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Burj Khalifa
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Burj Khalifa

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Home Visual Arts Architecture


BURJ KHALIFA

skyscraper, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Alternate titles: Burj Dubai, Burj Khalīfah
By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica • Last Updated: Aug 23, 2022 • Edit
History

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents
Top Questions
WHAT IS THE BURJ KHALIFA?

The Burj Khalifa is a mixed-use skyscraper located in Dubai, U.A.E. It is the
world’s tallest building, according to all three of the main criteria by which
such buildings are judged. The Burj Khalifa was officially named to honour the
president of the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalīfah ibn Zāyid Āl
Nahyān.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR THE BURJ KHALIFA TO BE BUILT?

The Burj Khalifa took six years to build. Foundational excavation work commenced
in January 2004, and the tower was formally opened on January 4, 2010. However,
the opening took place before the interior was completed.

WHAT WAS THE BURJ KHALIFA BUILT FOR?

The Burj Khalifa was built to house a variety of commercial, residential, and
hospitality ventures. These include a hotel and luxury residences designed by
Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, in addition to office space,
observation decks, restaurants, and health facilities.

WHAT OTHER FAMOUS BUILDINGS HAVE THE ARCHITECTS OF THE BURJ KHALIFA DESIGNED?

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the Burj Khalifa. Among its many other
architectural achievements, the firm can be credited with designing the John
Hancock Center and the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago, as
well as One World Trade Center in New York City.

HOW MANY WORLD RECORDS DOES THE BURJ KHALIFA HOLD?

At the time of its completion, the Burj Khalifa held a total of eight world
records, including those for the tallest building, the longest elevator travel
distance, and the highest habitable floor.



Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa, Khalifa also spelled Khalīfah, mixed-use skyscraper in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, that is the world’s tallest building, according to all
three of the main criteria by which such buildings are judged (see Researcher’s
Note: Heights of Buildings). Burj Khalifa (“Khalifa Tower”), known during
construction as Burj Dubai, was officially named to honour the leader of the
neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al Nahyan. Although
the tower was formally opened on January 4, 2010, the entirety of the interior
was not complete at that time. Built to house a variety of commercial,
residential, and hospitality ventures, the tower—whose intended height remained
a closely guarded secret throughout its construction—reached completion at 162
floors and a height of 2,717 feet (828 metres). It was designed by the
Chicago-based architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Adrian Smith
served as architect, and William F. Baker served as structural engineer.

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The building, modular in plan, is laid out on a three-lobed footprint that is an
abstract rendering of the local Hymenocallis flower. The Y-shaped plan plays a
central role in the reduction of wind forces on the tower. A hexagonal central
core is buttressed by a series of wings, each with its own concrete core and
perimeter columns. As the tower increases in height, the wings step back in a
spiral configuration, changing the building’s shape at each tier and so reducing
the effect of the wind on the building. The central core emerges at the tower’s
top and is finished with a spire, which reaches more than 700 feet (200 metres).
The spire was constructed inside the tower and hoisted to its final position
using a hydraulic pump. At the foundational level, the tower is supported by a
reinforced concrete mat nearly 13 feet (4 metres) thick, itself supported by
concrete piles 5 feet (1.5 metres) in diameter. A three-story podium anchors the
tower in place; the podium and two-story basement alone measure some 2,000,000
square feet (186,000 square metres) in their own right. The tower’s exterior
cladding is made up of aluminum and stainless-steel panels, vertical
stainless-steel tubular fins, and more than 28,000 hand-cut glass panels. A
public observation deck, called “At the Top,” is located on the 124th floor.

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Upon its inauguration in January 2010, Burj Khalifa easily surpassed the Taipei
101 (Taipei Financial Center) building in Taipei, Taiwan, which measured 1,667
feet (508 metres), as the world’s tallest building. At the same time, Burj
Khalifa broke numerous other records, including the world’s tallest freestanding
structure, the world’s highest occupied floor, and the world’s highest outdoor
observation deck.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised
and updated by Adam Zeidan.


Dubai
Table of Contents
Dubai

 * Introduction
   
 * 
   Character of the city
   
 * Landscape
    * City site and layout
   
    * Climate

 * 
   People
   
 * Economy
    * Finance and other services
   
    * Transportation

 * Administration and society
    * Government
   
    * Municipal services
   
    * Health
   
    * Education

 * 
   Cultural life
   
 * 
   History
   

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DUBAI

United Arab Emirates
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By Christopher Davidson • Last Updated: Aug 17, 2022 • Edit History

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai, also spelled Dubayy, city and capital of the emirate of Dubai, one of the
wealthiest of the seven emirates that constitute the federation of the United
Arab Emirates, which was created in 1971 following independence from Great
Britain. There are several theories about the origin of the name Dubai. One
associates it with the daba—a type of locust that infests the area—while another
holds that it refers to a market that existed near the city. In recent years
Dubai has been compared to Singapore and Hong Kong and is often regarded as the
Middle East’s premier entrepôt. Area 13.5 square miles (35 square km). Pop.
(2017 est.) 2,919,178.


CHARACTER OF THE CITY


Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Sheikh Zayed Road

Dubai is a city of skyscrapers, ports, and beaches, where big business takes
place alongside sun-seeking tourism. Because of its large expatriate population,
it feels like a Middle Eastern melting pot, and the atmosphere is generally
tolerant. Religious affiliations are not a prominent aspect of city life. Islam
is the majority religion, but churches and Hindu temples coexist with Dubai’s
mosques.

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Dubai is a relatively crime-free place where administrative efficiency and
openness to business have encouraged astounding growth. However, criticism of
Dubai’s authoritarian government and ruling elite is not tolerated, and there
persists an atmosphere of discreet corruption.


LANDSCAPE


Palm Jumeirah

The western area of Dubai benefits from small stretches of sandy beaches, which
have helped to catalyze the city’s tourism industry. Dubai’s rulers have sought
to increase the city’s limited seafronts, and, in the absence of natural
offshore islands, developers were encouraged to construct giant man-made islands
off the coast of the city. The most famous of these is Palm Jumeirah, which has
the shape of a palm tree. Others include the “World” islands, a cluster of small
islands positioned to resemble a world map when viewed from above.

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CITY SITE AND LAYOUT


Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai straddles a natural inlet called Dubai Creek on the southern shores of the
Persian Gulf. For more than a century, the area was Dubai’s centre, because of
the early city’s reliance on fishing, pearl diving, and maritime trade. Lining
the creek are the oldest buildings in Dubai, most of which date from the 1960s
and are rarely more than two stories in height. In the Bastakiyyah quarter, on
the western shore of the creek, some much older buildings have been restored,
and many of these feature the distinctive wind tower design that was imported by
Persian merchants early in the 20th century.


Burj Khalifa

Dubai: Burj al-ʿArab hotel

The new city centre is a string of skyscrapers lining Sheikh Zayed Road. Notable
among these are the Emirates Towers, which were built in the late 1990s and
early 2000s and which house a hotel and government offices. Close to Sheikh
Zayed Road is the Dubai International Financial Centre, housed in a futuristic
arch-shaped building, and the Burj Khalifa, which at the time of its official
opening in 2010 was the world’s tallest building; it was named after the
president of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa ibn Zayed
Al Nahyan. To the west of the skyscrapers lie several affluent suburbs, most of
which house substantial villas. On their periphery lies the Burj al-ʿArab, a
giant sail-shaped tower which is home to a luxury hotel. Farther west are new
clusters of skyscrapers surrounding a man-made marina and several man-made
lakes.

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CLIMATE

Like much of the Persian Gulf coastline, Dubai has a year-round hot climate.
Humidity is high in the summer months and moderate the rest of the year. The
coldest winter month is usually January, with lows of about 15 °C (49 °F), while
the hottest summer month is July, with highs of more than 40 °C (104 °F).


PEOPLE

Dubai’s population has grown steadily over the past two centuries, from just a
few thousand local inhabitants to well over two million. Most of the early
population increases were due to merchants from neighbouring countries choosing
to relocate to Dubai’s business-friendly environment. In the later 20th century
the city’s construction boom led to a huge increase in the number of South Asian
labourers and an influx of skilled expatriates from all over the world who play
an important role in Dubai’s multi-sector economy. Expatriates in the city
vastly outnumber native Emiratis. With the exception of the labourers, who are
housed in work camps beyond the city limits, expatriates of various
nationalities are spread across Dubai. Although Arabic is the official language,
English is, in practice, the lingua franca.




The local population is predominately Muslim, and most of the expatriate
population is also Muslim, although there are significant Christian, Hindu, and
Sikh communities. Given the tolerance of the ruling family toward non-Muslims
and the city’s focus on business, the various communities coexist harmoniously,
although there have been occasions when foreign residents have broken decency
codes or drug-use prohibitions.



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External Websites
 * Official Site of Burj Khalifa
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 * Globalseurity.org - Burj Khalifa

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 * Official Site of Burj Khalifa
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 * Globalseurity.org - Burj Khalifa


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