The world's tallest building at 828m is the famous skyscraper, originally called the Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower). It was renamed during the opening ceremony in 2010 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, who dedicated the tower to the President of the United Arab Republic, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. And since then it has been called the Burj Khalifa.
The path from design to construction
Initially, the tower was designed as a "city within a city" - in addition to the residential and office parts, green lawns, wide boulevards and beautiful parks were supposed to be located in it. The building was designed by architect E. Smith (USA), already experienced in the construction of similar high-rise structures.
Khalifa Tower is a business and office center that houses a hotel (the first 37 floors), residential apartments (700 in total), offices and popular shopping centers. The initial budget was expected to be within $1.5 billion, but in the final construction this figure almost tripled and amounted to $4.1 billion.
The foundation was laid in 2004, and every week the height of the building increased by 1-2 floors. During construction wasa specially designed type of concrete was used that can withstand high temperatures (50 ° C). Filling was carried out at night with the addition of ice. Concrete work was completed, building 160 floors, and then workers began to assemble the spire, consisting of metal structural elements (180 m high).
The exact height of the Burj Khalifa was a secret until the very last moment. During construction, there were opportunities to make it higher, but the plans of a construction company to sell residential apartments (total area 557 thousand m2) interfered with 2).
Burj Dubai technical device
The tower has a special wind turbine with a size of 61 m, and a huge number of solar panels (area of 15 thousand m22) are located on the walls - all this allows the building to be completely energy independent. To protect from the hot southern sun, reflective glass was installed, which made it possible to drastically reduce the heating of the premises inside the building. It also allows you to lower the air conditioning of the rooms.
The air conditioning system is original - the air is directed from the bottom up through all floors of the tower, and special cooling modules with sea water are installed underground to lower its temperature. The latest modern fire system is designed to evacuate all residents and visitors to the tower in 32 minutes.
The title of "The tallest building in the world" was awarded to the tower back in 2007, but the building was officially put into operationonly in 2010.
Interesting facts about Dubai Tower
- The number of steps in the tower is 3 thousand.
- The number of glass panels is 26 thousand.
- The interior designer of the hotel rooms (160 in total) was G. Armani.
- There are viewing platforms for tourists on the 43rd, 76th and 123rd floors.
- The At the Top Observatory is located on the 124th floor.
- The huge swimming pool is located on the 76th floor.
- The mosque, which is considered the highest in the world, occupies the 158th floor.
- At the foot of the Burj Dubai, there is a beautiful Dubai Fountain with music.
Tokyo Skytree Tower
Sky Tree Tower (634 m) is the tallest structure 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. Its purpose is to transmit a signal for digital television, mobile communications and some navigation systems. For tourists, there are two observation platforms at an altitude of 340 and 350 m, several cafes, a restaurant and a souvenir shop.
Shanghai Tower
The third tallest tower in the world is Shanghai, which is a bright landmark of 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 slenderness and size (125 floors).
Building projectwas 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 - 60,000 m3 in 63 hours. Construction also proceeded at a fast pace and was completed by May 2015.
Shanghai Tower is the largest business center and complex of shopping and entertainment establishments, visited by tourists from all over the world.
The Shanghai Tower has its own transport routes and diverse infrastructure, it is completely autonomous and non-volatile:
- it houses 270 wind turbines and the most powerful diesel generator to power it;
- rainwater is collected in special containers and subsequently used to heat the building;
- degree of landscaping - 33%.
It contains: a chic hotel for tourists of any rank (up to royal persons); various Chinese and international corporations (offices with an area of 220,000 m22); shopping malls (50 thousand m22); exhibition halls and museums; a panoramic platform for visitors, allowing you to view the entire city; 3 sightseeing elevators move between floors, which can deliver those who wish to the top in less than 1 minute.
US TV tower
The title of the world's tallest tower for a long time (from 1963 to 2008) was held by the KVLY-TV tower, located in North Dakota in Blanchard (USA), with a height of 629 m. Now it remains the second in the world.
TV Tower in Guangzhou, China
Commissioning in 2010The year of the second tallest TV tower was dedicated to the start of the Asian Games. This is Guangzhou TV Tower. Its height is 600 m. The construction company ARUP carried out the construction process. Its design is made in the form of a hyperboloid, the mesh shell consists of steel wide pipes, and its spire (160 m) crowns it. Its purpose is to broadcast TV and radio signals.
Future title nominees
The title of "The tallest building in the world" is not permanent and can change its owner as more and more 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 complete the construction of the Sky City tower in China, which provides for a height of slightly less than 1 km. The construction of a 1050-meter "Azerbaijan Tower" is planned in Azerbaijan. So, most likely, the title will pass to each subsequent tall structure as they are built.
