Burj Khalifa Tower

Spire Over 200m long and houses communications equipment Mechanical floors housing electrical sub-stations, water tanks and pumps, air-handling units, etc E INTO THIN AIR Reaching over 800m into the Dubai sky, the Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building and a design and construction marvel. Level 160 O: to 168 I Spire Constructed inside the building using more than 4,000 tonnes of structural steel, then jacked to full height using a hydraulic pump. Location Downtown Burj Dubai, United Arab Emirates (about 15 minutes' drive from Dubai Airport) Height 828m Cost US$1.5 billion Level 155 Level 156 to 159 Broadcast and telecoms companies Architect Skidmore, Owings Time- 1,325 days starting frame January 2004 and Merrill LLP Level 139 to 154 The Corporate Suites Level 136 Ö to 138 BY THE NUMBERS 1 Structural system Spiralling Y-shaped design inspired by the Hymenocallis flower (below) helps reduce the impact of wind on the tower. 12,000 workers & contractors from more than 100 countries on site every day at peak of construction About 57 million litres of water - enough to fill 20 Olympic-size pools – will be collected annually by the tower's condensation collection system. Water collected will be used to irrigate the structure's 11 hectares of greenery and water features Level 124 At The Top observation deck Level 125 to 135 The Corporate Suites Level 112 to 121 Level 123 Sky Lobby (business lounge and library) The Corporate Suites 24,830 individually hand-cut glass panels and aluminium equivalent to the weight of five A-380 aircraft were used for the facade Each tier of the building steps back in a spiral pattern up the building. This deflects the wind around the structure and prevents it from forming organised whirlpools of air current that would cause the tower to damage the building. Level 109 to 111 Level 122 At.mosphere restaurant 800m The Burj has a total built-up area of 5.67 million sq ft - 3.8 times the gross floor area of VivoCity 18 custom- made window- cleaning carousels (left) costing S$10.1 million are stored in garages within the structure. They are able to access the tower top down to level seven. t will take about three months to clean the entire facade. Level 77 to 108 Private residences or 700m .... Lifts in the Burj travel at a maximum speed of 10m per second Tiered design Level 76 Level 73 Sky Lobby (fitness facilities, jacuzzi, swimming pools and recreational room) to 75 600m 57 elevators & 8 escalators service the structure Level 44 to 72 The Residence 500m Level 40 to 42 Level 43 Sky Lobby (fitness facilities, jacuzzi, swimming pools and recreational room) The tri-petal floor plan maximises views of the Gulf. 400m Level 38 & 39 Armani Hotel Dubai Level 19 to 37 The Residence 300m Level 17 & 18 I Fire safety Pressurised, air-conditioned refuge areas located approximately every 25 floors. Level 9 to 16 Armani Residences - 200m Concourse, ground to level 8 Armani Hotel Dubai I Podium Provides a base (150m wide, six levels) anchoring the tower to the ground. Provides separate entries for the corporate suites, residences and Armani Hotel. 100m I Foundation Supporting the structure is a large reinforced concrete mat (3.7m thick and 12,500 cubic metres of concrete) which in turn is supported by 192 bored reinforced concrete piles (1.5m in diameter and 43m long). Swissotel The Stamford Singapore (1986) 226m John Hancock Center Chicago, US (1969) 457m Shanghai World Financial Centre Shanghai, China (2008) 494m Taipei 101 Taipei, Taiwan (2004) 508m Willis Tower Chicago, US (1974) 527m Burj Khalifa Dubai, UAE (2010) 828m NOTE: Figures reflect height to tip of building including spire. Sources: BURJDUBAI.COM, AP, MAKTOOB BUSINESS, EYE OF DUBAI and COUNCIL ON TALL BUILDINGS AND URBAN HABITAT PHOTOS: REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE and ST FILE GRAPHICS: LIM YONG and JEANETTE WANG