UAE's tallest building. Burj Khalifa: height and general information about the project
We rise to the very high building in the world - the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai! How much does a tour to the observation deck cost? Where to buy tickets and how to save? Read our review and advice.
It seems that the Arabs, when constructing the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, decided to collect all the “most” titles: this is the tallest ground-based structure in the entire history of mankind, the building with the largest number of floors, the fastest elevator, the highest observation deck, etc.
Information about Burj Khalifa Tower
The height of the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai is 828 meters, the number of floors is 163, the elevator speed is 18 m/s (according to other sources - 10 m/s). The elevator takes you to the 124th floor in a minute; in the cabin there is a board with the floor countdown.
The dream of almost all tourists in Dubai is to climb this luxurious and breathtaking building. True, no one will allow mere mortals to reach the very top. The maximum height accessible to tourists is 555 meters, or the 148th floor. But the most visited floors are 124 and 125 (456 meters). It is on these three floors that the observation decks are located At the Top And At the Top Sky where tickets are sold.
Burj Khalifa is a city within a city: there are offices, apartments, a hotel, restaurants, shopping centers and so on. In front of the building is the famous dancing fountain, which draws crowds with its performances. Adjacent to the skyscraper is the equally famous Dubai Mall shopping center.
(Photo: tucotuti / flickr.com / License CC BY-NC 2.0)
Where to buy tickets for Burj Khalifa in Dubai?
Advantages of purchasing on the official website: cheap (from 135 dirhams), you can buy tickets to the 148th floor or choose a promotion. For example, buy skyscraper + aquarium combo tickets. Website in English.
Advantages of purchasing on Sputnik: more expensive (from 180 dirhams), but in Russian. Can't select combo.
We bought tickets for Burj Khalifa on the official website. We took the combo - tower (124th and 125th floors) + aquarium. For two it turned out to be 390 dirhams.
Here are the prices for tickets to Burj Khalifa on the official website:
Interesting video! TV presenter and blogger Anton Ptushkin takes a video tour of the rich life in Dubai:
Buy tickets for the Burj Khalifa in advance, rather than at the ticket office in the Dubai Mall - it’s much cheaper! After payment, the voucher will be sent by email. You need to print it out and exchange it for a ticket at the ticket office.
What time should I choose? If you want to visit the skyscraper during the daytime, we recommend taking tickets for 8:30 or 9:00 - there are still few people at this time. At 10 and 11 a.m., the sites are already crowded: all the glass is covered with tourists taking selfies, someone is broadcasting live on Instagram, and queues are forming.
Prime time from 16:00 to 18:00 - most popular time(and the most expensive tickets). You can see the sunset, the dancing fountain and the lights of the city at night. However, can you imagine the crowd at the venues? And the fountain is beautiful from below. If you really want to look at the fountain not from the ground, go up to the balcony of the Apple Store in the Dubai Mall.
Come early. We arrived half an hour before and they let us in early. During the day and evening, it is better to arrive at least an hour in advance, as there is a queue at the ticket office and separately at the elevator.
How to get to Burj Khalifa in Dubai?
The exact address of the skyscraper is: 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai. You can take the metro to the station Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall. Then follow the signs to the Dubai Mall - along the covered walkway. Once inside the mall, follow signs for Burj Khalifa again. Next, you will reach the ticket office and go up to the elevator.
There is a small queue at the elevator; about 10 people go in at a time. In a minute you will rise to the 124th floor, where there is an open terrace with glazed walls. There is also an observation deck on the 125th floor, but it is closed. We were not on the 148th floor.
Hotel in Burj Khalifa in Dubai
If you want to have a blast, then check into the 5-star (who would doubt it) Armani Hotel Dubai 5*. It occupies 11 floors of a skyscraper. It has excellent reviews - 9.1 out of 10. A double standard costs only 35 thousand rubles!
Our review of the skyscraper
Is it worth a visit? Undoubtedly! It's expensive, but you won't regret it. It is so high that your neck starts to hurt when you look at it. To take a photograph of a skyscraper, you have to get smart.
If you don't like being in a crowd, come early in the morning - that's what we did. After 10 a.m., haze appears and visibility decreases. At sunset and at night it is beautiful, but expensive and crowded. Someone in the reviews complained that night view inferior to the morning one - the lights are like lights, the view is almost like from an airplane window.
Photo of Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai
In the early 2000s, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, began implementing a plan to transform his emirate into one of the main centers of world tourism. One of the points of this plan was the construction of a new area - Dubai Downtown, which includes more than 100 residential and office buildings, hotels, the largest shopping center, impressive fountains and many other projects. But the key element of the new area was to be the world's tallest skyscraper.
2003 Burj Khalifa will be built on this site
In the spring of 2002, Dubai-based construction company Emaar approached architect Adrian Smith with a proposal to design the tallest building in the world. Adrian Smith was chosen for his Jin Mao skyscraper, built in the heart of Shanghai. The original design was 518 meters high, enough to overtake the then record holder Taiwan's Taipei 101 skyscraper, which is 509 meters high. But at the initial stage of construction, the project was changed at least 7 times, the latest options provided for a height of 705 and 750 meters. Smith was not happy with the constant demands to change the project and proposed 5 final options towers that will not change. Emaar chose a project with a height of 828 meters.
The project was launched under the name Burj Dubai, construction work began in January 2004.
In December 2004, the foundation of the tower was completed.
It took almost a year to construct the first 10 floors of the building. September 2005:
A special grade of concrete was developed especially for the Burj Khalifa, which can withstand temperatures up to +50 °C for a long time. It was poured only at night, and ice was added to the solution. Otherwise, too high a temperature would not allow the concrete to gain the necessary strength when hardening. April 2006:
The average speed of tower construction was 1-2 floors per week. October 2006:
October 2007: Burj Khalifa reaches 160 floors, followed by construction of a 200-meter steel spire.
Glass designed specifically for the Burj Khalifa will transmit enough light, but at the same time reflect some of the heat, which will significantly reduce air conditioning costs. In addition, they must withstand enormous wind loads on the tower. March 2008.
Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure ever to exist in the world. The exact height of the structure is 828 m. The ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, opening the 828-meter skyscraper, known throughout the world as the Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower), renamed it, dedicating the building to the President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Zaid an-Nahyan.
01. Burj Khalifa was designed as a “city within a city” - with its own lawns, boulevards and parks. The total cost of the structure is about $1.5 billion. The author of the project is American architect Adrian Smith, who already has experience in designing similar structures. Burj Khalifa is a key element of the new business center in Dubai. Inside the complex there are hotels, apartments, offices and shopping centers. According to the project, a hotel will be located on the lower 37 floors, and 700 luxury apartments will occupy floors from 45 to 108. Most of the space is reserved for office rooms. 
02. A special grade of concrete was developed especially for the Burj Khalifa, which can withstand temperatures up to +50 °C. Fill it only at night, and add ice to the solution. 
03. Construction of the skyscraper began in 2004 and proceeded at a speed of 1-2 floors per week. Concrete work was completed after the construction of the 160th floor, followed by the assembly of a 180-meter spire from metal structures. The building's fire system makes it possible to evacuate all its occupants in no more than 32 minutes. 
04. The tower will completely independently generate electricity for itself: for this, a 61-meter wind-driven turbine will be used, as well as an array of solar panels (partially located on the walls of the tower) with a total area of about 15 thousand m². In addition, the building is equipped with special solar protection and reflective glass panels that will reduce heating of the rooms inside, reducing the need for air conditioning. 
05. In March 2006 The brutality of the supervisors provoked a pogrom at the vast construction site of the Burj Dubai tower. 2,500 exhausted workers were waiting for very late buses after their shifts when security began to nag them. Enraged workers beat up the guards and began to destroy the construction headquarters, burning branded cars, smashing offices and equipment, and breaking into safes. 
06. The next morning, the workers refused to work and intended to go on strike until their employer, Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, raised wages and improved working conditions. Thousands of construction workers at the new airport terminal joined the strike. 
07. The height of the building (828 m, 160 floors) was kept secret until the opening. According to engineers, this did not immediately become an advertising ploy: already during the construction process, it became clear several times that the skyscraper could be made taller than planned. The fundamental obstacle to endless upward growth was not technical, but economic factor: the need to sell a huge amount of space, in the case of the Burj Khalifa - mainly residential (the total area of the building is 557.5 thousand m2). Allegedly, this is why the tower has such a slender silhouette - to reduce the usable space inside. 
08. The local press calls the skyscraper the “Tower of Pride.” In the midst economic crisis The name “Burj Dubai” was taken away from the tower, renaming it in honor of the President of the UAE and the Emir of neighboring Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed El Nahyan, who issued a $10 billion loan to Dubai. 
09. The opening ceremony took place on January 4, 2010. The building was planned to open on September 9, 2009, simultaneously with the opening of the Dubai Metro, but was postponed to January 2010 due to financial problems of the developer. 
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12. The tourist part of the tower has very good interiors. 
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23. The lobby and observation deck are located on the 123rd and 124th floors, respectively, the height of the observation deck from the base is 505 meters. 
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25. Most of the observation deck is glazed. Electronic telescopes are available for visitors. In addition to the real picture, you can watch a recording of a night panorama, a day panorama and a historical one. 
26. There is a balcony where you can look through a slot in the glass fence. This is a kind of protection against suicide. 
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28. Photo for memory. 
29. You can stay on the observation deck for as long as you like, but it’s better to buy tickets in advance; it happens that tickets for the next few days are sold out. 
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Records set by the building:
- building with the largest number floors - 162
- tallest building - 828 m
- the tallest free-standing structure - 828 m
- the highest height of injection of concrete mixture for buildings - 601.0 m
- in 2008, the height of the Burj Dubai exceeded the height of the Warsaw radio tower (646 m), the building became the tallest ground-based structure in the history of human construction.
Other posts about the UAE:
General post about the country.
The tallest building in the world is located in Dubai - it is a skyscraper Burj Khalifa. Height of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper is 828 meters. This building has 163 floors: it is so high that it can be seen far beyond the city limits.
In January 2010, construction was completely completed, and the grand opening of the tower took place. Initially it was planned as a “city within a city”, with its own parks, flower beds, and shops. Until the completion of construction, the height of the building was kept strictly secret. In total, construction of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, cost more than $4 billion and took four years to complete, with an average construction rate of one to two floors per week.
Inside the skyscraper there are apartments, office buildings, shopping centers, restaurants and a hotel. There are three separate entrances - for the hotel, for offices and for apartments. The building contains several gyms, swimming pools, observation platforms, some of which are equipped with a jacuzzi, nine hotels, several restaurants, including the Atmosphere restaurant. Due to the fact that the restaurant is located on the 122nd floor, it has become the highest restaurant in the world.
Initially, the skyscraper was to be called “Burj Dubai”, but at the opening ceremony, the then ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, said: “From now on and forever, this tower will bear the name “Khalifa” - “Burj Khalifa.” Thus, he forever renamed the skyscraper in honor of the man who had done so much for the now prosperous state of the United States. United Arab Emirates— Khalifa ibn Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Burj Khalifa skyscraper is not only the tallest, but also the most expensive skyscraper in the world! The creator of the project is American architect Adrian Smith, Samsung was the main contractor. Giorgio Armani himself worked on the design of the Armani Hotel, located from the first to the thirty-ninth floors. To build the tower, special concrete was invented that can withstand temperatures above 50 degrees. Due to its special formula, this concrete had to be laid exclusively at night; it is known that ice was added to it. The glass of the skyscraper is equipped with a special thermal system that does not allow dust and ultraviolet rays to pass through and helps maintain a constant temperature inside the Burj Khalifa. Not only is the air in itself high skyscraper the world is constantly cooled and enriched with oxygen, it is also aromatized. Moreover, this fragrance was also developed specifically for Burj Khalifa and has a unique character.
There are 57 elevators in the building, but only the service elevator moves from the first to the top floor. Guests of the skyscraper have to move between floors with transfers. These elevators reach speeds of up to 10m/s.
In front of the facade of the tallest building in the world there is an artificial lake in which the Dubai Singing Fountain was opened - it is illuminated by almost 7,000 light sources and more than 50 spotlights.
Burj Khalifa observation deck, called “At the Top” and located on the 124th floor, offers visitors an incredible panorama of the city. From such a height, the new business center of Dubai, of which this skyscraper is the center, looks like a city from the future. You can enjoy this view on average for about an hour, which is exactly how long the walk lasts, tickets for which are sold in the lobby of the building. The cost of these tickets ranges from thirty-six (a regular ticket, for which there is usually a huge queue) to one hundred and ten dollars (by purchasing this ticket you can immediately proceed to the site without waiting in line).
It is not yet possible to say how soon a building taller than the Burj Khalifa will appear in Dubai ,
but today the skyscraper still retains this proud title and is the tallest building in the world.
Humanity has long wanted to climb to heaven, and the sad fate of the builders of the Tower of Babel does not in the least cool the ardor of their followers. From the moment when the construction of skyscrapers became technically possible, different countries and cities periodically compete to determine whose building is the highest. For 5 years now (since 2010), the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai has held the record: a 164-story building with a height of 828 meters is a difficult example to reproduce.
Grand construction
However, the builders did not meet the deadline, and the solemn event had to be postponed to January 4 next year. Initially, the Burj Khalifa tower was simply called “Dubai”, but during the opening process, the Prime Minister of the UAE announced that he was dedicating it to the president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and gave it the name by which it is known today.
During the construction process, the final height of the building was kept secret. The project, developed by the American architect E. Smith, made it possible to vary the height of the spire, so the creators took virtually no risks: if a competitor appeared, the Burj Khalifa tower would simply “grow” by several meters.
Expensive pleasure
The grandiose construction cost one and a half billion US dollars - but this amount, apparently, could have been much larger if the developers had paid humanely for labor and ensured the safety of workers (brought mainly from South Asia).
The Western press periodically made a fuss: in 2006, the British Guardian published that workers were earning up to 3 pounds a day (you can imagine the horror this inspired in the British), and the BBC reported on the terrible conditions in which people involved in construction had to live .
On the Internet you can find many articles about the ugly truth that the Burj Khalifa tower hid behind its sparkling facade. The country and city in which the construction took place do not look very attractive in them.
Little has changed since the construction of the pyramids...
There is evidence that workers worked 12 hours a day and earned about $200 a month (for comparison: average income UAE population - more than $2000). Moreover, this money was not paid on time, passports were taken away, and in response to outrage they only threatened with deportation. Despite this, workers went on strike and even rioted during almost the entire construction period: in March 2006, the damage caused by the rioters was estimated at half a million pounds sterling.
According to HRW (Human Rights Watch), poor safety practices have led to numerous accidents, but only one fatality has been officially confirmed involving the Burj Khalifa: the country and city that is home to gigantic building, only brushed aside the accusations, not trying to pay attention to these annoying details. The result was above all, and the end justified the means.
Sweet fruits of bitter labors
It must be said that the civilized world, “terribly worried” about the moral side of the specific Dubai business, demonstrated its true attitude to what was happening by voting, as they say, with its dollar. A year later, the Burj Khalifa tower paid off with interest - even during the construction of the building, its area was already purchased at a price of 40 thousand dollars per square meter.
The Armani company has made an impressive investment: it owns 37 floors, from the first to the thirty-ninth (excluding two technical floors, the 17th and 18th). There is a hotel named after the famous fashion house (the master himself, Giorgio Armani, had a hand in the design of the rooms) and the company’s offices.
Almost all the upper floors, starting from the 111th, are also given over to businessmen, and a little lower there are apartments that only millionaires can afford. It is known that one floor was completely purchased by the Indian moneybag Shetty.
Each group of premises (apartments, offices and hotel) has a separate entrance. It's funny that the first and last floors are connected by only one elevator, and that is a service one. So if you intend to get to the very top, you will have to make transfers. There are a lot of people interested: one of the two observation platforms is the highest in the world, and the view from it offers a magnificent view. Thanks to this fact, tourists liked the Burj Khalifa tower: the city of Dubai, spread out below, is a beautiful sight. You can spend at least the whole day on the site, there is no time limit. But getting there is problematic, and experienced travelers are advised to worry about tickets in advance.
Tower specifics
The situation with elevators is determined by the configuration of the building: resembling a stalactite in shape, it tapers stepwise upward and ends with a 180-meter spire. During construction, of course, the climate of the place where the Burj Khalifa tower is located was taken into account: the local heat made life very difficult for the workers. For the construction of the structure, special concrete was used that can withstand heating up to 50 degrees. Moreover, when pouring into the solution, it was necessary to add crushed ice and work exclusively at night, otherwise the strength of the finished product would be very far from optimal.
An interesting solution was also found regarding water supply. Collecting rainwater and then using it for various needs is not a new idea; it has been used for a long time. The only problem was that in the country where the Burj Khalifa is located, there is practically no precipitation. But (apparently, the designers decided) there will be a huge amount of condensate: the air cooling system “squeezes” water out of the premises, which means it can be collected and thus save a valuable resource. The idea was very successfully brought to life. Now, due to such savings, it is possible to collect about 40 million liters of water per year.
Air conditioners not only cool, but also scent the air in the building (the scent is specially designed). But it would be difficult for them to cope if the special windows did not reflect. They are equal to three in area and are washed constantly: it takes three months to clean everything, and then the work starts all over again.
The shine and poverty of the UAE
The conditions in which the Burj Khalifa tower appeared are curious and indicative. The country called the United Arab Emirates is one of the richest in the world. The fabulous fortunes of local sheikhs have long become the talk of the town, and this building can be considered a kind of symbol of the power of money.
The city of Dubai is the capital of the emirate of the same name (a state within a state) - the largest in the UAE and, perhaps, the most dynamically developing. It is already one of the three in the region (not least thanks to its location in the most convenient place ultra-modern seaport) and is not going to stop there, striving to conquer more and more heights.
For all its splendor, Dubai (where the Burj Khalifa tower rises) is not the capital of the country, losing this honor to Abu Dhabi, the main city of the emirate of the same name, the largest and richest of all. According to some sources, it provides about 70% of the GDP of the entire state as a whole.
Federal monarchy
It must be said that it is not easy for a European to understand the structure of the United Arab Emirates, since it is some kind of completely wild hybrid of democracy with an absolute monarchy, and according to the equality of federal units there are big questions. Thus, the main authority in the UAE is the Supreme Council, which consists of the heads (read: monarchs) of all seven emirates. But his decisions are legitimate only if representatives of the “coolest” are present: Abu Dhabi and Dubai. From the point of view of the triumph of democracy, this is very doubtful. But from the point of view of common sense, it is quite natural: these two emirates provide more than three quarters of GDP. Who, if not them, should determine the vectors of development of the state?
A meteoric rise
Now the UAE is developing very quickly. This is due to a favorable tax climate, the presence of free trade zones and the absence of bureaucracy.
Of course, oil production initially gave a start to the economy, but if we strictly adhere to the facts, then the state where the Burj Khalifa tower is located pays due attention to other sources of income. Today, almost 30% of GDP is made up of the services sector, including tourism, and oil provides less than ten percent.
The Emirates trade, mine, purchase the latest technologies and develop - rapidly and mercilessly (especially in relation to those who ensure this development with their labor). About 5 million people live in the UAE. Not very many, but even this number should not be confused with the number of the indigenous population - citizens themselves, of which there are less than a million.
Justice fallen victim to efficiency
Need I say that all the menial work in the UAE is done by people from the poorest countries? They are the ones who work hard like blacks on plantations, earn three kopecks by local standards and do not even have the opportunity to bring their families here: the state where the Burj Khalifa tower is located is a country for Arabs.
The privileges of locals are so great that they do not leave the UAE, because nowhere in the world are there such “hothouse” conditions. Well-being is very high, thanks (among other things) to the specific policies of the state. In order to open an enterprise in the UAE, you must take on a citizen of the country as a co-owner, and not just for show, but with a share of at least 50%. Given the high pace economic development, there are a lot of people who want it - and now all the subjects are perfectly settled.
There can be no doubt that for tourists the UAE is a real paradise, where all the conditions for beautiful, unforgettable holiday. Separately, it should be noted that Dubai (according to numerous reviews) is the freest city in the UAE, where many liberties are allowed, for which in other, more traditional emirates one can easily land behind bars. Luxurious hotels, beaches, shopping centers, entertainment industry - everything here is of the highest level. So a lot of impressions, excellent service and other pleasures are guaranteed.