arab Emirates
• List of buildings in Dubai
• List of tallest buildings in Dubai

• Rose, Steve (28 November 2005). "Architecture: Sand and freedom". The Guardian.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Burj Al Arab (category)

• Official website

Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the U.A.E.

"Sheikh Zayed Mosque" redirects here. For other uses, see Sheikh Zayed Mosque (disambiguation).

Location within the Middle East

Show map of Middle East

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
جَامِع ٱلشَّيْخ زَايِد ٱلْكَبِيْر‎
View of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque from the courtyard, 2018
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Location
Location	Abu Dhabi
Country	United Arab Emirates
Location within the UAE Show map of United Arab Emirates

Coordinates 24°24′43.2″N 54°28′26.4″E / 24.412000°N 54.474000°E / 24.412000; 54.474000ArchitectureArchitectYusef AbdelkiStyleIslamicGroundbreaking1996Completed2007Construction costDhs2 billion (US$545 million)SpecificationsCapacity41,000+Length420 m (1,380 ft)Width290 m (950 ft)Dome82 domes of 7 different sizesDome height (outer)85 m (279 ft)Dome dia. (outer)32.2 m (106 ft)Minaret4Minaret height104 m (341 ft)Website

مركز جامع الشيخ زايد الكبير‎

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (Arabic: جَامِع ٱلشَّيْخ زَايِد ٱلْكَبِيْر Jāmiʿ Aš-Šaykh Zāyid Al-Kabīr) is a mosque located in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.^[1] It is the country's largest mosque, and is the key place of worship for daily Islamic prayers. There is a smaller replica of this mosque in Surakarta, a city in Indonesia.^[2]

The Grand Mosque was constructed between 1994 and 2007 and was inaugurated in December 2007.^[3] The building complex measures approximately 290 by 420 m (950 by 1,380 ft), covering an area of more than 12 hectares (30 acres), excluding exterior landscaping and vehicle parking. The main axis of the building is rotated about 12° south of true west, aligning it in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The project was launched by the late president of the U.A.E., Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to establish a structure that would unite the cultural diversity of the Islamic world with the historical and modern values of architecture and art.^[4] In 2004, Sheikh Zayed died and was buried in the courtyard of the mosque.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center (SZGMC) offices are located in the west minarets. SZGMC manages the day-to-day operations and serves as a center of learning and discovery through its educational cultural activities and visitor programs. The library, located in the northeast minaret, serves the community with classic books and publications addressing a range of Islamic subjects: sciences, civilization, calligraphy, the arts, and coins, including some rare publications. The collection comprises material in a broad range of languages, including Arabic, English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Korean. For two years running, it was voted the world's second favourite landmark by TripAdvisor.^[5]

The Grand Mosque has been a significant destination for visiting foreign leaders during official state visits to the UAE. Notable visitors include Elizabeth II,^[6] the then US Vice President Joe Biden^[7] and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.^[8]

The mosque was built under the guidance and supervision of Sheikh Zayed, who was buried here after his death in 2004. It features 82 domes, more than 1,000 columns, 24-carat-gold gilded chandeliers and the world's largest hand-knotted carpet. The main prayer hall is dominated by one of the largest chandeliers. The mosque was designed under the management of the Syrian architect Youssef Abdelke, and three other architectural designers from Syria who completed the design and worked on developing it, Basem Barghouti, Moataz Al-Halabi, and Imad Malas.^[9]

The mosque's architect Yusef Abdelki took inspiration from a number of sources: the Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque in Alexandria, designed by Mario Rossi in the 1920s;^[10] the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan;^[11] and other references of Persian, Mughal, and Indo-Islamic architecture. The dome layout and floorplan of the mosque was inspired by the Badshahi Mosque. Its archways are quintessentially Moorish, and its minarets classically Arab.

In a joint-venture between Italian contractors Impregilo and Rizzani de Eccher, more than 3,000 workers and 38 sub-contracting companies were conscripted in its construction. The mosque was completed under a second contract by a Joint Venture between ACC and Six Construct (part of Belgian company BESIX Group) between 2004 and 2007.^[12][13][14] Natural materials were chosen for much of its design and construction due to their long-lasting qualities, including marble stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics. Artisans and materials came from many countries including Syria, especially from Damascus and Aleppo, and some other countries such as India, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, China, United Kingdom, New Zealand, North Macedonia and the U.A.E.^{[citation needed]} The intricate flower mosaics decorating the courtyard was designed by the British artist Kevin Dean, who embraced Sheikh Zayed’s passionate vision to create a mosque that unites the world, as he chose flowers from the Middle East, such as Tulips, Lilys, and Irises. As inlays of colored marble form exuberant floral patterns that curl and twist gracefully from the edges towards the center adorn the courtyard. While the rest of the Sahan was inlaid with thousands of small pieces of white marble.

The mosque is large enough to accommodate over 40,100 worshippers, while the main prayer hall can hold over 7,000. There are two smaller prayer halls, with a capacity of 1,500 each, one of which is the women's prayer hall.^[1]

There are four minarets on the four corners of the courtyard which rise about 107 m (351 ft) in height. The courtyard, with its floral design, measures about 17,000 m² (180,000 sq ft), and is considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world.^[1] The exterior and interior are adorned with white marble, giving the mosque a serene and majestic appearance. The marble is inlaid with precious stones like lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, abalone shell, and mother of pearl.

Marble used in the construction included:

• Sivec from Prilep, North Macedonia was used on the external cladding (115,119 m² (1,239,130 sq ft) of cladding has been used on the mosque, including the minarets)
• Lasa from Laas, South Tyrol, Italy was used in the internal elevations
• Makrana from Makrana, India was used in the annexes and offices
• Acquabianca and Bianco P from Italy
• East White and Ming Green from China^[1]

To compare, the King Faisal Mosque of Sharjah, formerly the largest mosque in Sharjah^[15] and country, measures 10,000–12,000 m² (110,000–130,000 sq ft).^[16][17]

The carpet in the hall is considered by many ^{[by whom?]} to be the world's largest carpet made by Iran's Carpet Company and designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi.^[18] It measures 5,627 m² (60,570 sq ft), and was made by around 1,200-1,300 carpet knotters. The weight of this carpet is 35 ton and is predominantly made from wool (originating from New Zealand and Iran). There are 2,268,000,000 knots within the carpet and it took approximately two years to complete.^[1]

The Grand Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from the company Faustig in Munich, Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the second largest known chandelier inside a mosque, the third largest in the world,^{[clarification needed]} and has a 10 m (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height.^[1]

The pools along the arcades reflect the mosque's columns, which become illuminated at night. The unique lighting system was designed by lighting architects Speirs and Major Associates to reflect the phases of the moon. Beautiful bluish gray clouds are projected in lights onto the external walls and get brighter and darker according to the phase of the moon.^[19]

The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are clad with marble and inlaid with mother of pearl, one of the few places where one can see this craftsmanship.^{[citation needed]}

The 99 names (qualities or attributes) of God (Allah) are featured on the Qibla wall in traditional Kufic calligraphy, designed by the prominent UAE calligrapher — Mohammed Mandi Al Tamimi. The Qibla wall also features subtle fibre-optic lighting, which is integrated as part of the organic design.

In total, three calligraphy styles — Naskhi, Thuluth and Kufic — are used throughout the mosque and were drafted by Mohammed Mandi Al Tamimi of the UAE, Farouk Haddad of Syria and Mohammed Allam of Jordan.^[1]

• 
  View from Wahat Al Karama
• 
  Exterior
• 
  Water mirror and columns
• 
  Inner courtyard with minaret
• 
  Interior of the main prayer hall
• 
  The mosque in 2022
• 
  The mosque at night
• 
  Outside of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (left)
• 
  Mosque walkway
• 
  Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque At Night

• List of mosques in the United Arab Emirates
• List of cultural property of national significance in the United Arab Emirates
  • Qasr Al Watan
  • The Founder's Memorial
• Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
• Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Fujairah
• Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque in Stockholm, Sweden
• Emir Abdelkader Mosque

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

• The Official Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center website
• The Official Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority website
• Shah, Pino (2020-03-14). Rood, Carrie (compiler) (ed.). Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: Heaven's Waiting Room. Vol. 1 (of World Heritage Series). Pharr, Texas, the U.S.A.: ArtByPino.com. ISBN 978-0-9979-9844-3. Retrieved 2020-07-09.

Skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 

Burj Khalifa
برج خليفة
The Burj Khalifa viewed across the Dubai Fountain in October 2012
Interactive map of the Burj Khalifa area
Record height
Tallest in the world since 2009 [I]
Preceded by	Taipei 101
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Mixed-use
Architectural style	Neo-futurism
Location	1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai, Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Named for	Sheikh Khalifa
Construction started	6 January 2004; 22 years ago (2004-01-06)
Topped-out	17 January 2009; 17 years ago (2009-01-17)
Completed	1 October 2009; 16 years ago (2009-10-01)
Opened	4 January 2010; 16 years ago (2010-01-04)
Cost	US$1.5 billion
Owner	Emaar Properties
Height
Architectural	828 m (2,717 ft)
Tip	829.8 m (2,722 ft)
Antenna spire	242.5 m (796 ft)
Roof	739.4 m (2,426 ft)
Top floor	585.4 m (1,921 ft)
Observatory	555.7 m (1,823 ft)
Technical details
Structural system	Reinforced concrete, steel, and aluminium
Floor count	154 + 9 maintenance
Floor area	309,473 m2 (3,331,100 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	57 (mall included)
Design and construction
Architect	Adrian Smith
Architecture firm	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Structural engineer	Bill Baker
Main contractor	Samsung C&T BESIX Arabtec
Other information
Parking	2 subterranean levels
Public transit access	M1  At Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall
Website
burjkhalifa.ae
References
[1]

The Burj Khalifa^[a] (known as the Burj Dubai before its inauguration) is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it is the world's tallest structure, with a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding the antenna, but including a 242.6 m spire)^[2] of 828 m (2,717 ft). It has also been the tallest building in the world since its topping out in 2009, surpassing Taipei 101, which had held the record for a half-decade.^[3][4]

Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004; the exterior was completed five years later. The primary structure is reinforced concrete. Some of the structural steel for the building was salvaged from the demolished Palace of the Republic in East Berlin.^[5] The building was opened in 2010 as part of a new development called Downtown Dubai. It was designed to be the centerpiece of large-scale, mixed-use development.

The building is named after the former president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.^[6] The United Arab Emirates government provided Dubai with financial support as the developer, Emaar Properties, experienced financial problems during the Great Recession. Then-president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed, organized federal financial support. For his support, Mohammad bin Rashid, Ruler of Dubai, changed the name from "Burj Dubai" to "Burj Khalifa" during inauguration.

The design is derived from the Islamic architecture of the region, such as in the Great Mosque of Samarra. The Y-shaped tripartite floor geometry is designed to optimise residential and hotel space. A buttressed central core and wings are used to support the height of the building. The Burj Khalifa's central core houses all vertical transportation except egress stairs within each of the wings.^[7] The structure also features a cladding system which is designed to withstand Dubai's hot summer temperatures.^[8] It contains a total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators.

Development

[edit]

Construction began on 12 January 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010^[9][10] and is part of the 2 km² (490 acres) Downtown Dubai development at the 'First Interchange' along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district.^{[citation needed]}

The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago, with Adrian Smith as chief architect, and Bill Baker as a chief structural engineer.^[11][12] The firm had designed the Sears Tower in Chicago, a previous record holder for the world's tallest building.^[13]

Hyder Consulting was supervising engineer and NORR Group Consultants supervised the architecture. The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea, together with the Belgian group BESIX and the local company Arabtec.^[14]

Numerous complaints concerned migrant workers from South Asia, the primary building labour force, who were paid low wages and sometimes had their passports confiscated.^[15]

Conception

[edit]

Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development to include 30,000 homes,^[16] nine hotels (including The Address Downtown Dubai), 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential skyscrapers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) artificial Burj Khalifa Lake. The decision to build Burj Khalifa was 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, projects like Burj Khalifa needed to be built 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.^[17]

The tower was known as Burj Dubai ("Dubai Tower") until its official opening in January 2010.^[18] It was renamed in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Abu Dhabi and the federal government of UAE lent Dubai tens of billions of US dollars so that Dubai could pay its debts – Dubai borrowed at least $80 billion for construction projects.^[18] In the 2000s, Dubai started diversifying its economy but it suffered from the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, leaving large-scale projects already in construction abandoned.^[19]

Records

[edit]

The Burj Khalifa set several world records, including:

• 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): 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m or 1,671 ft)^[20]
• Tallest skyscraper to top of antenna: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower – 527 m or 1,729 ft)
• Building with most floors: 163 (previously World Trade Center – 110)^[21]
• World's highest elevator installation (situated inside a rod at the very top of the building)^[22]
• World's longest travel distance elevators: 504 m (1,654 ft)^[22][23]
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft)^[24]
• World's tallest structure that includes residential space^[25]
• World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade: 512 m (1,680 ft)^[26]
• 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)^[27]
• World's highest New Year display of fireworks.^[28]
• World's largest light and sound show staged on a single building.^[29][30][31]

Architecture and design

[edit]

The tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), which also designed the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago and the One World Trade Center in New York City. Burj Khalifa uses the bundled tube design of the Willis Tower, invented by Fazlur Rahman Khan.^[32][33] Due to its tubular system, proportionally only half the amount of steel was used in the construction, compared to the Empire State Building.^[32][34] Khan's contributions to the design of tall buildings have had a profound impact on architecture and engineering. It would be difficult to find any worldwide practices in the design of tall buildings that have not been directly or indirectly influenced by his work.^[35] The design is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for The Illinois, a mile-high skyscraper designed for Chicago, as well as Chicago's Lake Point Tower. When Adrian Smith was conceiving the project at SOM, he looked out his office window toward Lake Point Tower's curved three-wing layout and thought, "There's the prototype".^[36] According to Strabala, Burj Khalifa was designed based on the 73 floor Tower Palace Three, an all-residential building in Seoul. In its early planning, Burj Khalifa was intended to be entirely residential.^[37]

After the original design by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, Emaar Properties chose Hyder Consulting to be the supervising engineer and NORR Group Consultants International Ltd to supervise the architecture of the project.^[38] Hyder was selected for their expertise in structural and MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) engineering.^[39] Hyder Consulting's role was to supervise construction, certify the architect's design, and be the engineer and architect of record to the UAE authorities.^[38] NORR's role was the supervision of all architectural components including on-site supervision during the construction and design of a 6-storey addition to the office annex building for architectural documentation. NORR was also responsible for the architectural integration drawings for the Armani Hotel included in the Tower. Emaar Properties also engaged GHD,^[40] an international multidisciplinary consulting firm, to act as an independent verification and testing authority for concrete and steelwork.

The design is derived from Islamic architecture.^[22] As the tower rises from the flat desert base, there are 27 setbacks in a spiral pattern, decreasing the cross-section of the tower as it rises and creating convenient outdoor terraces. These setbacks are arranged and aligned in a way that minimizes vibration wind loading from eddy currents and vortices.^[7] At the top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a finishing spire. At its tallest point, the tower sways a total of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).^[41]

The spire of Burj Khalifa is composed of more than 4,000 tonnes (4,400 short tons; 3,900 long tons) of structural steel. The central pinnacle pipe weighs 350 tonnes (390 short tons; 340 long tons) and has a height of 200 m (660 ft). The spire also houses communications equipment.^[42] This 244-metre (801 ft) spire is widely considered vanity height, since very little of its space is usable. Without the spire, Burj Khalifa would be 585 metres (1,919 ft) tall. This was reported in a Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat study, which notes that the empty spire "could be a skyscraper on its own".^[2] Such a skyscraper, if located in Europe, would be the 11th tallest building on that continent.^[43]

In 2009 architects announced that more than 1,000 pieces of art would adorn the interiors of Burj Khalifa, while the residential lobby of Burj Khalifa would display the work of Jaume Plensa.^[44]

The cladding system consists of 142,000 m² (1,528,000 sq ft) of more than 26,000 reflective glass panels and aluminium and textured stainless steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins.^[42] The architectural glass provides solar and thermal performance as well as an anti-glare shield for the intense desert sun, extreme desert temperatures and strong winds. The glass covers more than 174,000 m² (1,870,000 sq ft) in area.^{[citation needed]} The Burj's typical curtain wall panels measure 4 ft 6 in (1.4 m) wide by 10 ft 8 in (3.3 m) high and weigh about 800 pounds (360 kg) each, with wider panels near the building's edges and taller ones near the top.^[45]

The exterior temperature at the top of the building is thought to be 6 °C (11 °F) cooler than at its base.^{[46][needs update]}

A 304-room Armani Hotel, the first of 4 by Armani, occupies 15 of the lower 39 floors.^[3][47] The hotel was supposed to open on 18 March 2010,^[48][49] but after several delays, it finally opened to the public on 27 April 2010.^[50] The corporate suites and offices were also supposed to open from March onwards,^[51] yet the hotel and observation deck remained the only parts of the building which were open in April 2010.

The sky lobbies on the 43rd and 76th floors house swimming pools.^[52] Floors 20 through 108 have 900 private residential apartments (which, according to the developer, sold out within eight hours of being on the market). An outdoor zero-entry swimming pool is located on the 76th floor of the tower. Corporate offices and suites fill most of the remaining floors, except for the 122nd, 123rd, and 124th, where the At.mosphere restaurant, sky lobby, and an indoor and outdoor observation deck are located respectively. In January 2010, it was planned that Burj Khalifa would receive its first residents in February 2010.^[52][53]

The building has 57 elevators and 8 escalators.^[42] The elevators have a capacity of 12 to 14 people per cabin, and include the world's fastest double-deck elevators, rising and descending at up to 10 m/s (33 ft/s). Engineers initially considered installing the world's first triple-deck elevators.^[25] The double-deckers are equipped with LCD displays to amuse visitors during their travel to the observation deck.^[54] The building has 2,909 stairs from the ground floor to the 160th floor.^[55]

Plumbing systems

[edit]

The Burj Khalifa's water system supplies an average of 946,000 L (250,000 U.S. gal) of water per day through 100 km (62 mi) of pipes.^[22][56] An additional 213 km (132 mi) of piping serves the fire emergency system, and 34 km (21 mi) supplies chilled water for the air conditioning system.^[56]

Air conditioning

[edit]

The air conditioning system draws air from the upper floors where the air is cooler and cleaner than on the ground.^[57] At peak cooling times, the tower's cooling is 46 MW (62,000 hp), equivalent to that provided by 13,000 short tons (26,000,000 lb; 12,000,000 kg) of melting ice in one day.^[56] Water is collected via a condensate collection system and is used to irrigate the nearby park.^[22]

Window cleaning

[edit]

To wash the 24,348 windows, totaling 120,000 m² (1,290,000 ft²) of glass, the building has three horizontal tracks, each holding a 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) bucket machine. Above level 109, and up to tier 27, traditional cradles from davits are used. The top of the building is cleaned by a crew that uses ropes to descend from the top to gain access.^[58][59] Under normal conditions, when all building maintenance units are operational, it takes 36 workers three to four months to clean the entire exterior.^[42][60]

Unmanned machines clean the top 27 additional tiers and the glass spire. The cleaning system was developed in Melbourne, Australia, by CoxGomyl, a manufacturer of building maintenance units,^[61] at a cost of A$8 million.^[60]

Features

[edit]

Fountain

[edit]

Main article: The Dubai Fountain

Outside the Burj Khalifa, WET Enterprises designed a fountain system at a cost of Dh 800 million (US$217 million). Illuminated by 6,600 lights and 50 coloured projectors, it is 270 m (900 ft) long and shoots water 150 m (500 ft) into the air while accompanied by a range of classical to contemporary Arabic and other music. It is the world's largest choreographed fountain.^[62] On 26 October 2008, Emaar announced that based on results of a naming contest the fountain would be called the Dubai Fountain.^[63]

Observation deck

[edit]

An outdoor observation deck, named At the Top, opened on 5 January 2010 on the 124th floor, at 452 m (1,483 ft).^[64] It opened the 148th floor SKY level at 555 m (1,821 ft), giving it the highest observation deck in the world on 15 October 2014.^[65][66] However, in June 2016 the Shanghai Tower opened with an observation deck at a height of 561 metres, thus taking the title of the world's highest observation deck. Subsequently, the Burj Khalifa reclaimed the record on February 18, 2019, when it opened The Lounge observatory at 585 m (1,919 ft), which is also the highest lounge in the world.^[67]

The Burj Khalifa's 124th floor observation deck also features a so-called electronic telescope, an augmented reality device developed by Gsmprjct° of Montréal, which allows visitors to view the surrounding landscape in real-time, and to view previously saved images such as those taken at different times of day or under different weather conditions.^[68][69][70] To reduce the daily rush of sightseers, management allows visitors to purchase tickets in advance for a specific date and time, at a 75% discount on tickets purchased on the spot.^[71]

On 8 February 2010, the observation deck was closed to the public for two months after power-supply problems caused an elevator to become stuck between floors, trapping a group of tourists for 45 minutes.^{[72][73][74][75][76]}

When the tide is low and visibility is high, people can see the shores of Iran (which is around 153 km or 95 mi away) from the top of the skyscraper.^[77]

Burj Khalifa is surrounded by an eleven-hectare (27-acre) park designed by landscape architects SWA Group.^[78] Like the tower, the park's design was based on the flower of the Hymenocallis, a desert plant.^[79] At the centre of the park is the water room, which is a series of pools and water jet fountains. Benches and signs incorporate images of Burj Khalifa and the Hymenocallis flower.^[80]

The plants are watered by water collected from the building's cooling system. The system provides 68,000,000 L (18,000,000 US gal) annually.^[80] WET Enterprises, who also developed the Dubai Fountain, developed the park's six water features.^[81]

Floors	Purpose[42][82]	Dimetric projection with floors colour-coded by function[83]
160–163	Mechanical
156–159	Communication and broadcast
155	Mechanical
152–154	The Lounge observatory
149–151	Corporate suites
148	At the Top Sky observatory
139–147	Corporate suites
136–138	Mechanical
125–135	Corporate suites
124	At the Top observatory
123	Sky lobby
122	At.mosphere restaurant
111–121	Corporate suites
109–110	Mechanical
77–108	Residential
76	Sky lobby
73–75	Mechanical
44–72	Residential
43	Sky lobby
40–42	Mechanical
38–39	Armani Hotel suites
19–37	Residential
17–18	Mechanical
9–16	Armani Residences
1–8	Armani Hotel
Ground	Armani Hotel, Lobby
Concourse	Armani Hotel, Lobby
B1–B2	Parking, Mechanical

On the higher floors, the sun is seen for several minutes after it has set at ground level. Those living above the 80th floor should wait two extra minutes to break their Ramadan fast, and those living above the 150th floor should wait three minutes.^[84]

The tower was constructed by Samsung C&T from South Korea, which also did work on the Petronas Twin Towers and Taipei 101.^[85] Samsung C&T built the tower in a joint venture with BESIX from Belgium and Arabtec from the UAE.^[86][87] Turner was the project manager on the main construction contract.^[88] Hong Kong-based Far East Aluminium combined to provide the exterior cladding for Burj Khalifa.^[89][90]

The contractor and the engineer of record was Hyder Consulting.^[91] Under UAE law, the contractor and the engineer of record is jointly and severally liable for the performance of Burj Khalifa.

The primary structure is reinforced concrete. Putzmeister created a new, super high-pressure trailer concrete pump, the BSA 14000 SHP-D, for this project.^[24] Burj Khalifa's construction used 330,000 m³ (431,600 cu yd) of concrete and 55,000 tonnes (61,000 short tons; 54,000 long tons) of steel rebar, and construction took 22 million man-hours.^[11] In May 2008 Putzmeister pumped concrete with more than 21 MPA ultimate compressive strength of gravel to surpass the 600 metres weight of the effective area of each column from the foundation to the next 4th level, and the rest was by metal columns jacketed or covered with concrete to a then world record delivery height of 606 m (1,988 ft),^[24] the 156th floor. Three tower cranes were used during the construction of the uppermost levels, each capable of lifting a 25-tonne load.^[92] The remaining structure above was constructed of lighter steel.

In 2003, 33 test holes were drilled to study the strength of the bedrock underlying the structure.^[93] "Weak to very weak sandstone and siltstone" was found, just metres below the surface.^[94] Samples were taken from test holes drilled to a depth of 140 metres, finding weak to very weak rock all the way.^[95] The study described the site as part of a "seismically active area".^{[citation needed]} Another challenging element was the shamal which often creates sandstorms.^[20]

Over 45,000 m³ (58,900 cu yd) of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes (120,000 short tons; 110,000 long tons) were used to construct the concrete and steel foundation, which features 192 piles; each pile is 1.5 metre in diameter by 43 m in length, buried more than 50 m (164 ft) deep.^[25] The foundation was designed to support the total building weight of approximately 450,000 tonnes (500,000 short tons; 440,000 long tons). This weight was then divided by the compressive strength of concrete which is 30 MPa which yielded 450 sq. metres of vertical normal effective area, which then yielded 12 metres by 12 metres dimensions.^[96] A cathodic protection system is under the concrete to neutralise the sulphate and chloride-rich groundwater and prevent corrosion.^[42][20]

During the construction of the Burj Khalifa, over 35,000 tonnes of structural steel was obtained from the Palace of the Republic in Berlin, which had served as the parliament building for the Volkskammer of the former East Germany. The steel was shipped to Dubai after the Palace's demolition was completed in 2008.^[5]

The Burj Khalifa is highly compartmentalised. Pressurised, air-conditioned refuge floors are located every 13 floors (on floors G, 13, 26, 39, 52, etc.) where people can shelter on their long walk down to safety in case of an emergency or fire.^[42][97]

Special mixes of concrete were made to withstand the extreme pressures of the massive building weight; as is typical with reinforced concrete construction, each batch of concrete was tested to ensure it could withstand certain pressures. CTLGroup, working for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, conducted the creep and shrinkage testing critical for the structural analysis of the building.^[98]

The consistency of the concrete used in the project was essential. It was difficult to create a concrete that could withstand both the thousands of tonnes bearing down on it and Persian Gulf temperatures that can reach 50 °C (122 °F). To combat this problem, the concrete was not poured during the day. Instead, during the summer months, ice was added to the mixture and it was poured at night when the air was cooler and the humidity was higher. Cooler concrete cures more evenly and is, therefore, less likely to set too quickly and crack. Any significant cracks could have put the entire project in jeopardy.^{[99][100][101][102][103]}

• January 2004: Excavation commences.^[26]
• February 2004: Piling starts.^[26]
• 21 September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.^[104]
• March 2005: Structure of Burj Khalifa starts rising.^[26]
• June 2006: Level 50 is reached.^[26]
• February 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower as the building with the most floors.
• 13 May 2007: Sets record for vertical concrete pumping on any building at 452 m (1,483 ft), surpassing the 449.2 m (1,474 ft) to which concrete was pumped during the construction of Taipei 101, while Burj Khalifa reached the 130th floor.^[26][105]
• 21 July 2007: Surpasses Taipei 101, whose height of 509.2 m (1,671 ft) made it the world's tallest building, and level 141 reached.^[26][106]
• 12 August 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower antenna, which stands 527 m (1,729 ft).
• 12 September 2007: At 555.3 m (1,822 ft), becomes the world's tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the CN Tower in Toronto, and level 150 reached.^[26][107]
• 7 April 2008: At 629 m (2,064 ft), surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to become the tallest human-made structure, level 160 reached.^[26][108]
• 17 June 2008: Emaar announces that Burj Khalifa's height is over 636 m (2,087 ft) and that its final height will not be given until it is completed in September 2009.^[109]
• 1 September 2008: Height tops 688 m (2,257 ft), making it the tallest human-made structure ever built, surpassing the previous record-holder, the Warsaw Radio Mast in Konstantynów, Poland.^[110]
• 17 January 2009: Topped out at 829.8 m (2,722 ft).^[111]
• 1 October 2009: Emaar announces that the exterior of the building is completed.^[112]
• 4 January 2010: Burj Khalifa's official launch ceremony is held and Burj Khalifa is opened. Burj Dubai was renamed Burj Khalifa in honour of the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan.^[4]
• 10 March 2010: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat certifies Burj Khalifa as world's tallest building.^[113]

In March 2009, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of the project's developer, Emaar Properties, said office space pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m²) and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500 per m²).^[114] He estimated the total cost for the project to be about US$1.5 billion.^[6]

The project's completion coincided with the Great Recession, and with vast overbuilding in the country, leading to high vacancies and foreclosures.^[115] With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions, the government was forced to seek multibillion-dollar bailouts from its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening ceremony, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa, said to honour the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support.^[4][116]

Because of the slumping demand in Dubai's property market, the rents in the Burj Khalifa plummeted 40% some ten months after its opening. Out of 900 apartments in the tower, 825 were still empty at that time.^[117][118] Over the next 30 months, overseas investors steadily bought up available apartments and office space.^[119] By October 2012, Emaar reported that around 80% of the apartments were occupied.^[120]

The ceremony was broadcast live on a giant screen on Burj Park Island and on smaller screens elsewhere.^[121] Hundreds of media outlets from around the world reported live from the scene.^[122] In addition to the media presence, 6,000 guests were expected.^[123]

The opening was held on 4 January 2010.^[124] The ceremony featured a display of 10,000 fireworks, light beams projected on and around the tower, and further sound, light and water effects.^[122] The celebratory lighting was designed by UK lighting designers Speirs and Major Associates.^[125] Using the 868 powerful stroboscope lights that are integrated into the façade and spire of the tower, different lighting sequences were choreographed, together with more than 50 different combinations of other effects.^{[citation needed]}

On 10 May 2011, an Asian migrant worker in his mid-30s jumped to his death from the 147th floor onto the 108th floor's deck. Dubai police said he killed himself because his company refused to let him leave the country.^[126]

On 18 May 2015, Dubai police disputed a report that a Portuguese tourist named Laura Vanessa Nunes fell to her death from the Burj Khalifa the prior 16 November, claiming that she fell from the Jumeirah Lake Towers.^[127][128] Nine News obtained emails from Portugal's embassy in the UAE under freedom of information laws, which indicated that the female tourist jumped from the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa.^[129]

The Burj Khalifa was built primarily by workers from South Asia and East Asia.^[130][131] This is generally because the current generation of UAE locals prefer governmental jobs and do not have an attitude favouring private sector employment.^[132][133] On 17 June 2008, there were about 7,500 skilled workers employed at the construction site.^[109] Press reports indicated in 2006 that skilled carpenters at the site earned £4.34 a day, and labourers earned £2.84.^[130] According to a BBC investigation and a Human Rights Watch report, the workers were housed in abysmal conditions, and worked long hours for low pay.^{[134][135][136]} During construction, one construction-related death was reported.^[137] Workplace injuries and deaths in the UAE are poorly documented, according to Human Rights Watch.^[134]

In March 2006 about 2,500 workers, upset over buses that were delayed for the end of their shifts, protested and triggered a riot, damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction equipment.^[130] A Dubai Interior Ministry official said the rioters caused almost £500,000 in damage.^[130] Most of the workers involved in the riot returned the following day but refused to work.^[130]

Emaar New Year's Eve is an annual event held every 31 December at Burj Khalifa, organised by Emaar Properties.^[138][139] The event consists of fireworks launched from Burj Khalifa, a light and laser show on the facade of Burj Khalifa, and an accompanying soundtrack and a special fountain show on The Dubai Fountain choreographed to the soundtrack.^[140][141] The Emaar New Year's Eve fireworks celebration originated in 2010 with the inauguration of the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa. The celebration was broadcast live to more than 2 million people and lasted for 3 minutes.^[142]

Since 2011, national live broadcasting rights have been held by Dubai Media Incorporated and Dubai TV.^[142]

Emaar New Year's Eve has won two Guinness World Records, including "Largest LED-Illuminated Facade" in 2015 and 2019.^{[143][144][145]}

In 2017 and 2018, Emaar New Year's Eve was broadcast live on Twitter,^[146][147] and YouTube. In 2020, it was broadcast live for the first time on Zoom.^[148]

In 2021, Emaar celebrated solidarity in honour of frontline workers of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[149]

For the 2022 event, a laser feature was installed on The Dubai Fountain in sync with the Burj Khalifa's laser and fireworks show.^[150]

The building has been used by several experienced BASE jumpers for authorised and unauthorised BASE jumping:

In May 2008, Hervé Le Gallou and David McDonnell, dressed as engineers, entered Burj Khalifa (around 650 metres (2,130 ft) at the time), and jumped off a balcony situated several floors below the 160th floor.^[151][152]

On 8 January 2010, with permission of the authorities, Nasr Al Niyadi and Omar Al Hegelan, from the Emirates Aviation Society, broke the world record for the highest BASE jump from a building after they leapt from a crane-suspended platform attached to the 160th floor at 672 m (2,205 ft). The two men descended the vertical drop at a speed of up to 220 km/h (140 mph), with enough time to open their parachutes 10 seconds into the 90-second jump.^[153][154]

On 21 April 2014, with permission of the authorities and support from several sponsors, highly experienced French BASE jumpers Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen broke the Guinness world record for the highest BASE jump from a building after they leapt from a specially designed platform, built at the very top of the pinnacle, at 828 metres (2,717 feet).^{[155][156][157]}

On 28 March 2011, Alain "Spiderman" Robert scaled the outside of Burj Khalifa. The climb to the top of the spire took 6 hours. To comply with UAE safety laws, Robert, who usually climbs in free solo style, used a rope and harness.^[158]

In June 2010, Burj Khalifa was the recipient of the 2010 "Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa" award by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.^[159] On 28 September 2010 Burj Khalifa won the award for the best project of the year at the Middle East Architect Awards 2010.^[160] Awards Chair Gordon Gill, of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, said:

We are talking about a building here that has changed the landscape of what is possible in architecture – a building that became internationally recognized as an icon long before it was even completed. 'Building of the Century' was thought a more apt title for it.^[161]

Burj Khalifa was also the recipient of the following awards.^[162][163]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Burj Khalifa (category)

• Official website
• "The Burj Dubai Tower Wind Engineering" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2026. (597 KB) (Structure magazine, June 2006)
• "The Wind Engineering of the Burj Dubai Tower" (PDF). Archived from the original on 14 September 2017.cite web: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (620 KB) (Irwin et al., November 2006)
• BBC reports: Burj Khalifa opening, with video and links; Maintaining the world's tallest building
• Geographic data related to Burj Khalifa at OpenStreetMap

25°11′50″N 55°16′27″E / 25.1972°N 55.2742°E / 25.1972; 55.2742