Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the world’s tallest building – it is an astounding 828 metres tall (2,717 feet). This is nearly 200 feet taller than the second tallest building in the world – the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China.
Read on to learn everything that you need to know about this magnificent and incredible structure.
What records does Burj Khalifa hold?
Currently, the Burj Khalifa holds the following records:
- The tallest building in the world
- The tallest free-standing structure in the world
- The highest number of stories in the world
- The highest occupied floor in the world
Isn’t this absolutely unbelievable?
Timeline of the Burj Khalifa
Another spectacular fact about this building is that it took a mere six years to be launched officially.
The excavation started in January of 2004. In July 2007, the construction of level 141 of the building was completed, making it the world’s tallest building. Subsequently, in September 2007, level 150 was constructed. At this point, Burj Khalifa became the world’s tallest free-standing structure. In April 2008, with the completion of level 160, this building became the world’s tallest man-made structure.
The official launch ceremony took place in January 2010.
Architect of Burj Khalifa
The architect of this magnificent tower is Adrian Smith. To build the Burj Khalifa, he was inspired by Spider Lily (Hymenocallis), a regional desert flower that has a very lyrical and well-proportioned structure.
What does the Burj Khalifa house?
This is a mixed-use tower, which comprises of residential as well as office space. Also, the Armani Hotel and the Armani Residences occupy a few floors in the structure.
Burj Khalifa houses breathtaking artworks of over 85 artists from across the world.
Fun facts about the Burj Khalifa
- Did you know that this amazing building was featured in the fourth movie of the Mission Impossible series, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
- The total amount of concrete used in the construction of this building, by weight, will equal the weight of 100,000 elephants!
- The ambient temperature at the tip of Burj Khalifa is six degrees cooler than the temperature at ground level.
- At any given time, more than 12,000 people were working on site.
With all this magnificence, it is little wonder that this building is one of the most photographed ones in the world.
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