Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. The name literally means Tower of the Caliphate and was officially opened on January 4, 2010. Shortly before this time the giant building was known as the Burj Dubai, which was subsequently changed to the name of the current President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zaid Al Nayan.
The super tower rises 828 meters above the ground, which is 320 meters more than the previous champion "Taipei 101" in Taiwan. The construction of Burj Khalifa began in 2004 and ended in late 2009.
The value of the entire project is estimated at a record 1.5 billion dollars. At a height of nearly 1km, the giant has 208 floors- 160 inhabited, 46 service in the spire, and 2 underground parking. The total area of Burj Khalifa amounts to 334 000 m2.
The official opening of the Burj Khalifa was an unheard of before pyrotechnic, music and light show in the presence of millions of tourists and residents of the UAE. It was built in just five years, in its construction were involved nearly 14, 000 people.
The rise of the Dubai Tower used 230, 000 cubic meters of concrete, 39, 000 tons steel, 142, 000 square meters of glass and 22 million working hours. The facade is covered with 22, 000 glass panels whose size is equal to 17 football fields.
Burj Khalifa became the unofficial champ with no equivalent to its height in July 2007, when it surpassed the outgoing holder of Taipei 101 with its 509, m2, built in 2004. Currently the giant in Taiwan is the fourth in the world list, ahead of the biggest tourist attraction in Toronto, 181-story CN Tower, reaches a height of 553.3 meters and was built in 1975. One step behind it is Willis Tower in Chicago, rising to 527, 3 meters from 1973 onwards.
Designer of Burj Khalifa is a 65-year-old Canadian architect Adrian Smith. The fruit of his work is currently not just a record in one or two directions - Tower Dubai holds first place for the building with most floors in the world, the highest habitable floor in the world, highest terrace of observation (124 floor ), most lifts and lift with the longest rise time and the highest service elevator in the world.
49-speed elevators and eight escalators operate in Burj Khalifa. Lifts can grow up to 18 meters per second.
Inside the Burj Khalifa can be seen super hotel "Armani", which is the first in the world, with interiors designed by the eponymous fashion house. The foundations of the tower house one of the largest aquariums in the world. It contains 10 million gallons of water and over 33 000 inhabitants. Dubai Aquarium was loudly advertised as an "indoor ocean" when opened in 2008.
Today it is not only one of the most massive in the world but also has the largest glass wall to monitor its fauna. The wall is wide 32, 8 meters and thick 8 3 feet. In this huge aquarium live more than 85 species, including 400 sharks and starfish.
Burj Khalifa can be seen with the naked eye from 95 km away. Hotel "Armani" occupies the first floor of the concrete giant, and between 19th and 108th floor are 900 apartments. Above them come the offices of various companies. The building is located near the largest mall in the world - Dubai Mall, with an area of 24 hectares with a cascade of fountains and a 19 storey building.
