Burj Khalifa – Dubai

The Burj Khalifa is not only the World’s Tallest Building – at 2,717′ it was over 985′ taller than the previous tallest building!

Such a leap forward required approaching the building’s design like a giant research project. Dozens of wind tunnel tests were performed to shape the building to minimize its response to the wind, and to tune its structure to best accommodate wind loading and motions. Construction and material technologies were examined to provide solutions that facilitated both design and construction.

The beauty of these solutions is that although state-of-the-art advancements in material and construction technologies were incorporated, the design of the building essentially used conventional, proven approaches and techniques – in innovative ways. One such innovation was the development of the reinforced concrete “buttressed core” structural system as the primary support for the tower.

This structure extended nearly 2,000′ in height and was topped with a 755’+ structural steel braced frame spire. The 160+ stories of the tower consist of a hotel, serviced apartments, condominiums, office space, and amenity levels.