Prakriti Goyal

GCAD/16/320

ASSIGNMENT
Construction challenges and adopted remedies.

BURJ KHALIFA, UAE

The tallest building since 2009
Located in- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Proposed in – 2003
Construction started- 2004
Completion- 2010
Height:
Tip- 829.8m
Top floor- 585.4m
Floor count- 154 + 9 maintenance
Floor area- 309,473 square meters

ABOUT
Burj Khalifa has redefined what is possible in the design and engineering of supertall buildings. By
combining cutting-edge technologies and cultural influences, the building serves as a global icon that
is both a model for future urban centres and speaks to the global movement towards compact, livable
urban areas. The Tower and its surrounding neighbourhood are more centralized than any other new
development in Dubai. At the centre of a new downtown neighbourhood, Burj Khalifa’s mixed-use
program focuses the area’s development density and provides direct connections to mass transit
systems.

About Construction challenges and adopted remedies.

A more than a half kilometer structure owns its success to the seven key intentions that preceded it.

1. MOBILITY-
o Challenge-
One of the major concerns with super tall structure is the mode of commuting to the upper levels.
Burj Khalifa, a building that aimed at regulating 35,000 people in and out of the buildings, called
for an ultimate challenge for elevators. A challenge not only in number and load of carrying but
also a challenge to be catered in case of accident.
o Solution-
Elevators in the worlds tallest building extend to a height of 160m that
extended elevator to their absolute limit.
To cater the challenge of transporting people, 53 different elevators are
incorporated in building, that reach over 35km an hour and climbs 120
floors in under 50 seconds. The biggest lift carrying up to 46 passengers
at a time.
In case of emergency, if the rope brakes, the metal brakes bite down on
guiding rail, generating enough braking power to stop the elevator
within meters.
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2. MATERIAL
o Challenge-
The traditionally used materials could no longer hold enough strength after a height of 18m,
this was very much evident Monadnock building in Chicago. Moreover constructing with
traditional material would require thicker walls in order to have stability and that would result
in wasted floor area and a great occupancy loss in that case.
o Solution-
Invention of steel column and beam were a boon to skyscraper. Thinner, lighter structures
could be erected which could support the whole structure and from them hung the masonry
walls like the curtains.
o In Burg Khalifa, the skeleton combines of
30,000 tons of judiciously used steel
embedded in artificial stone concrete. Then,
cladded in a high-tech curtain wall of class
and steel.
o Curtain walls – cost a 100 million dollar. So,
the prototype sections were made and test
drive to approve their workability.
TESTING THE CURTAIN WALL- The real challenge was ‘Will the prototype withstand the
pressure?’. Propellers that spill high speed wind and rain, were mounted behind curtain walls.
The propellers reach up to a speed of 75km/ hr. And they did.

3. SPEED OF CONSTRUCTION
o Challenge- Speed of construction was a biggest hurdle of all times, Speed affected the cost of
construction and time of completion.
o Solution –
Technique of Prefabrication was introduced, that included casting off site of parts and
assembling the elements like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
- Challenge – the technique bought with itself a hurdle, as to how to lift they heavy sections?
o Solution-
In Burj Khalifa, Jump Form Technology is used.
Wherein, the giant Kangaroo cranes (from Australia)
put the steel reinforcement in between the Jump
Form Mould, followed by concrete pour. After 12
hours when concrete is ready, the jump hydraulic
piston would push the Mould upwards.
o Challenge-
How to transport concrete to upper levels.
o Solution-
Pumping system was used to transport the concrete
but the friction created between aggregates and with the pipe could cause pipe to burst and
had to be taken care off.

4. HEAT
o Challenge- glass and concrete together made the
structure lighter and efficient but simultaneously
make the interior space a kiln.
o Solution-
Artificial systems along with innovative glass design
helped cater the issue.

5. WIND
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o Challenge- Taller the steel skeleton lighter building more is the effect of wind and sway.

o Solution-
Exoskeletons were introduced.
In Burj Khalifa, to fight the effect of wind a highly advance aerodynamics is used.
Rather than fighting the wind. The design team decided to SEAL it. Instead of a flat
Rectangular shape, a more unpredictable shape is given. Wherein each section is designed to
deflect the wind.

6. EARTH QUAKE
o Challenge-
Human cause problems could be solved but what about natural phenomenon’s?
o Solution –
Burj can manage earthquake up to 6 on Richter scale due to its massive reinforced concrete
skeleton.
o Challenge-
A super tall building in deserted sand required special measures.
Also, in Dubai, rocks are available at low depth but are not enough
to support the structure. And, Rocks under fragile and saturated with
ground water was a big issue. Water would raise up immediately.
o Solution-
To prevent this, the engineers, filled bore with Viscous Polymer
slurry which pushed ground water and rock fragments to edge and
keep bore hole open.
Syrup is denser than water and lighter than concrete, so concrete
displaces the slurry and eventually fills the profile.
200 piles prevent this half a million ton of real estate to sink in
deserted soil.

7. EVACUATION
o Challenge-
What to do in case of fire emergency? How to evacuate the building?
o Solution
The building doesn’t need to be evacuated in case of sudden fire.
- the structure has 9 Special Refuge rooms built from layers of RCC and fire proofing sheets
that can withstand fire for 2 hours. Each room has special air supply through fire resistant
pipes and seal fire proof doors.
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- early warning system that activates smoke detectors, heat alarms, and high-power fans.
These fans force clean air through fire resistant ducts into the building and pushes smoke out
of stair well, Keeping the evacuation route clear.
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Built and phases of construction