Know These Surprising Facts About Burj Khalifa

Once a humble, fishing hamlet upon the Arabian Gulf, Dubai now ranks among the worlds’s prime urban areas. The city houses more than 200 nationalities and offers an unique experience to all tourists. With six different emirates, Dubai composes the United Arab Emirates. Memories are just waiting to be crafted here, with a lovely desert, unrivaled coastline, and splendid skylines. The emirate oozes a spirit of inventiveness and promise, whether on the edges of the awesome Creek or at the top of the enchanting Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure of the world. The highrise tower is the world’s finest example of modern architecture, and the epitome of excellence.

Should you visit the Burj Khalifa in Dubai? Yes, undoubtedly. If you are still wavering, here are some fascinating Burj Khalifa facts to arouse your curiosity!

1. Tallest Building In The World

At an astonishing height of 828 metres, the Burj Khalifa looms over Dubai (2716.5 ft). It stand at almost twice the height of the world’s most renowned structure of the world, Empire State Building and thrice the height of the legendary Eiffel Tower.

If spread end to end, its portions would extend nearly a fourth of the way across the world. The cloud-entering height of the Burj Khalifa is among its most striking features. Its occupied height is 1918 ft or  584.5 meters. The observatory deck of the building is located at a massive height of 1482 feet above the ground.

2. World’s Fastest Elevator

Burj Khalifa is ranked third in the sequence, having a maximum elevator speed of 36 km/h (600m/min). The engineers tasking on the project initially considered including triple-decker elevators, which would have been the first in the world.

Rather, double-decker elevators having a capacity of 12 to 14 passengers each cabin have been built. The Burj Khalifa flaunts the world’s quickest double-decker elevators, which permit passengers to go the greatest distance that can be imagined in an elevator, stepping out after a ride of 504 metres at the highest stop of the world – 638 metres on top of the building.

3. Elevator With The Longest Travel Distance

The elevators of Burj Khalifa are remarkable for possessing the world’s longest lift, being 140 stories long. The lifts of Burj Khalifa travel at a speed of 10 metres per second, ranking them among the world’s fastest. The 124th floor observation deck of the Burj Khalifa takes not more than a minute to reach using the Burj Khalifa elevator.

4. Exterior With 26,000 Glass Panels

The facade of Burj Khalifa is composed of 26,000 glass panels that were entirely hand-cut. The glass panels are accurately engineered to preserve energy and lessen heat transfer. Sophisticated processes were employed to design the 26,000 glass panels.

Sustainability was highlighted during construction: the external cladding was silver coated to enhance insulation, and solar panels were positioned to heat almost 140,000 gallons of water daily. This guarantees that the skyscraper is the most environmentally friendly, as it will use up a considerable amount of energy and resources, being the largest building in the world.

5. Tower Design Inspired By Shape Of A Spider Lily

The Burj Khalifa is an emblem of human creativity with deep roots in nature. The hymenocallis, a natural desert flower famous as the spider lily, encouraged the tower’s triple-lobed footprint – 3 circular structures extending from the main core. The building is constructed in “Y” shaped design to lower wind force and aid in constructability.

This design optimizes the scenes of the Arabian Gulf from the Burj Khalifa, permitting a large number of visitors to absorb the thrilling scenery of the city along with the sea. From a distance, it is similar to the crescent domes discovered in Islamic art and architecture – a contemporary homage to the area’s history.

6. World’s Tallest Freestanding Structure

The Burj Khalifa truly represents towering height since its inception in 2009. It is the world’s tallest freestanding building, with the maximum stories, the highest outdoor observation deck, the highest occupied level, the elevator with the lengthiest journey distance, and the tallest service elevator. Moreover, it took just 6 years to be built. 

7. World’s Highest Restaurant

On Burj Khalifa’s level 122, Atmosphere is the highest restaurant/lounge bar in the world, encompassing 1,030 square metres. With breathtaking views of Dubai’s advanced skyline and the Arabian Gulf from just two levels beneath the At The Top viewing deck, there’s plenty to watch while enjoying light refreshments and drinks. The interiors of the restaurant- Atmosphere were modelled by New York-based Adam Tihany.

Relax in the lounge or dine at the restaurant, which oversees the world’s highest working fountains. Whether you’re a gourmet who loves dining, or just wish to unwind, Atmosphere assures a memorable experience.

8. World’s Highest Outdoor Observation Deck

At the top, Burj Khalifa SKY on Level 148, 555 metres (1,821 feet) high, visitors may relish panoramic views of the city and beyond from a luxury lounge and outdoor patio. Before shifting on to levels 125 and 124, undertake a guide tour to Level 148.

When you stopover at the highest viewing platform, you will be offered a personalised tour by a guest ambassador and get the chance to refresh yourself at the Sky Lounge with brand beverages.

9. Sky-High Sculptures

The Burj Khalifa isn’t simply about sightseeing and food. The skyscraper is also loaded to the brim with culture, art and the world’s first Armani hotel. Initial stop on the art-lover’s trip should be the corporate entrance’s oval sculpture designed by Egyptian artist, Karim Rashid. Later, you can move towards the amazing “World Voices” installation by Catalan artist, Jaume Plensa.

10. Constructing The Burj Khalifa Required Plenty Of Effort

It needed six years overall to construct the Burj Khalifa. During that occasion, an estimated 12,000 workers daily summed an estimated 22 million hours of work to finish the construction of Burj Khalifa.

11. What Burj Khalifa Stands For

A Burj in Arabic is just a tower. Khalifa is in significance to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the previous president of the United Arab Emirates. During the process of construction, the tower was really called Burj Dubai. Nevertheless, during the financial turmoil, the tower renamed as the Burj Khalifa.

12. The Burj Khalifa Required Immense Amounts Of Material To Construct

Burj Khalifa employed a record-breaking 330,000 cubic metres of concrete; 103,000 square metres of glass; 39,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement; and 15,500 square metres of embossed stainless steel.

13. The Burj Khalifa At One Time Held A Fireworks Display Each Year

The annual firework exhibition used to be done on each New Year’s Eve, with more than 10,000 fireworks employed in each show. Nonetheless, from 2018 onward, Burj Khalifa halted using fireworks to commemorate New Year’s Eve. This was done due to environmental concerns. Rather, a laser light display substituted fireworks at the Burj Khalifa to commemorate New Year’s Eve.

14. The Burj Khalifa Employs Green Technology 

These include solar panels to generate heat to warm water. An estimated 140,000 litres of water get heated daily. Another green invention contained in the skyscraper includes gathering condensed water from the air conditioning system. Nearly 57 million litres of water are accumulated this way each year. The Burj Khalifa then utilizes that water to sprinkle the gardens, which uses up to 950,00 litres of water daily.

More water is actually used beyond simply its gardens. In reality, the building solely utilizes an assessed 1 million litres of water daily, across 100 km of piping. Another 213 km of piping is set aside for emergency use by the fire control systems of the building.

15. The Burj Khalifa Has Featured In A Mission Impossible Movie

That movie was Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, featuring Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) scaling along the skyscraper’s exterior. It didn’t involve CGI or even a scale model, also. The scenes wherein Hunt climbs the Burj Khalifa were all filmed situated at the actual skyscraper itself. The stunt scene was subsequently parodied in the famous animated TV series The Simpsons.

16. The Temperature Atop The Burj Khalifa Is Lower Than At Ground Level

On average, the temperature at the highest point of the Burj Khalifa is lesser by almost 15 degrees. This is because of the extreme height of the building, the thinner air at this level retains less heat than on the ground.

17. The Burj Khalifa Also Promotes Swimming Activities

The Burj Club Gym presents a semi-Olympic size indoor pool for members, along with an outdoor pool on the terrace. For swimmers who favora natural environment, the Jumeirah Beach is just 10 minutes afar the Burj Khalifa.

The swimming pool is on level 76 of the Burj Khalifa. The world’s highest swimming pool in Hong Kong, is at Level 118 of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

18. Guests Can Ride On The Burj Khalifa Lake

Guests will sail on abra boats, wooden boats conventionally used to transport people short distances in the Middle East. While ferries conventionally charge just 1 AED per person, the abra cruises on the Burj Khalifa lake cost much higher.

The Burj Khalifa Lake encircles the skyscraper on the ground. Spread over an area of 120,000 square meters, the artificial lake also features a choreographed fountain system that bags the record of being the second largest in the world. The water show of the fountain happens every Wednesday to Sunday, beginning at 6 PM in the evening and stays for thirty minutes.

19. The Burj Khalifa Houses Armani Hotel

Armani Hotel in Burj Khalifa is the second of its type in the world. The first can be found in Milan, Italy. Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa flaunts 144 suites in an option of 1 or 2-bedroom apartments, with rents ranging between 135,000 to 300,000 AED.

Armani Hotel doesn’t feature a check-in desk. This is a conscious decision by the hotel owner, Giorgio Armani. Particularly, he desired his guests to experience like going home when they checked into his hotel. He intended for the absence of a check-in desk to buttress this feeling.

Bottom Line

This wonder is undoubtedly a pride of Dubai. It notes the zest and dignity of the country that has reached this far in a brief span of time. You cannot hope to miss to see this marvel while traveling to Dubai. The tallest building on earth, with its gleaming existence is a treat certainly for the adventure buffs along with those who want to explore history! You can view the complete panorama of Dubai from its observation deck!