Inside the design on the Burj Khalifa

design_tcm62-17110Located in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world standing at over 828 meters. This incredible building has broken countless records including highest number of stories in the world and having the tallest service elevator in the world(1). This immense building required a combination of design and science.

The unique design of Burj Khalifa is what truly sets it apart. The architecture features a triple-lobed footprint, an abstraction of the Hymenocallis flower(2). The tower is built around a central core. Much testing went into the build of Burj Khalifa. Wind tunnel testing was crucial to examine the effects the wind would have on the tower and its occupants. All stages of construction were tested with the wind tunnel. The Burj tower is supported by 194 bored cast-in-place piles. The piles are 1.5 meter in diameter and approximately 43 meters long(3).

Being the tallest building in the world it attracts tourists. One of the attractions is the observation deck which opened on January 5, 2010 located on the 124th floor. This platform is the third highest observation deck in the world at 452 m. Although you may think it can’t get any better, the observation deck features the Behold Telescope allowing visitors to view the surrounding landscape.(4)

 

1 – http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/TheTower/FactsFigures.aspx

2 – http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/TheTower/Design.aspx

3 – http://www.enggpedia.com/civil-engineering-encyclopedia/megastructures/burj-khalifa-structural-details

4 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa#Features

Blog 1- The golden gate bridge

 

The Golden Gate bridge is a suspension bridge that first opened in 1937. This bridge links the city of San Francisco to Marin County. This bridge is a big part of the culture of San Francisco, bringing tons of tourists to this U.S. city every year. (1)

An engineer named Joseph Strauss was the man in charge of the overall design of this bridge. Strauss initially wanted to create a bridge with a hybrid cantilever design but it was eventually shut down due to it being unacceptable from a visual standpoint. “The idea for a full suspension span – the design that was ultimately built – came later” (2). Leon S. Moiseff, a man who served on the board of consultants for the project, expressed his concern about the hybrid design of Strauss and proposed a new design being the simple suspension type of approach (3). As stated, eventually Strauss decides to move away from his original hybrid design and go with the simple suspension approach. “… In the interval which had elapsed any advantages possessed by the cantilever-suspension type bridge had practically disappeared and on recommendation of the Chief Engineer, the cantilever-suspension type was abandoned in favor of the simple suspension type,” stated Strauss (3).

In the 1950’s the bridge experience high winds that lashed and twisted the span, raising the fear of others that the bridge could collapse. This lead to crews having to install a bracing system for the bridge in order to ensure it wouldn’t collapse. Years later, the vertical cables of the bridge were replaced because they were corroded due to the bridges damp, foggy climate. The bridge is currently receiving a seismic upgrade. There are also plans for a moveable barrier on the bridge that would allow someone to separate north and southbound traffic as well as a net system is being built to prevent suicides. The golden gate bridge was once the largest suspension bridge in the world that has now turned into a huge american tourist spot. The bridge is amazing as is but is taking on changes to enhance its aesthetics and fix its flaws.

 

1- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Design

2- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/golden-gate-bridge-anniversary-engineers_n_1534457.html

3- http://goldengatebridge.org/research/Design.php