Burj Khalifa (Burj Dubai)
Also Known As: Burj Dubai or Dubai Tower
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Developer: Emaar Properties
Architect: Adrian Smith, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM)
Year: Officially opened January 4, 2010
Height: 828 meters / 2,717 feet (including the spire)
Stories: 162
About the Burj Khalifa:
Originally named Burj Dubai (or
Dubai Tower), the soaring skyscraper is now called Burj Khalifa, after Khalifa Bin Zayed, the president of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai has been a showplace for innovative buildings, and the Burj Khalifa shatters world records for building height. The skyscraper is much taller than Taiwan's Taipei 101, which rises 508 metres (1,667 feet). During a time of economic slowdown, the Burj Khalifa has become an icon for wealth and progress in Dubai. No expense was spared for the building's opening ceremonies on January 4, 2010. The tower is so enormous that the air temperature at the top is up to 8 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) lower than at the base. If anyone ever hit upon the idea of opening a door at the top and a door at the bottom, as well as the airlocks in between, a storm would rush through the air-conditioned building that would destroy most everything in its wake, except perhaps the heavy marble tiles in the luxury apartments. The phenomenon is called the “chimney effect.“What can you do at Burj Dubai? Level 108 is the top floor of residential apartments. For work, you can go to the offices upstairs – anywhere up to the 160th floor. To eat, you can visit the restaurant on the 122nd and to exercise, you can use the gym on the 123rd, about 440 metres up. The gym has both an indoor and, unnervingly, an outdoor swimming pool.
Watch The Celebrations of BurjDubai
