Burj Khalifa in Dubai

What does Burj Khalifa mean in English

Burj in an Arabic word which means building, tower or structure in English. Khalifa is the surname of UAE’s king, his highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan.

About Burj Khalifa Architecture & its 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 in Dubai had opened another observation deck on the 148th floor, due to competition from other skyscrapers around the world.

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.

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 in Dubai 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 in Dubai 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.

5 Interesting facts about Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest freestanding building in the world.

The total weight of concrete used in the construction of Burj Khalifa is equal to the weight of 100,000 elephants.

The majestic tower has the longest single running elevator and the speed of the elevator is 10 meters per second.

From 95 kilometers away also the tip of the sphere of Burj Khalifa is visible.

The building has the highest occupied floor in the world.

Awards and Recognition

Burj Khalifa in Dubai 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.