Burj Khalifa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Burj Khalifa
برج خليفة
Viewed across The Dubai Fountain
Former names	Burj Dubai
Record height
Tallest in the world since 2009
Preceded by	Taipei 101
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Mixed-use
Architectural style	Neo-futurism
Location	Dubai
Address	1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard
Country	United Arab Emirates
Coordinates	25°11′49.7″N 55°16′26.8″E / 25.197139°N 55.274111°E / 25.197139; 55.274111
Named for	Sheikh Khalifa
Construction started	6 January 2004 (2004-01-06)
Topped-out	17 January 2009
Completed	1 October 2009 (2009-10-01)
Opened	4 January 2010
Cost	US$1.5 billion
Owner	Emaar Properties
Height
Architectural	828 m (2,717 ft)
Tip	829.8 m (2,722 ft)
Top floor	584.5 m (1,918 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
Design and construction
Architect	Adrian Smith
Architecture firm	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Structural engineer	Bill Baker
Main contractor	Samsung C&T
Other information
Parking	2 subterranean levels

Burj Khalifa (Arabic: برج خليفة, "Khalifa Tower") is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and is the tallest building ever built, at 828 metres (2,717 feet). Before the building opened, it was called Burj Dubai. The building is 162 stories high. Construction of the tower was started in 2004. The building was officially opened on 4 January 2010. It is the tallest structure made by humans in the world. The building is more than 300 metres (980 feet) taller than Taipei 101. Taipei 101 was the tallest building until 2010 before Burj Khalifa was built.

Adrian Smith designed the tower. He worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006. It was built by Samsung Engineering & Construction, Besix, and Arabtec. The tower cost US $1.5 billion to build. The building is part of a 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) building project on Sheikh Zayed Road, Downtown Burj Khalifa. It is near Dubai's main business district.

The building and planning

Burj Khalifa compared to some other tall structures.

The main contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea. They also built the Taipei 101 and Petronas Twin Towers. Other contractors who helped with the building included Belgian group Besix and Arabtec from the UAE. The Turner Construction Company was chosen as the construction project manager.

The design architect, Adrian Smith, did not like the first design of the upper part of the building. He added 27 new floors and an aluminium spire to the top of the plans. The design of Burj Khalifa based on those used in Islamic architecture. Burj Khalifa has been said to have had several other planned height increases since it was first built. This has not been proven to be true yet. The TV/radio communications mast was added to the tower's plans in 2007. This was after building work had begun in 2006. There are pressurized, air-conditioned refuge floors about every 35 floors. These were put into the tower in case of an emergency or fire.

The unusual design and engineering problems of building Burj Khalifa have been shown in many television documentaries. These include the Big, Bigger, Biggest series on the National Geographic and Five channels, and the Mega Builders series on the Discovery Channel.

The most important building material of Burj Khalifa is reinforced concrete. A special concrete was needed because of the high pressures of the building's weight and the hot local climate of Persian Gulf temperatures that can reach 50 °C (122 °F). Any major cracks could have caused a large amount of damage to the building.

The foundation of the building is 15 metres (49 feet) deep. It was built with 192 columns being put into the ground. Each column was 1.5 metres (4 feet 11 inches) in diameter and 43 metres (141 feet) long. 55,000 tonnes (121,000,000 pounds) of steel rebar was used in the construction of the tower. It took 22 million man-hours to build. A high density, low permeability concrete was used in the foundations of Burj Khalifa. A cathodic protection system is used to lessen any bad effects from corrosive chemicals in local ground water.

The Dubai Fountain

The Dubai Fountain performing to the song "Bassbor Al Fourgakom"

A fountain system was built outside the tower. It was designed by WET Design of California. They built and planned out the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel Lake in Las Vegas. The fountain cost UAEd 800 million. It is lit by 6,600 lights and 50 coloured projectors. The fountain is 84 metres (275 feet) long. It shoots water 46 metres (150 feet) into the air to the sounds of classical and modern Arabic and world music. On 26 October 2008, the fountain was named the Dubai Fountain.

Delays and late building work

Emaar Properties said on 9 June 2008 that construction of Burj Khalifa was slowed because of changes to finishes. An Emaar official said that the luxury finishes that were decided on in 2004, when the tower was first planned, were being being replaced by better finishes. The design of the apartments were also made better. This was done to make them both look better and work better. There were problems with the marble decorations, flooring, the top floors' sanitation system, broken glasswork and a poorly done wall mural of the Sultan of Oman. A new ending date of 2 December, 2009, was then given. Burj Khalifa opened on 4 January 2010.

Workers' disputes and strikes.

Burj Khalifa was built mainly by people from South Asia. Press reports said in 2006 that skilled carpenters at the site earned UK£4.34 a day, and labourers earned UK£2.84. According to a BBC investigation and a Human Rights Watch report, the workers lived in very bad conditions. Often they were not paid for the work. Their passports were taken by their employers. It was said that they were working in dangerous conditions that caused high number of deaths and injuries. Companies not paying workers has been reported to the authorities several times.

On 21 March 2006, about 2,500 workers protested. They were mad about buses that were delayed for the end of their shifts. They damaged cars, offices, computers, and construction equipment. A Dubai Interior Ministry official said they caused almost UK£500,000 in damage. Most of the workers who were part of the riot returned the following day but would not work.

Milestones

Burj Khalifa and skyline of Dubai, 2010

• January 2004: Excavation commences.
• February 2004: Piling starts.
• 21 September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.
• March 2005: Structure of Burj Khalifa starts rising.
• June 2006: Level 50 is reached.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 7 April 2008: At 629 m (2,064 ft), surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to become the tallest human-made structure, level 160 reached.
• 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.
• 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.
• 17 January 2009: Topped out at 829.8 m (2,722 ft).
• 1 October 2009: Emaar announces that the exterior of the building is completed.
• 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.
• 10 March 2010: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat certifies Burj Khalifa as world's tallest building.

Records

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)
• 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)
• World's highest elevator installation (situated inside a rod at the very top of the building)
• World's longest travel distance elevators: 504 m (1,654 ft)
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft)
• World's tallest structure that includes residential space
• World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade: 512 m (1,680 ft)
• 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)
• World's highest New Year display of fireworks.
• World's largest light and sound show staged on a single building.

Gallery

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  Construction work during February 2006

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  29 August 2006

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  11 November 2006

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  2 January 2007

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  3 January 2007

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  21 March 2007

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  4 December 2007

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  Construction work during 11 March 2008

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  8 May 2008

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  The spire is added along with the TV/radio mast

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  4 January 2010, skyline of Dubai with Burj Khalifa in the background

Awards

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. On 28 September 2010 Burj Khalifa won the award for the best project of the year at the Middle East Architect Awards 2010. 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.

Burj Khalifa was also the recipient of the following awards.

Images for kids

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  Burj Khalifa compared with some other well-known tall structures

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  Cross-section comparisons of various towers, from ground level to top: Burj Khalifa, Taipei 101, Willis Tower, and World Trade Center

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  The spiral minaret at the Great Mosque of Samarra

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  The Dubai Fountain

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  View of The Dubai Fountain from the observation deck

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  View from the observation deck

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  Aerial closeup of Burj Khalifa under construction in March 2008

See also

In Spanish: Burj Khalifa para niños