Burj Khalifa: The tallest standing structure in the world

The most magnificent man made structure in the recent times has to be the Burj Khalifa. Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Burj Khalifa which is also known as the Khalifa Tower, is 830 meters tall. The Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest structure in the world as of now, is primarily known for its height, location and mesmerizing architecture. The skyscraper has been designed by the very popular architect Adrian Smith who is also known for his earlier projects like Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai and AT&T Corporate Centre in Chicago. But the designing and construction of the Burj Khalifa has by far been Adrian Smith’s most ambitious project. When one thinks of the Burj Khalifa, only one thing comes to the mind- that it is the tallest structure in the world. But other than its height, there’s much more to the Burj Khalifa.

Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa.

 

Burj Khalifa was designed not with the intention of gaining accolades for the tallest building in the world but with the intention of having almost everything within one single building. The Burj Khalifa, a true masterpiece, is an incorporation of more than 20,000 homes, various hotels, corporate suites, residential towers and shopping centres within one building. Also, in the viscinity of the Burj Khalifa are the Dubai mall, more than 2 hectares of parkland and 12 hectares of a man made Burj Khalifa lake. With the execution of Burj Khalifa, Dubai has surely become the centre of attraction of the world. Mr. Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said: “Burj Khalifa goes beyond its imposing physical specifications. In Burj Khalifa, we see the triumph of Dubai’s vision of attaining the seemingly impossible and setting new benchmarks.”

Dubai

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, then and now. The Burj Khalifa is located on this road.

 

Architect Adrian Smith has incorporated various patterns from different spheres of design. Firstly, he has provided the traditional Islamic architectural look to the building. The Burj Khalifa’s basic base structure is similar to the orientation of a desert flower named Hymenocallis. Just like this flower whose petals protrude of its stem, the wings of the Khalifa tower extend from its central core. There are a total of 163 floors in the building, which makes it the building with the maximum number of floors in the world. The interior design of the building shows a stark yet moderated contrast and a smooth transition from the traditional Arab world to the modern and sleek infrastructure of the 21st century. The interior design of the building has been done in such a way that people realize that even after years of progress and evolution of the arab world, the citizens of UAE still hold onto their traditional and cultural values. The contrast can been seen as one enters the lift and goes to the top most floor of the building. The lift, which travels at a speed of  600 m/min, while travelling showcases a traditional moving presentation with pictures of traditional Bedouin nomadic lifestyles, hence, showing the bond that the citizens hold with their roots even after such progress. While designing and construction of the Burj Khalifa, a constant effort was made to use environment friendly methods, and these methods are still being used while it is functioning. It saves 3200KW of power per day. It also uses solar panels to heat 140,000 litres of water everyday which is distributed in homes and other commercial entities in the building. From eco sustainable methods to amazing art work, the Burj Khalifa is a blend of an amazing depiction of the old arab tradition and modern day architecture.

The structure of the Burj Khalifa

The structure of the Burj Khalifa.

Hymenocallis Flower. The concept of the Burj Khalifa is based on the orientation of this flower.

Hymenocallis Flower. The concept of the Burj Khalifa is based on the orientation of this flower.

The Burj Khalifa at night.

The Burj Khalifa at night.

 

 

One thought on “Burj Khalifa: The tallest standing structure in the world

  1. Richard

    Good first blog

    It is an amazing buidling, but you only need to say that once. Try and keep a balanced view. All technology has good and bad things about it.

    I see some similarity with the hymenocallis flower and the partial outline view but the real view of both are not much related and the flower is ubiquitous world wide. The building houses many tems of local culture and religion., but the building itself – the technology, like most modern technology worldwide, does not. And then there is the history of the name switch from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalipha

    More info on its energy savings design features would be good, and the construction of the world’s highest building might have been discussed. So might the issues of such very tall builidngs: how do you get occupants, where do they park, how do you handle rush hour etc.

    still, it is a good first effort

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