APPLICATION OF PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE

Pre-tensioning Project Example (International)

STRUCTURE: Burj Khalifa

ARCHITECT: Adrian Smith at SOM.
LOCATION: Dubai, United Emirates
PROCESS USED: Pre- tensioning Method
COST: $ 1.5 billion USD.
CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 6th January,
2004 – 2nd December
HEIGHT: 828m,839 top tip.
FLOOR COUNT: 163 floors above ground,
153 + 9 maintenance levels, and 2 below
ground parking levels
FLOOR AREA: 309,473 sq.m
PROJECT AREA: 454, 249 sq.m

Description: The Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai, UAE, is the tallest building in the world and
has a central core made of high-strength concrete. The building features pre-tensioned concrete
beams in its construction. The pre-tensioned concrete beams used in the Burj Khalifa are part of
the tower's floor system. The beams were cast in a factory and then transported to the
construction site. Each beam was pre-tensioned using high-strength steel tendons before being
installed. The pre-tensioned concrete beams used in the Burj Khalifa were designed to support
the weight of the building, which is over 800,000 tons. The beams are also designed to withstand
the extreme wind loads and seismic forces that the building may experience.
ARCHITECTURE

The architecture features a triple-lobed footprint, an abstraction of the Hymenocallis flower. The
tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. The modular, Y-shaped
structure, with setbacks along each of its three wings, provides an inherently stable configuration
for the structure and provides good floor plates for residential. Twenty-six helical levels decrease
the cross-section of the tower incrementally as it spirals skyward.
The central core emerges at the top and culminates in a sculpted spire. A Y-shaped floor plan
maximizes views of the Arabian Gulf. Viewed from the base or the air, Burj Khalifa is evocative
of the onion domes prevalent in Islamic architecture.

FLOOR PLAN

 Concourse level to level 8 and level 38 and

39 will feature the Armani Hotel Dubai.
Levels 9 to 16 will exclusively house
luxurious one and two-bedroom Armani
Residences.
 Floors 45 through 108 are private ultra-
luxury residences. The Corporate Suites
occupy most of the remaining floors, except
for level 122 which houses Atmosphere and
level 124, the tower's public observatory, At
the Top, Burj Khalifa.
 Other facilities for residents include a
Residents' Library, and Lafayette Gourmet,
a gourmet convenience store, and a meeting
place for the residents. Valet parking is
provided for guests and visitors.

CONSTRUCTION
 Excavation work began for Burj Khalifa in January
2004 and over the ensuing years to its completion;
the building passed many important milestones on
its goal to become the tallest man-made structure
the world has ever seen. In just 1,325 days since
excavation work started in January 2004, Burj
Khalifa became the tallest free-standing structure
in the world.

Highlights
 Burj Khalifa's construction will
have used 330,000 m3 (431,600 cu
yd) of concrete and 39,000 tonnes
(43,000 ST; 38,000 LT) of steel
rebar, and construction will have
taken 22 million man-hours.
 The exterior cladding of Burj
Khalifa began in May 2007 and
was completed in September 2009

FOUNDATION
 Weighs about 500,00 tons, rests on a 3.7m thick
triangular frame foundation.
 Supported by round steel piles measuring 1.5min
diameter and extending 50m below the ground.
 194 piles were used to avoid the sinking of the
structure.
STRUCTURAL FRAME SYSTEM