The tallest building in the world. Burj Khalifa: height, description

The tallest building in the world with a height of 828 m is the famous skyscraper, originally called Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower). Renamed it during the opening ceremony in 2010, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, who dedicated the tower to the President of the United Arab Republic Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed. And since then it is called "Burj Khalifa."

Way from project to construction

Initially, the tower was designed as a "city within the city" - it should have, apart from the residential and office parts, green lawns, wide boulevards and beautiful parks. The building was designed by the architect E. Smith (USA), already experienced in the construction of similar high-rise buildings.

The tower of Khalifa is a business and office center, which houses the hotel (the first 37 floors), residential apartments (total 700), offices and popular shopping centers. The initial budget was expected to be within $ 1.5 billion, but in the final construction this figure nearly tripled to $ 4.1 billion.

The foundation was laid in 2004, and every week the height of the building increased by 1-2 floors. During the construction, a specially designed type of concrete was used, capable of withstanding a high temperature (50 ° C). The filling was carried out at night with the addition of ice. Concrete works were completed, having constructed 160 floors, and then workers began to collect a spire consisting of metal structural elements (height 180 m).

The exact height of the Burj Khalifa was a secret until the very last moment. During the construction there were opportunities to make it higher, but prevented the plans of the construction company for the sale of residential apartments (total area 557 thousand m ² ).

Technical device «Burj Dubai»

A special 61 m wind turbine is installed in the tower, and a huge number of solar panels (an area of 15,000 m ² ) are located on the walls - all this allows the building to be absolutely non-volatile. To protect from the hot southern sun, retro-reflective glasses are installed, which allowed to sharply reduce the heating of premises inside the building. This also allows you to lower the level of air-conditioning of rooms.

The air conditioning system is original - the air is directed from the bottom up through all the floors of the tower, and special cooling modules with sea water are installed under the ground to lower the temperature. The newest modern fire system is designed in such a way as to evacuate all residents and visitors of the tower in 32 minutes.

The title "The highest building in the world" was awarded to the tower in 2007, but officially the building was put into operation only in 2010.

Interesting facts about the tower "Dubai"

• The number of steps in the tower is 3 thousand.
• The number of glass panels - 26 thousand.
• The designer of interiors of hotel rooms (160 in all) was J. Armani.
• On the 43rd, 76th and 123rd floors for tourists are provided observation platforms.
• Observatory "On top" is located on the 124th floor.
• The huge swimming pool is located on the 76th floor.
• The mosque, which is considered the most high-situated in the world, occupies the 158th floor.
• At the foot of "Burj Dubai" a beautiful fountain "Dubai" with music is broken.

TV Tower "Heavenly Tree" in Tokyo

The Sky Tree Tower (634 m) is the tallest building in the world among modern television towers and the second tower after the Burj Dubai. Its construction was completed by 2012 and cost 812 billion dollars. Its purpose is to transmit a signal for digital television, mobile communications and some navigation systems. For tourists are two observation platforms at altitudes of 340 and 350 m, several cafes, a restaurant and a gift shop.

Shanghai Tower

The third tallest tower in the world is Shanghai, which is a bright landmark in Shanghai (China). The height of the Shanghai Tower is 632 m, its construction was completed in 2015. The unique tower in the architectural style of postmodernism impresses with its harmony and dimensions (125 floors).

The project of the building was developed by the architectural firm Gensler's design (USA), the foundation was laid in 2008. When pouring the foundation, a world speed record was set - 60 thousand m ³ for 63 hours. Construction was also carried out at a rapid pace and was completed by May 2015.

The Shanghai Tower is the largest business center and shopping and entertainment complex, visited by tourists from all over the world.

The Shanghai Tower has its own transport routes and a diverse infrastructure, it is completely autonomous and non-volatile:

• It accommodates 270 wind turbines and the most powerful diesel generator that provide it with electricity;
• Rain water is collected in special containers and is subsequently used for heating the building;
• Degree of landscaping of premises - 33%.

In it are located: a chic hotel for tourists of any rank (up to the monarchs); Various Chinese and international corporations (offices with the area of 220 thousand m ² ); Trading complexes (50 thousand m ² ); Exhibition halls and museums; A panoramic platform for visitors, allowing to inspect the whole city; Between the floors there are 3 sightseeing lifts that can take people to the summit in less than 1 minute.

TV tower in the USA

The title of the highest world tower for a long time (from 1963 to 2008) was kept by the TV tower KVLY-TV, located in North Dakota in Blanchard (USA), 629 m high. Now it remains the second in the world.

TV Tower in Chinese Guangzhou

The commissioning in 2010 of the second highest tower was dedicated to the beginning of the Asian Games. This is the Guangzhou TV tower. Its height is 600 m. The construction company ARUP carried out the process of erection. Its design is made in the form of a hyperboloid, the mesh shell consists of steel wide pipes, and its spire (160 m) crowns. Its purpose is to broadcast TV and radio signals.

Future nominees for the title

The title "The tallest building in the world" is impermanent and can change its owner as all new and new high-rise buildings are built in the world . The coming years are likely to make adjustments to this list. For example, in 2020, it is planned to finish the construction of the Sky City tower in China, which provides for a height of slightly less than 1 km. The construction of the 1050-meter "Tower of Azerbaijan" is planned in Azerbaijan. So, most likely, the title will be transferred to each subsequent tall structure as they are built.