"Burj Khalifa": height and general information about the project. Burj Khalifa tower: little tricks

Large oil fields were found, the country's authorities did everything possible to develop the tourism business here. The largest number of amazing buildings and luxury hotels were erected in Dubai. Perhaps the most important attraction of the city can be called the Burj Khalifa tower ( Burj Khalifa).

Skyscraper Burj Khalifa is officially recognized as the tallest building in the world. Outwardly, the tower resembles a huge stalagmite. It has uneven lines, but this was not done for the purpose of decoration, but in order to protect the building from the winds. It is also worth noting that the skyscraper is built from high-strength materials that are resistant to any weather conditions.

Initially, it was planned to build a building that would contain office space, residential apartments, shops, hotels, restaurants. That is, we can say that Burj Khalifa is a whole city that has absolutely everything you need for life. In addition, the area around is completely ennobled. There is a magnificent park, and a shady garden, and even one that deserves special attention.

History of skyscraper construction

The construction of the tallest tower in the world lasted almost 6 years. Several countries participated in the design and construction. The chief architect was the American Adrian Smith, who has repeatedly designed such skyscrapers. And the South Korean company Samsung became the general contractor. The Burj Khalifa began to be built in 2004. Information about the height of the building was carefully concealed, and its values ​​were constantly changing. The opening of the skyscraper was planned for 2009, but due to funding problems, it had to be postponed. As a result, the opening of the tower took place a year later, in early January.

Burj Khalifa on the map of Dubai

Address: 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd - Dubai - United Arab Emirates

How to get to Burj Khalifa

The skyscraper is located in the most prestigious area of ​​Dubai - Down Town. All roads lead to the main sights of the city. Tourists can take the metro to the tower, or take a taxi. By metro, you need to get to the Burj Khalifa station of the same name. Taxis are more expensive means of transportation, but they are faster transport. Given the excellent road surface and the lack of traffic jams, a taxi ride will give you incredible pleasure. In addition, all taxis in the city are air-conditioned, so during the trip you do not have to worry about the intense heat.

Rules for visiting a skyscraper

Any tour agency in Dubai will offer tourists an unforgettable tour of the tallest skyscraper in the world. For tourists there is a separate entrance. The tower is equipped with 57 elevators, but only one of them passes through all floors. Tourists, in order to get to the observation deck, for which they go to the Burj Khalifa, need to make several transfers. Group tours are held from 10.00 to 22.00 from Sunday to Wednesday, and from Thursday to Saturday the opening hours of the observation deck increase by 2 hours.

Excursion to the Burj Khalifa tower on video

The cost of the tour depends on many factors. For example, if you do not want to stand in line, you can pay 400 AED for a ticket and go to the observation deck out of line. In other cases, an adult ticket costs 125 AED, the cost of a child ticket (4-12 years old) is 95 AED, and children under three years old do not need to buy a ticket at all.

Technical equipment

The tower is equipped with the latest technology. The most advanced technologies are used in its technical equipment. First of all, it is necessary to mention the unique air conditioning system. Thanks to special glazing, the building does not heat up and does not let dust through. The temperature in the tower is constantly kept at +18 degrees. At the same time, the air in the territory of the entire skyscraper is constantly refreshed with the help of specially installed membranes. It is worth noting that for the Burj Khalifa was specially developed its own flavor.

The tower provides itself with electricity. Solar panels are installed on the facade of the building, and a huge turbine rotating from gusts of wind. The length of this turbine is more than 60 meters.

The rise to the Burj Khalifa is provided by 57 elevators. The speed of their movement is 10 m/s. Interestingly, in emergency situations, people are evacuated in just 32 minutes, despite the impressive size of the building.

Burj Khalifa inside

The building has almost everything a person needs for life: shops, restaurants, swimming pools, nightclubs, observation decks, an observatory, and much more. The first 39 floors of the tower are occupied by the rooms of a luxurious five-star hotel, which is considered one of the most prestigious hotels in the country. 35 floors of the tower are reserved for offices, and 59 for residential premises. A billionaire from India owns the 100th floor. And on the 122nd floor there is a chic restaurant with the telling name "Atmosfera", which can accommodate about 80 guests at the same time. The main observation deck is located on the 148th floor. Its height is amazing, and delivers a lot of unforgettable emotions.

observation decks

The tower has two viewing platforms. One of them is located on the 148th floor, and the other is on the 124th floor. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office at the entrance to the tower, but this is often not possible, since absolutely all tourists dream of wanting to see Dubai from a bird's eye view. That is why it is better to buy tickets to the observation deck on the Internet online. You can see the city through a huge window, which offers an incredibly beautiful view of Dubai and its main attractions.

skyscraper facts

• The height of the unique skyscraper is 828 meters
• The building has 163 floors
• Spire height - 180 meters
• $1.5 billion was spent on construction
• The building contains 900 residential apartments
• The height of the observation deck is 555 meters
• Movement on the floors is provided by 57 elevators
• 12 thousand workers took part in the construction of the tower.

Faktrum tells interesting facts about the Burj Khalifa.

1. The tallest building in the world

The height of the Burj Khalifa is 828 meters, and the height of the second tallest building in the world (Shanghai Tower) is 632 meters. The difference is more than obvious. The Burj Khalifa is also three times taller than the Eiffel Tower.

Photos: Novate.ru

2. Inside the building

Those who think that the Burj Khalifa is very impressive from the outside, simply have not been inside a skyscraper. The highest observation deck is located at an altitude of 452 meters. In total, the building has 164 floors, 1 of which is underground, and as many as 58 elevators that travel at a speed of 10 meters per second (these are one of the fastest elevators in the world). Also in the Burj Khalifa there are 2957 parking spaces, 304 hotels and 904 apartments.

3. The skyscraper was designed by the Americans and built by a South Korean company.

While the Burj Khalifa is located in Dubai (the original name of the skyscraper is Burj Dubai), the building was designed by the American firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Engineers from Chicago have created a special support structure that resembles a three-pointed star. The construction of the building was entrusted to the South Korean company Samsung Engineering and Construction.

4. Multiple records

It is the tallest free-standing building, the building with the highest residential floor, the building with the most floors, the building with the highest elevators, and the second highest observation deck (the highest observation deck is located in the Canton TV Tower).

5. What was needed for the construction

In order to build such a titanic building, it took a lot of time and effort (namely, 6 years and 22 million man-hours). On especially busy days, more than 12,000 workers were at the construction site at a time.

6. Huge weight

An incredible amount of materials were needed to build the building. One aluminum went so much that it would be enough to create 5 A380 Airbuses. 55,000 tons of reinforcing steel and 110,000 tons of concrete were also spent. This is approximately equal to the weight of 100,000 elephants. And if you take and fold the reinforcement from the building in a row, then it would stretch for a quarter of the Earth.

7. Heat resistance

Dubai is very hot, with an average summer temperature of 41 degrees. Naturally, a building built in this country must withstand extreme temperature fluctuations. That is why over 300 Chinese experts were hired to develop a cladding system that can protect against local temperatures.

8. Power consumption

Naturally, living in such a huge building requires a monstrous amount of resources. For example, the Burj Khalifa uses about 950,000 liters of water every day. The building also consumes a huge amount of electricity (about as much as 360,000 hundred-watt light bulbs “eat up”).

9. Washing a skyscraper

How do you clean and wash 26,000 glass panels that always look perfect? Responsible for this are 12 machines, which weigh about 13 tons each, moving along special rails on the outside of the building. The cars are serviced by 36 people.

10. Floral design

The design of the Burj Khalifa was inspired by the hymenocallis, a flower that has long petals radiating from the center. The three wings of the Burj Khalifa diverge to the sides like these petals.

Address: UAE, Dubai
Start of construction: 2004
Completion of construction: 2010
Height: 828 m
Project author: Adrian Smith
Coordinates: 25°11"48.9"N 55°16"26.7"E

After petrodollars poured into the United Arab Emirates in a stormy river, allowing the country to become one of the richest in the world in just a few years, officials, however, like ordinary local residents, had an irresistible craving for luxury.

Skyscraper Burj Khalifa at night

The UAE should have the best, the most beautiful and the biggest. The prefix "most" has become a kind of motto for all seven Emirates that are part of a federal state. The majestic Burj Khalifa in Dubai, built in just six years and breaking a huge number of world records, can be safely considered as confirmation of the above.

The official opening of the city within the city took place in January 2010. In fairness, it should be noted that the economic crisis still affected the UAE: under favorable conditions and sufficient funding, the skyscraper would have been opened in early autumn 2009. The height of the skyscraper, which, by its appearance, introduces a tourist who first came to Dubai into dumb shock, is 828 meters! The number of floors of this tallest building on our planet is 163. Even during the construction of the skyscraper, it was supposed to be called "Burj Dubai", which means "Dubai Tower" in Russian. “Such a majestic building should be called majestically, and not simply, as it was previously planned. From now on, the tallest skyscraper in the world will bear the name of our great caliph Khalifa ibn Zaid al-Nahyan. Forever this greatest architectural structure will be called the Burj Khalifa!” said Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, in his fiery speech at the opening ceremony.

General view of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper

Construction history

Between falconry, jeep racing in the desert and shopping for the popular oldest football clubs in Europe, which, by the way, rich sheikhs casually call "football shopping", influential people of the state decided to build something in the UAE that would attract the attention of all world community. Thus was born the idea of ​​building the largest skyscraper in the world, the Burj Khalifa. To develop a project of a city in a city that would have its own boulevards, lawns, fountains and even shaded squares, was entrusted to an authoritative architectural bureau, which since 1936 has proven itself only from the best sides - Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The author of this unique project was Adrian Smith, who became famous for his project of a skyscraper in China. True, the height of the Chinese building was "only" "some" 420 meters. Smith had to break his own record, and not just beat it, but surpass it exactly twice.

It was decided to make the shape of the skyscraper asymmetric: this would allow such a giant not to sway from gusts of wind, which are already quite noticeable at a height of 600 meters. It was also planned to finish the entire building with special thermal panels, which would reduce the cost of electricity consumption from air conditioning. The thing is that the temperature in Dubai often rises above + 52 degrees Celsius. The foundation had to hold the building with the so-called hanging piles, the length of which, according to the project, was 45 meters!

View of the skyscraper Burj Khalifa in the night illumination

After tenders, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper project was entrusted to Samsung's construction division. In 2004, a grandiose construction project began: the construction of an object that, with its appearance, resembles a picture from a science fiction film about the distant future, proceeded at a speed of 2 floors per week. With the difficulties that arose during the work, often 10 days were not enough to erect one floor. The thing is that the skyscraper was built taking into account all the climatic and geological features of Dubai. For example, for the construction of a building, a special grade of concrete was developed that could withstand air temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. The solution was mixed only at night and pieces of ice were always added to the water.

Human factor

The construction employed more than 12,000 workers, the vast majority of whom worked for pennies and lived in appallingly unsanitary conditions. The salary of an ordinary builder was no more than 4 dollars a day, a skilled worker received a little more - about 7 dollars a day. The designers were well aware of Murphy's law: "No construction in the world will fit into a pre-planned budget." And the budget was truly huge: 1.5 billion dollars, it had to be somehow adhered to, so the companies decided to save on labor.

It was in such torments that the most majestic building to date was born. Many workers from the countries of South Asia could not stand this hard labor and often went on strike, however, the next day they went back to work. They took out their anger after a hard day or night on the way to the barracks: broken windows of cars and shops, damaged fountains. The UAE authorities announced the amount of damage: the city lost about a million dollars from the "inadequate" behavior of the builders. However, construction, like strikes, is already in the past: at the moment, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper is the most majestic, comfortable and, undoubtedly, the most beautiful high-rise building in the whole world.

Gossip

While the construction of the skyscraper, which later became known as the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, was going on, rumors constantly arose in the world. The architectural bureau did not divulge secrets. And as it turned out later, the designers until the last moment were not sure at what height they would stop. Someone assumed that the building would have a height of 705 meters, someone made bets that the skyscraper would be built at least a kilometer high. As it turned out, construction was stopped on the 163rd floor only because the managers were afraid of difficulties in selling the space. Although, after the opening of the building, the entire area of ​​the skyscraper, and it is 344,000 square meters, despite the outbreak of the economic crisis, was purchased by various organizations and individuals.

In the Burj Khalifa skyscraper

Even when approaching this building, it seems that it goes into the sky itself. At its foot, an artificial lake strikes the imagination with its embodiment, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is almost 12 hectares. It houses a unique fountain of its kind, the jets of which are illuminated by more than 6,500 lamps and 50 huge colored spotlights. Such lighting turns the jets of water "flying" up to 150 meters into a truly fantastic sight. Entering the building itself, it is impossible not to enjoy the amazing microclimate created by special ventilation and air conditioning systems. When designing them, all the features of the human body were taken into account, so the comfort that you feel in the Burj Khalifa is difficult to describe in words. Moreover, the air here is filled with a fragrance that was also developed specifically for this skyscraper. The building is filled with a light, not "straining" aroma with the help of membranes.

Inside the city, there is a huge hotel in the city, where any visitor to Dubai who is not accustomed to scrupulously calculating his budget can stay. The design of the hotel has been developed by the legendary Giorgio Armani for quite a long time. Naturally, the complex has a huge number of offices, so it is rightfully considered the business center of one of the best cities in the UAE.

Fragment of a skyscraper

There are also residential premises in the skyscraper: there are 900 of them in total. It is interesting that the hundredth floor of the building was completely bought out by billionaire Shetty from India. There are three huge apartments with a total area of ​​1500 square meters. According to eyewitnesses, who were lucky enough to visit the “hundredth” floor of the Burj Khalifa, everything is immersed in luxury there. The skyscraper can be entered through one of three separate entrances. This is done so that office workers, residents and visitors to restaurants, hotel guests do not interfere with each other. A huge number of restaurants, bars, cafes and discos, artificial lakes and boulevards - all this can be found in one of the greatest

The Burj Khalifa is three times the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and twice the Empire State Building in New York. Just imagine: the aluminum used in the construction of the Burj Khalifa would be more than enough for five Airbus A380s. For reference: the Airbus A380 is capable of accommodating about a thousand passengers and is considered the largest of the currently operating passenger aircraft. Of course, the Dubai skyscraper consists not only of metal, but also of concrete, the weight of which is equal to the weight of 100,000 elephants (if we measure the scale of the king of skyscrapers in elephants and airplanes). And the spire of the building is visible for 95 kilometers - in other words, if you are going to Dubai, the first thing you will see from an incoming plane will be Burj Khalifa, a symbol of luxury and untold riches of these lands.

Observation deck at sky level

Have you ever thought about the fact that you can soar in the clouds not only while in the cabin of an airplane or in your own dreams? Burj Khalifa gives its guests a unique opportunity to go up to the 125th floor to enjoy the views of one of the most modern cities in world history, and if you're lucky, even the desert. However, truly clear weather in Dubai does not happen so often. The problem is the unbearable heat. When the temperature in the shade is 48 degrees, on the "upper floors" a sultry fog keeps around the clock, through which almost nothing can be seen.

There is entertainment in Burge for the most daring, namely: the opportunity to climb to the 148th floor. In 2014, the world's highest open-air observation deck, At the Top SKY, opened here. In addition, the site is literally stuffed with the most modern and almost “spy” technology, with the help of which guests can not only admire Dubai, but also look into its most remote corners.

At the speed of light

Dubai is famous not only for its wealth, the scale of which is difficult to imagine for mere mortals, but also for the highest rate of development. Burj Khalifa is more than the tallest building in the world. It is a symbol of progress in the UAE. The construction, which began in 2004, proceeded at a record pace: in the first three years, 150 floors were already completed. The grand opening ceremony took place in 2010. Today, the Burj Khalifa is a whole separate world: there are offices, restaurants, apartments and even the Armani Hotel. So some high-rise residents do not even have to leave their homes to get to work.

Victory and more victory

Burj Khalifa has been holding a leading position for six years already, there is no higher skyscraper on the whole planet. The tower also entered the Guinness Book of Records as the building with the highest number of floors, the longest elevator distance and the highest located private residences. Such scales attract extreme sports fans from all over the world: for example, rock climber Alain Robert, known as the French "Spider-Man", conquered the height of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in 2011 - it took him more than six hours. Thrill-seekers Fred Fügen and Vincent Reffer, on the contrary, traveled from top to bottom, jumping from a height of 828 meters and setting a world record in BASE jumping.

The tallest restaurant in the world

Restaurant At.mosphere is located on the first level of the Burj Khalifa observation deck, namely on the 122nd floor, and this was enough to get into the Guinness Book of Records as the highest restaurant in the world. Here you will be fed the most exquisite dishes, the menu includes foie gras, oysters and Wagyu beef medallions. The wide windows offer a view of the stunning panorama of the city in the desert and even the planes that fly very close to the famous skyscraper, landing.

Double-story burger at the 163-story Burj Khalifa

In a multi-story building, food should also be multi-story. The Firebird Diner serves Burger Khalifa, which looks like the tallest building in the world for a reason. Quite extravagant, right? A two-story burger consists of one larger burger, on which its smaller counterpart is hoisted. Hidden in the bun are American lobster tail, fried eggs, USDA premium beef patty with black truffle aioli. The mini burger has a foie gras patty on top, and instead of a spire, the skyscraper burger is topped with a pickled cucumber.

movie star

Almost more often than other skyscrapers, the Burj Khalifa hits wide screens: sometimes a skyscraper is filmed in a movie. It is understandable - every director dreams of getting such a location, regardless of what exactly he is shooting, a thriller, a blockbuster or a romantic comedy. Of the most famous films, it is worth noting the film "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" with Tom Cruise in the title role, as well as "Independence Day: Resurgence".

The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building ever built in Dubai, UAE. The building was built in the shape of a stalagmite. Its height is 828 m, and the number of floors reaches 163.

Initially, the skyscraper was called Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower), but the UAE Vice President decided to dedicate the tower to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan and call it Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower).

The history of the construction of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper

The original plan was for the Burj Khalifa to be the tallest building in the world. For this reason, until the very opening, the project managers did not disclose its height and number of floors.

The Burj Khalifa skyscraper project was created by the American architectural bureau Skidmore, Owings & Merill. The project was designed by American architect Adrian Smith. Since there were no analogues of such a tall building yet, it was decided to build an asymmetric skyscraper so that the building could withstand the wind.

The construction of the skyscraper lasted from 2004 to 2010. Every day, more than 12,000 workers were involved in the construction site, who erected 1-2 floors per week. Especially for the hot weather, the UAE developed a special type of concrete that could withstand temperatures of +50°C. However, the solution was placed only at night and ice was added to it. The construction cost amounted to 1.5 billion dollars.

Interestingly, the building is glazed with special glasses that repel the sun's rays and do not let dust through. However, the windows are cleaned daily. The building has a special climate with its own aroma, which is created with the help of special membranes.

Skyscraper Burj Khalifa inside

Floors 1 to 39 are occupied by the Armani Hotel, designed by Giorgio Armani. On the 43rd, 76th and 123rd floors there are sports complexes with swimming pools and spacious observation decks. Floors 44 to 72 and 77 to 108 occupied 900 apartments. The 100th floor was completely bought out by the Indian billionaire B.R. Shetty.

At.mosphere Restaurant at Burj Khalifa

Floors 111-121, 125-135 and 139-154 are office space. On the 122nd floor is the restaurant At.mosphere, which is the highest located restaurant in the world. On the 124th floor there is an observatory "On top".

17-18, 40-42, 73-75, 109-110, 136-138, 155 and 160-163 floors are technical. 156-159 floors are given over for telecommunication needs.

There are 57 elevators in the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, and only the service elevator allows you to drive directly from the first to the 163rd floor.

Near the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, as can be seen on the map, there is an artificial lake with an area of ​​12 hectares. On the lake there is a musical fountain "Dubai", the height of which reaches 150 m.

National Georaphics made a great film about the technological breakthroughs it took to build the tallest building on earth.