10 Interesting facts about Burj Khalifa
Legends are turning around one of the most iconic buildings in the world. Today, we will take you to the discovery of the world’s tallest building. Did you know that this building has bet a lot of world records?
If you see yourself as a dedicated travel buff, but you’ve not visited this building, you missed some important point. It’s stunning view and ponderous presence will not let one disappointed. So, let’s dive into the 10 interesting facts about Burj Khalifa every educated person should know.
Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world
This is probably the most common fact shared across continents. The tallest part of the building is 829.8 m. The roof is 828 m high. It’s good to know that Burj Khalifa is 3 times bigger than the iconic Eiffel Tower located in Paris. Burj Khalifa is 2 times as tall as the Empire State building. The structure is 20 times higher than the Chateau D’Eau de Red Deer.
The construction project began in 2004. Thousands of workers from different foreign countries continued to build Burj Khalifa for 6 years.
The building is made of concrete, steel, and aluminum (up to 606 meters). Did you know that the weight of concrete used is equal to 100,000 elephants? In total, 22 million man hours were spent to finish the project.
Burj Khalifa holds world records in almost every area
- The highest structure in the world.
- The tallest free standing building in the world.
- The biggest number of floors in a building. It has a total of 163 floors from which only one floor is located below the ground.
- The biggest number of elevators in a building (57 in total).
- The highest outdoor observation deck in the world.
- The highest service elevator in the world.
- The fastest elevators in the world (10 m per second or 64 km per hour). It takes only one minute from the ground floor to the observation deck.
- Elevator with the longest distance in the world.
Burj Khalifa is so big that you can see two sunsets in one day
It’s so big that you can see the sunset twice on the same day. Now you are probably asking yourself how is it possible. The fact is you can observe the sunset from the ground floor.
Then, you can take the world’s fastest elevator and go up to the top floor. From there you can still see the sunset over the horizon. You will need to reach the observation deck on the top floor as fast as possible. Isn’t it fantastic to observe the same natural wonder twice in a day?
Another interesting thing about Burj Khalifa that you probably didn’t know. As there are 2 or 3 minutes of difference between the 2 sunsets, those who live above the 80th floor are imposed to shift their fast during Ramadan.
Burj Khalifa consists mostly of office areas and living spaces
Even if the building has mostly working areas and apartments, one can also find dining areas, hotels, and shopping areas. The tower has three main entrances: Armani Hotel, Residence, and Corporate suits. Due to its gigantic size and many facilities, the different entrances allow a fluid passage across the building.
In the first years of its life, the building was called Burj Dubai
But, Dubai wanted to honor Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE and Emir of Abu Dhabi. In fact, Abu Dhabi helped financially to build the future star of Dubai. This is why Burj Dubai was renamed Burj Khalifa.
One can observe the dancing fountain show from Burj Khalifa
There are several attractions that are located near Burj Khalifa. The first one is the Dubai Mall located in front of the tower. Then, you have the Dubai fountains which can be observed from the ground floor or the observation deck of the building. The last but not the least is the Dubai zip line that can be taken in Dubai downtown.
The structure is built in the form of a desert flower
The main architect behind Burj Khalifa is of American descent. Adrian Smith designed the structure to resemble a regional desert flower named Spider Lily. Designed by the SOM architecture firm in Chicago, the tower is composed of three elements around a central core, like the three petals of the flower.
Burj Khalifa shelters more than 1,000 pieces of artwork
Being a huge building, Burj Khalifa shelters some fine art as well. More than 1,000 artworks are hanged in its walls. The artworks represent the mixture of different cultures with a special zoom on the Middle Eastern culture. Being the fruit of an international partnership, Burj Khalifa hosts pieces of art made especially to celebrate the similarities of different nations.
The spire that tops the building has two goals
The spire of Burj Khalifa doesn’t have living or working areas as other similar spires in the world. On the contrary, it serves to shelter the communication equipment of the building. It has somehow an important role in defining the structure’s height. Without this spire which is obviously an important element of its architecture, Burj Khalifa wouldn’t be that tall. Some people say that the construction team wanted to manipulate with this to make Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest building.
The famous building has real environmental issues
With its 1,100 apartments spread over 163 floors, located at the bottom of the crisis, Burj Khalifa is not yet at the height of its environmental challenges. This 100% artificial “city” unique in the world required 330,000m3 of concrete to build.
In addition, the structure requires the supply of 250,000 gallons of water each day. With 36 megawatts consumed during high period, high-speed air conditioning is a must all over the structure.
However, the volume of water produced by condensation represents the volume of 20 Olympic swimming pools fully filled. This huge amount of liquid is used to water the gardens and fill the artificial lakes in Dubai.
