Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa is an impressive skyscraper located in Downtown Dubai next to the Dubai Fountain and the Dubai Mall. This skyscraper can’t be overlooked and is visible from every location in Dubai. This is because of its height of 829,8 m (2.722 ft) which makes it the tallest building in the world. Until its opening the skyscraper had the name Burj Dubai, which means Dubai Tower. But later the skyscraper was renamed after the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The idea to create the Burj Khalifa was part of the plan to obtain more international recognition for Dubai and to diversify from the oil-based economy to a more service- and tourism oriented economy.

The construction began in 2004, and became the highest building in the world in 2007, it was completed in 2009 and opened its doors in 2010. At the time the Burj Khalifa was finished its total construction costs were estimated at about USD$1,5 billion. The design is derived from Islamic architecture, like the shape of the spiral minaret at the Great Mosque of Samarra which grows slender as it rises, mixed with neo-futuristic architecture. Regarding the layout has been chosen for a y-shaped plan, which is ideal for allowing its hotels and residential units to have great outside views and lots of inward natural light.

In the Burj Khalifa are offices, apartments, restaurants, clubs, swimming pools, gyms and a hotel present. This hotel is the Armani Hotel which has also some Armani residences and are all designed by the famous fashion-designer Giorgio Armani. In total there are 900 residential apartments in the Burj Khalifa, which were sold out within 8 hours, after being on the market for sale.

There are 163 floors in the Burj Khalifa and its highest swimming pool is at the 76th floor, its highest restaurant with fantastic views is at the 122nd floor and its highest nightclub is at the 144th floor. To get to all these floors the building has 57 elevators and 8 escalators.

In total has the Burj Khalifa 24.348 windows with a surface of 120.000 m2 (1.290.000 sq ft). It is hard to imagine how much surface this is, but it will take 36 window cleaners about three to four months to clean the total exterior of the Burj Khalifa. To wash all these windows there are horizontal tracks installed on the exterior of the 40th, 73rd, and 109th floor. Above the 109th floor there is made use of unmanned machines. But the top of the spire is cleaned by professional window cleaners hanging on ropes. These need to be professionals because of the wind the top of the building could sway about a total of 1,5 m (4,9 ft).

For visitors there are two observation decks with breathtaking views over Dubai. The first is the observation deck is the outdoor observation deck, with the name At the Top Observation Deck, and is at the 124th floor at 452 m (1483 ft). A double-decker lift will zip you to the outdoor observation deck with a speed up to 10 m (33 ft) per second. One floor higher is the attraction A Falcon’s Eye View. This attraction allows you to explore Dubai from the perspective of a falcon. The second observation deck, with the name At the Top Sky, is at the 148th floor at 555 m (1821 ft) height. With this visit you will get extra services and high-tech experiences. Tickets can be bought in The Dubai Mall at the ticket office of ‘At the Top’. It is recommended to buy the tickets online in advance for a specific time and date, because it will get you a discount and it prevents you ending up in long queues. From both observations decks you could make beautiful pictures of Dubai and its landmarks like the Burj Al Arab, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Marina and the Palm Islands.

If you want to go to the Burj Khalifa by metro you should go to station Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa. There are also bus lines which stop at the Grand Drive entrance of the Dubai Mall. If you want to take a taxi we from Meet The Cities have experienced that you have to explain very exactly where you want to go to, for example to the entrance of the Dubai Mall, or to the entrance of the Burj Khalifa. Else will the taxi driver choose a location that he/she considers best for you. And if you have rented a car you could drive via the Financial Centre Road to the parking garage of the Dubai Mall which has 14.000 parking spots.