United Arab Emirates burj khalifa tower. Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world, Dubai
largest city in the UAE is Dubai. Burj Khalifa is a building located in this city and recognized as the tallest in the world. The design height of the structure was carefully concealed during construction. What for? Because this tower was originally planned to be built as the tallest structure. And in the event that somewhere in the world they decide to build a building with great performance, the Burj Khalifa construction plan would be changed.
Construction history
The plan to erect the most grandiose building on the planet was officially announced by the local Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum fourteen years ago. The tower was designed as a key building in a new area of the city, which could attract a tourist flow here.
At first it was called "Burj Dubai" (which translates as "Dubai Tower"), but the final stage of its construction coincided with the crisis. Due to the lack of financial resources, they turned to the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi for help. Billion-dollar support allowed construction to continue, but the building was renamed. The Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai is named after the ruler of Abu Dhabi. He is the current President of the UAE (since 2004).
Height of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai
As a result, the data was hidden until the opening of the tower. The height of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai is eight hundred twenty-eight meters! These figures are hard to believe, but true. The height of the uppermost residential floor is at the level of five hundred and eighty-four meters. The building, thanks to this feature, rises above the entire city and is a real symbol that Dubai can be proud of.
Burj Khalifa, whose observation deck is located at the level of four hundred and fifty meters, surpasses many other buildings in height, including Finance center in Shanghai. However, the latter structure has its advantages. So, despite the fact that in general the Burj Khalifa is higher than the financial center, the Shanghai observation deck is still at a higher level when compared with the site in Dubai.
What's inside the Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai is a kind of city that is located at a great height. The layout of the floors is made in the form of blocks, each of which has a special function. The building contains about nine hundred residential apartments, as well as a huge hotel and many office spaces. A three-story parking complex is designed for three thousand cars.
In addition, the tower has a large number of shopping centers. The Burj Khalifa has three separate entrances. They are designed for hotels, private apartments and offices. In addition, there is sport complexes with swimming pools, gyms and spas. At the level of one hundred and twenty-second floor there is a restaurant, which is considered an institution of its kind, located at the highest altitude on the entire planet.
The Burj Khalifa has special equipment that cools and flavors the air inside the building. At the same time, the smell was created exclusively for this building. The glass in the tower does not allow dust particles to pass through and is able to repel solar radiation, which guarantees the maintenance of stable temperature indicators.
Also, a special brand of concrete was developed specifically for this building. It is able to withstand heat of about 50 degrees. A mixture of this material was laid exclusively at night, and a certain amount of ice was added to it.
Financial expenses
Dubai's Burj Khalifa was built with $1.5 billion in funding. Moreover, this complex is a record holder also because the costs of its construction paid off within a year after it was opened. This fact is due to the fact that the tower is extremely popular as the tallest in the world.
Even before the completion of construction work, the developer company announced back in 2009 that one square meter in the Burj Khalifa costs forty thousand dollars. Imagine that the popularity of the tower is also due to the presence observation deck, to sign up for a visit to which they begin a few days before the expected visit.
Burj Khalifa Records
The whole world knows what building Dubai is most famous for. Burj Khalifa was officially recognized as a record building, which, in addition to the above dignity, has the largest number of floors and elevators moving at a speed of eighteen meters per second. In addition, there is a restaurant on the largest point on Earth - the institution is located on the one hundred and twenty-second floor in the tower.
But why is the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa inferior in height to the Shanghai site? If the Chinese tower is equipped with a room at the level of four hundred and seventy meters, then in the United Arab Emirates it is located at a level of four hundred and fifty meters. What is the reason for such a feature? This is because the tower narrows at the top of the structure, so the very top of the structure cannot accommodate people.
Who lives upstairs in the Burj Khalifa
The pricing policy for real estate in Dubai is much more affordable than, for example, the cost in cities such as Moscow, London or New York. However, only real rich people can buy their apartment in this tower. Developers do not open names, but many of the buyers talk about it on their own. For example, today we can confidently say that the 100th and 101st floors were acquired in order to personal use Indian billionaire Shetty. The cost of this purchase is estimated at twenty-five million dollars.
Gold vending machines
Obviously, another feature of the described tower is connected with this. So, in vending machines shopping malls usually sell drinks or snacks. But this is not the case for the Burj Khalifa. Today there are several vending machines that sell real gold. Those who can afford to spend a lot of money buy bars that weigh from two and a half to thirty grams. The image of the tower is embossed on these gold items.
Fountains of Burj Khalifa
Near the skyscraper is another attraction that Dubai is rightfully proud of. Burj Khalifa boasts a unique, most powerful fountain on the planet, spewing water to a level that reaches one hundred meters. At the same time, he is equipped with a device capable of forcing him to write out bizarre figures, moving to the music. In the evenings, a real show of the famous fountain begins, which “dances” to beautiful melodies, and everyone can admire this action.
According to ancient legend, long ago, the builders, to make a name for myself decided to build a tower to the skies, but the Tower of Babel was never completed... The more interesting is the modern approach to the construction of skyscrapers.
As you know, the United United Arab Emirates are famous all over the world for their oil reserves and high standard of living. But in 2010 - this state became famous for another attraction - the tallest building in the world, built in the city of Dubai.
But besides the height of 828 meters, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper broke two more records: becoming the most expensive building in the world - the total construction budget exceeded $ 1.5 billion, and also breaking the world record for the number of floors - there are more than 160 of them in the building.
But, in order to understand the full scale of construction, it is necessary to go back a few years and take a look at the beginning of the grandiose construction begun on the orders of the Emir of Dubai, Mohammed ibn Rashid.
As you know, the palm in the construction of skyscrapers deservedly belongs to the Americans who are accustomed to building high-rise buildings on rocky foundations, but to the engineers and architects of the Chicago firm SOM , whose services were used by customers from the UAE, managed the seemingly impossible - to erect the tallest building in the world in the desert.
No matter how strange it may sound, but such a huge building does not have a foundation in the usual sense.
The secret is simple - the building stands on stilts. According to one of the architects of the project, in this case this was the only way out, since in the desert, unlike New York, one cannot find rocky soil capable of supporting the weight of such a structure.
The builders went their own way, screwing in more than 200 piles with a diameter of 1.5 meters and a length of 45 meters. Thus, managed to solve two problems at once - to compact the soil and provide the skyscraper with a reliable foundation.
Initially, the project involved the construction of a building with a height of " only" 550 meters, but after additional calculations, the architect-designer George Estafio
having coordinated the decision with the customer, he made a bold move - to double the height of the building! And thereby erect the tallest building in the world.
According to rumors leaked to the press, the plans were to build a building with a height of 1 kilometer, but after laying the foundation and erecting the first floors, the customers wisely decided to limit themselves to a height of just over 800 meters.
Interesting fact is that the skyscraper The Burj Khalifa owes its name to the global financial crisis that erupted in 2008. Customers from Dubai were forced to seek additional financial support from a neighboring emirate - Abu Dhabi. Therefore, in gratitude for the billions received, the tower was renamed from Burj Dubai in Burj Khalifa in honor of the sheikh from Abu Dhabi.
Construction was carried out 24 hours 7 days a week. The number of invited architects and engineers was about 100 people, and the number of workers working at the construction site of the century exceeded 12,000 people.
New tower of babel grew at a rate of one floor in three days. Using reinforced concrete structures and the principles of monolithic construction, workers and architects managed to accomplish the impossible - to build a seismically stable building that can withstand strong earthquakes. But, as the designers said, one of the main problems during the construction was the strongest winds blowing from the Persian Gulf.
The tower owes its futuristic form to the winds. It seems to consist of several columns-terraces flowing one into another. And to minimize the force of the wind, the terraces were built according to the principle of a spiral.
tells how to build a skyscraper in 15 days.
In addition, the designers of the building had to solve many unexpected problems - from the exact positioning of the center of the building necessary for pouring concrete - GPS signals were used for this purpose, to the choice of glass panels made of extra-strong glass, which effectively reflects heat and transmits sunlight at the same time.
Also, the skyscraper is a completely non-volatile building. For this, a whole complex of solar panels and a special pride of engineers are used. 61 meters high! And the skyscraper itself is clearly visible even from a distance of 90 kilometers.
As ventilation, a convection system is used, which drives the air flow from the base to the top of the building.
The air is cooling sea water and underground blocks filled with refrigerant. And for lightning protection, the most modern lightning protection system is used.
A heated discussion of the installation and installation of a lightning rod is underway our forum.
The Burj Khalifa project has become the embodiment of the concept of the future of such buildings, namely "a city within a city." When the building combines shopping and educational centers, residential apartments, turning into a completely autonomous and energy-efficient urban complex.
Users can learn how to build a wooden skyscraper . You can learn more about the construction of stone houses from the branch of our forum. And looking at this video , You can visually get acquainted with the details of frame-monolithic housing construction.
The 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, as well as ordinary local residents, there was 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 high building on our planet - 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 most tall skyscraper in the world will bear the name of our great caliph Khalifa ibn Zaid al-Nahyan. Forever is the greatest architectural structure is getting the name Burj Khalifa!” Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, said 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, by its appearance reminiscent of a picture from a science fiction film about the distant future, it went at a speed of 2 floors a 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 climatic and geological features 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.
Rumors
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 best cities 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. Great amount restaurants, bars, cafes and discos, artificial lakes and boulevards - all this can be found in one of the greatest
Dubai is starting construction on a new skyscraper that will overtake the 828-meter Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, Emirates 247 reports.
Emaar Properties, which also built the Burj Khalifa, will grace the Dubai skyline at Dubai Creek Harbor with a new development called Dubai Creek Harbour.
The head of the developer, Mohammed Alabbar, said that the skyscraper will be completed by 2020, when the Dubai Expo will be held in Dubai. The skyscraper will occupy the central part of the territory with an area of 6 km² near Ras Al Khor.
The project of a pointed, futuristic tower was born from the pen of the Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava Valse. The shape of the tower will repeat the images of a lily and a minaret, borrowed from Islamic culture. The building will have revolving glass balconies and gardens on several levels, which will offer 360-degree views of the entire city.
Inside the new skyscraper will be residential apartments, restaurants and a shopping center.
Many experts consider such a project quite risky, as demand in the real estate market is gradually falling. According to the consulting firm Cluttons, demand in the housing market has been declining throughout the year.
Even when the Burj Khalifa was completed in 2010, there was no demand for it in terms of the real estate market - just before the opening in Dubai, the "bubble" of the real estate market burst.
The emirate's new projects continue the global course to change Dubai's income structure. Currently, oil and natural gas revenues account for only 9% of budget revenues, and the authorities intend to further reduce this percentage.
A very important point. The Burj Khalifa has two observation decks. This is important, as the price of tickets differs significantly, and Prime hours (the best hours to visit) are different.
AT THE TOP- these are observation platforms on 124 (open) and 125 (covered) floors, height - 452 meters.
- This is an observation deck on the 148th floor (open), height - 555 meters.
To understand why this is so, we will dive a little into the history of Burj Khalifa, although we will tell the whole story in facts and figures in the second part of this article. At first, there was no upper observation deck at all, there was enough platform on the 124th floor (452 meters), which was the highest in the world.
However, in December 2011 (a year after the opening of the Burj Khalifa), the Canton Tower opened in Guangzhou (China) with an observation deck at a height of 488 meters, Dubai residents were left without a record.
On October 15, 2014, Dubai won its record by opening a site on the 148th floor (555 meters). But already in June 2016, an observation deck was opened on the Shanghai Tower (China) at an altitude of 561 meters, and the Dubai people again lost their record.
Now Dubai has nothing to “cover” with. Recall that the Burj Khalifa building is only 585 meters high, and the remaining 243 meters is a large metal spire, in which, according to all safety standards, an observation deck cannot be organized.
Opening hours
Weekends, from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm. Entrance closes at 21-15.
Prime hours for AT THE TOP venues - from 15-00 to 18-30.
Prime hours for the AT THE TOP SKY site - from 9-30 to 18-00.
Prime hours are subject to change by the administration.
Ticket price
There are two types of tickets - Immediate Entry Admission and General Admission. Children under 4 are always free. Further, all prices are given in dirhams, see the current rate in our article “”.
Immediate Entry Admission. This ticket is purchased at the box office on the day of the visit. It would seem that the most simple and convenient option.
In practice, this is the worst option. Firstly, this type of ticket is sold only on AT THE TOP, and there are none at all on AT THE TOP SKY.
Secondly, tickets may simply not be available, because a limited number of people are allowed on the observation decks.
Third, very high price 315 dirhams, against 210 and 135 dirhams for a ticket purchased on the site. Below is a table of Immediate Entry ticket prices.
General Admission. This ticket is purchased on the official website https://tickets.atthetop.ae/. When buying a ticket, you need to choose the date and time of the visit. Below is a table of General Admission ticket prices.
General Admission tickets are available on the website one month prior to the date of visit. Payment is made by VISA, MasterCard and JCB cards. An additional fee of 5 dirhams is charged for purchasing a ticket online. That is, add 5 to the prices in the table above.
And one more important point. You cannot buy a child ticket separately, only together with at least one adult, the system does not allow you to do this. If you are traveling with a child, buy all tickets at once in one operation. Do not forget about the children's ticket, otherwise you will not be able to buy it later in a separate operation.
Probably, Burj Khalifa can be safely given another record - for the most expensive tickets to viewing platforms. For comparison, look at Shanghai from a record this moment the observation deck of the Shanghai Tower costs 180 (at the time of writing, $ 27).
Special offers
When buying on the site, you can use combo tickets, some of which are very profitable.
AT THE TOP SKY + Dubai Fountain Boardwalk. Buy together a ticket to the AT THE TOP SKY site and watch the show from a special platform at the foot of the Burj Khalifa (in the photo below, click to enlarge). Valid from 19-00, price - 360 (+5) dirhams.
A ticket for AT THE TOP SKY costs 350 (+5) dirhams, and viewing the fountains from the platform can be purchased separately for 20 (+5) dirhams. It turns out saving 15 dirhams.
ATT + Dubai Aquarium. This is profitable proposition. Get tickets for AT THE TOP (not Prime hours) and at . The price is 180 (+5) dirhams.
A ticket to the Burj Khalifa costs 125 (+5) dirhams, a ticket to the aquarium costs 100 dirhams. It turns out saving 45 dirhams.
FAST TRACK. This ticket allows you to skip the line everywhere. The price is 300 (+5) dirhams, regardless of age. With this ticket you can go only to the AT THE TOP sites, this type of ticket is not provided for the AT THE TOP SKY site. If you see that someone is skipping the line, do not be surprised or indignant, he bought himself a FAST TRACK ticket.
There are several more combo tickets, but we will not talk about them in detail now, since we consider them not very popular. If you are interested, you can read their description on tickets.atthetop.ae. If you do not know English, use the translator built into the browser, it will be more or less clear.
