Burj Khalifa in Dubai

With an absolute height of 2,722ft precisely measured up to the antenna, Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest skyscraper shining high in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the primary construction of Burj Khalifa had begun in the year 2004. The architecture was completed in the year 2009. At the time of inauguration in 2010 it was formerly known as Burj Dhabi, however, was later renamed in honor of the ruler Abu Dhabi and President of UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The construction is inspired by the Islamic Architecture of UAE. The Y-shaped trilateral flooring is specifically designed to accommodate both residential and hotel spaces. The height of the building is supported by several wing formations and the central core is designed for house fifty-seven elevators and eight escalators.

Features

The construction possesses an observation deck known as “At The Top” on the 124th floor which was renowned as the world’s highest observation deck in 2010. It is facilitated with an electronic telescope by which one can observe the surrounding landscape or view the saved pictures previously clicked during specific occasions.Later in 2014, Burj Khalifa had opened another observation deck on the 148th floor, due to competition from other skyscrapers around the world.

This world heritage is surrounded by a park that covers an area of around 27 acres. The design of the park is inspired by the most popular desert flower-Hymenocallis. For its watering facility, the WET Enterprises had formulated a method which can extract around 68,000,000 L of water annually from the building’s overall cooling system.

The exterior of Burj Khalifa flaunts an ecstatic fountain system constructed by the WET Enterprises, which is illuminated by a total of 6,600 lights and 50 flushed projectors. The complete décor of the 270m long water stretch had an estimated expense of US $217 Million. The Dubai Fountain as it is known, projects beautiful streaks of water in the air up to a height of 500ft, matching the tunes of contemporary Arabic and world music.

Every year Burj Khalifa witnesses flabbergasting firework displays which are also synchronized by live performances from selected eminent orchestras.The firework display on the New Year’s Eve is broadcasted on television for millions around the world to watch. Besides, it was already announced in 2013 that Burj Khalifa will be hosting the World Expo in the year 2020.

Ever since 2010, Burj Khalifa has been a hub for numerous registered and unregistered base jumping events, fetching the highly experienced jumpers with global recognition. Apart from this, in 2011, the exterior was climbed by Alain Robert within a span of six hours, whose record remains untouched till date.

Awards

Burj Khalifa has been appreciated with innumerable awards for its construction, décor and exceptional features. In June 2010, it was decorated with the “Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa”. Late in September 2010, it had also received the award for “Best Project Of The Year”. Besides, it had won sixteen other awards in the year 2010 and ten prestigious awards in the year 2011.