The celebration of glass and steel known as the Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure in the world. It stands at 828 m tall, which is three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower and almost twice the height of the Empire State Building. This magnificent structure also holds several other records - tallest freestanding structure, highest number of storeys, highest occupied floor, highest outdoor observation deck, elevator with the longest travel distance, and tallest service elevator in the world. The design of the building was inspired by the Greek desert flower, Hymenocallis, which means beautiful membrane Excavation began in January 2004 and construction was completed in 2010. During the peak of construction, 12 000 people worked on the building every day and 110 000 tons of concrete, 55 000 tons of steel rebar, 22 million man-hours and $1.5 billion later, the Burj Khalifa is standing tall and proud. The tip of the Burj Khalifa can be seen from about 95 km away. The elevator, travelling all the way to the 164th floor, can move at a speed of 18 m/s. The design of this skyscraper needed to be adapted to resist the extreme temperatures of Dubai, which is why the exterior shield consists of 26 000 glass panels and 141 956 m~2 of reflective glazing, aluminium and textured stainless steel panels.
展开▼
