The highest building in the world
Burj Khalifa, from Arabic. "Khalifa Tower" is the highest building in the world - 828 m, and the most multi-storey - 163 floors, not counting 48 technical and underground floors. The skyscraper has the longest spire in the world - 180 m. This grandiose building is located in Dubai (UAE).
Why was it Called
During design, the high-rise was given the name "Burj Dubai", which means "Dubai Tower". Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who ruled the emirate of Dubai at the time, named the tower in honor of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. On January 4, 2010, during the opening ceremony, there was an official renaming.
Construction Project
The project was designed by American architect Adrian Smith. The building was designed as a "city within a city" - with its own recreation areas, restaurants, shops and sports grounds.
During construction, the height of this grand structure was kept secret. This was done so that no one could design the building higher. Therefore, there were many versions. At first it was assumed that there would be a height of 705 m, and later - 940 m.
Construction of a Giant House
The tower was built by Samsung. Construction of the facility began in 2004. The construction site employed 12,000 workers who built 2 floors every week. Construction costs amounted to 1.5 billion dollars.
It was envisaged that the structure should withstand not only heavy weight loads, but also temperature ones, so a special composition of the concrete mixture was made that can withstand temperatures up to +50 C. Concrete work was carried out at night, when the air temperature was not high, and concrete ice was mixed in. In total, 320 thousand cubic meters were spent. m. of concrete and 60 thousand tons of metal structures.
What does the Building Look Like
The tower is asymmetrical in shape to be less swaying from the wind and resembles a stalagmite. The outer surface area of the building is 75% glass and is equal to 111.5 thousand square meters. m. To reduce the temperature in the premises and protect from dust, tinted facade panels were used. It takes three months to wash the entire glass facade.
What is in the high-rise of Dubai
Inside the building are located: a hotel, 900 apartments, office space and shopping centers. Two floors are occupied by sports complexes and observation platforms. The Atmosphere Restaurant is located on the 122nd floor and is the highest located restaurant in the world.
The building can be entered through three different entrances. It has 57 elevators with a speed of up to 10 m/s and 8 escalators. The entire telecommunications system is located at the very top of the skyscraper.
Interesting Facts
On the territory adjacent to the tower, there is an artificial pond with an area of 12 hectares, a musical fountain. More than 6.6 thousand light devices are used for color lighting of the fountain. The length of the fountain is 275 m, and the height of the jets reaches 150 meters.An air conditioning and aromatization system is installed inside the skyscraper. A unique aroma was developed, which is supplied to the premises thanks to special membranes through special grates in the floor.