The tallest skyscraper in the world – Burj Khalifa
Soaring skyscrapers fascinate us with their magnificence and monumentality. Currently, the tallest building in the world is located in the UAE, this is the Burj Khalifa, Dubai (UAE): height 828 meters, 163 floors, built in 2010. Despite its height and exposure to winds, the tower has a stable shape that helps reduce wind load. During construction, the steel frame was assembled on the ground, then lifted up and poured with concrete. The tower has a single control center that controls all life support systems. Glass does not allow dust and ultraviolet to pass through.
The Burj Khalifa holds many records, including the world’s tallest outdoor observation deck, the world’s tallest service elevator, and the world’s tallest residential floor.
The skyscraper houses apartments, offices, hotel rooms, a restaurant and an observation deck. Work on the building, designed by Adrian Smith, began in 2004. Burj Khalifa is named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, former president of the United Arab Emirates. The building, owned by Emaar Properties, was built over 5 years at a cost of $1.5 billion. The building has 57 elevators that move at a speed of 18 meters per second.
On the 43rd and 76th floors there are gyms, swimming pools, and observation decks with Jacuzzis. On the 122nd floor, the 80-seat Atmosphere restaurant is the highest altitude restaurant in the world.
The highest observation deck of the Burj Khalifa is on the 148th floor at an altitude of 555 meters. Two more sites are located on the 124th (472 meters) and 125th floors. The air inside the building is not only cooled, but also aromatized thanks to special membranes. This scent was created specifically for Burj Khalifa. The air for the tower’s air conditioning system is taken from the upper floors: here it is cleaner and cooler. The condensate is used to water the plants around the building: this saves a huge amount of fresh water. Burj Khalifa has an autonomous energy supply. It is backed by 15,000 square meters of solar panels, which work in tandem with a 61-meter wind turbine.
The architect of the tallest building in the world, Andrian Smith, is already 76 years old, but he continues to build the greatest “high-rises” in the world. Thus, it was Smith who received the order to design the 1007-meter Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia.
