INTRODUCTION

The tallest skyscraper in the world and the most popular tourist sites, the Burj Khalifa is
renowned as the "World's Most Beautiful Building." It starts with the key facts about the building and then
focuses on Burj Khalifa project management, risk management, and cost estimation. The Dubai Burj Khalif
Tower Project was a construction project that involved the building of the tallest skyscraper in the world, a
project that was overseen by Emaar Properties whose Chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar. The Burj Khalifa
has a multi-use construction with a height of over 2716.5 ft and up to 160 floors. It has a hotel, restaurant,
health and relaxation club, and corporate offices, among other amenities. The construction skyscraper has
been hailed as one of the most successful construction projects worldwide. In order Dubai to become into a
financial, commerce, and tourism centre, the government of Dubai developed this plan in 2009. This six-
year project, which continued from 2004 to 2009, was to be the focal point of the massive Development,
which would soar the sky to a previously unimaginable height. According to burjkhalifa.ae (2018), the
building has broken many world records, including the Tallest Building in the World, the Highest Outdoor
Observation Deck in the World, and others. The Burj Khalifa is not just the world's tallest andmost
glamorous skyscraper, but it also presents a multitude of lessons to be learnt from the design, construction
process, and completion of the structure itself. The research will include an x-ray of the entire project,
including its stages and factors that successful.

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KEY POINT ABOUT BURJ KHALIFA

 Official Name: Burj Khalifa Bin Zayed

 Also Known As: Burj Dubai
 Also Known As: Tower Of Khalifa
 Formerly: Burj Dubai
 Built: 2004-2010
 Cost: $4,100,000,000
 Designed By: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
 Type: Skyscraper
 Stories: 206
 Maximum Height: 2,717 Feet / 828 Meters
 Location: No. 1, Burj Dubai Boulevard, Dubai, United Arab

Structure In General

 Construction Type: Skyscraper

 Current Status: Existing [Completed]
 Structural System: Buttressed Core
 Structural Material: Concrete, Steel
 Facade Material: Stainless Steel
 Facade System: Curtain Wall
 Architectural Style: Modernism
 Floor Plan: 517,240m2

Key Data
 Order Year: 2003
 Construction Start: 2004
 Project Type: Mall, Residential And Retail Facilities And World’s Tallest Skyscraper
 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 Estimated Investment: Aed800m (Mall, Residential And Retail Facilities); Aed3.9bn (Tower);
Overall Development $8bn
 Completion: 2008 (Mall); 2008 (Tower), Mall Opening On 31st August 2008, Tower Officially
Opened 4 January 2010
 Retail Space: 9 Million Square Feet

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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND FEATURES

The initial concept for the design of the Burj Khalifa originated from the
hymenocallis flower , and spiral minarets that are an important part of Islamic architecture. The form was
designed based on how to address the effect of the wind on the structure. The wind force increases as the
height of the building increases. Design a system that is strong, stiff, and effective To achieve this, they
used the latest technology in materials available locally, latest innovation in analysis, design, materials, and
construction methods.

The main structural system for this megastructure has been named a
“buttressed core”. This new structural system allows for a dramatic increase in height. The structural
system consists of a three-winged structure anchored to a strong hexagonal central core, each wing is
buttressed to the other to provide a highly stable system. The central core provides the torsional resistance
for the building, while the wings provide the shear resistance and increased moment of inertia. The three
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wings attached to the central core have four bays each, forming a Y-shaped plan. At every seventh level
one outer bay is removed from one of the wings as the tower spirals up. The Y-shaped plan is ideal for
residential and hotel usage, with the wings allowing maximum outward views and inward natural light.
Within the wings, corridor walls extend from the hexagonal core to almost the end of the wing and end on
thick walls named hammerhead walls. With the addition of flat plate floor construction and perimeter
columns, the entire structural system of the Burj Khalifa acts like a single unit creating a tower that acts as
one giant concrete beam cantilevering from the ground. High performance concrete with high compressive
strength Structural steel with a diagonally braced lateral system for the spire Special exterior cladding
specifically designed to withstand the temperature changes and wind forces.

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Burj Khalifa Construction Timeline
January 2004 Excavation Started
February 2004 Piling Started
March 2005 Superstructure Started
June 2006 Level 50 Reached
January 2007 Level 100 Reached
March 2007 Level 110 Reached
April 2007 Level 120 Reached
May 2007 Level 130 Reached
July 2007 Level 141 Reached – World’sTallest Building
September 2007 Level 150 Reached – World’s Tallest Free-Standing Structure
April 2008 Level 160 Reached – World’s Tallest Man-Made Structure
January 2009 Completion of Spire – Burj Dubai Tops Out
September 2009 Exterior Cladding Completed
January 2010 Official Launch Ceremony

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FUNCTIONALITY AND PURPOSE
Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004, with the exterior
completed five years later in 2009. The primary structure is reinforced concrete and some of the structural
steel for the building originated from the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin, the former East German
parliament.[5] The building was opened in 2010 as part of a new development called Downtown Dubai. It
was designed to be the centerpiece of large-scale, mixed-use development. The decision to construct the
building was based on the government's decision to diversify from an oil-based economy, and for Dubai to
gain international recognition. [citation needed] The building is named in honor of the former president of
the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.[6] Abu Dhabi and the UAE government lent
Dubai money to pay its debts. The building broke numerous height records, including its designation as the
tallest building in the world. The Burj Khalifa is used for many purposes, including offices, residential
apartments, hotel and club, restaurant, observation, and communication center. There is:

 Armani Hotel: The hotel is owned and managed by Emaar.

 Residential floors: The building has 900 residential units sold to individuals who live in the building.
Some individuals own as many as 22 apartments.
 Offices: There are 37 floors of corporate suites in the building, which seem to have been sold rather
than rented. On different property listing sites in the UAE, one can see advertisements for these
corporate suites for sale.
 Observation Deck: Also Owned and run by Emaar Properties
 Atmosphere: A restaurant

Armani uses the 39th floor or level 39 and the floors below as hotels or residences, while
residences are primarily from level 39 to level 108. There are office spaces beyond level 108 to level 154, with
the exception of level 124,125 and level 148, which are the three separate public sightseeing observation decks.
And there is also a restaurant called Atmosphere, set at level 122

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FOUNDATION

Reinforced concrete raft that is 3.7 meter thick and made of High Performance Self Compacting
Concrete Cathodic Protection System that creates a barrier to keep “eroding chemicals” from ground water
affecting the concrete Low permeability and high density = greater protection from ground water 12500 cubic
meters poured in four pours for raft foundation 192 piles that are 47 meters in length. 1.5 meters in diameter
(piles) and placed 3.75 meters apart from center-to-center. Allows entrance from on-grade to the first set of
levels Varying heights and entrances, allows for a transition between the three sides of the building Entrances
have glazing and allow for separate points of entry for the various levels including corporate levels, the Armani
Hotel, and the private personal residences within the building. Structure of Podium: suspended cable nets the
winding tiers begin from this staggered base.

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Pile load Testing Program

A static pile load test was performed in two stages. The first one consisted of loading on seven
trail piles before the construction of the foundation. The second one consisted of loading on the eight working
piles and it was performed during the construction of the foundation.

In addition, a total of ten piles were chosen for the dynamic pile load test. Also, a sonic
integrity test was performed to check the vertical and lateral capacity of piles during the construction of the
foundation.The main goal of the pile load testing program was to develop a load-settlement response curve of
piles and to validate the design assumptions.

The following factors were studied during various pile load tests:

1. Pile shaft length effect

2. Shaft grouting effect
3. Shaft diameter effect
4. Uplift (tension) loading effect
5. Lateral loading effect
6. Cyclic loading effect

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Results of pile load testing are summarized below:

1. At working load, the factor of safety against bearing capacity failure was more than three. Thus, the
tower was safe by a comfortable margin against bearing capacity failure.
2. Point load capacity of piles was more than the ultimate axial load capacity. However, the skin friction
capacity of piles was fully mobilized above 30 m although significant skin friction capacity was
available below 30 m.
3. The maximum settlement was within 70 mm for individual pile, which was way below the limit.
4. The effect of shaft grouting increased the skin friction capacity of the piles.
5. Under cyclic and lateral loading, the stiffness values were very high, thus it provided an excellent
margin of safety.

Plumbing system

The Burj Khalifa's water system supplies an average of 946,000 L (250,000 U.S. gal) of water
per day through 100 km (62 mi) of pipes. An additional 213 km (132 mi) of piping serves the fire emergency
system, and 34 km (21 mi) supplies chilled water for the air conditioning system.

Air conditioning
The air conditioning system draws air from the upper floors where the air is cooler and
cleaner than on the ground. At peak cooling times, the tower's cooling is 46 MW (62,000 hp), equivalent to that

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provided by 13,000 short tons (26,000,000 lb; 12,000,000 kg) of melting ice in one day. Water is collected via a
condensate collection system and is used to irrigate the nearby park.

Window cleaning
To wash the 24,348 windows, totaling 120,000 m2 (1,290,000 sq ft) of glass, the
building has three horizontal tracks, each holding a 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) bucket machine. Above level 109, and
up to tier 27, traditional cradles from davits are used. The top of the building is cleaned by a crew that uses
ropes to descend from the top to gain access. Under normal conditions, when all building maintenance units are
operational, it takes 36 workers three to four months to clean the entire exterior.

Unmanned machines clean the top 27 additional tiers and the glass spire. The cleaning system was
developed in Melbourne, Australia, by CoxGomyl, a manufacturer of building maintenance units, at a cost
of A$8 million.

Lighting rod

These lightning strikes on the burj khalifa are fascinating. At the very top of this building, there is
a small, fantastic device that prevents the burj khalifa from burning down. That device is a lightning arrester.
This dome is connected to a sensor equipment which is powered by a tiny battery. As soon as it detects a
super-charged cloud nearby, the dome immediately generates opposite charges on its surface to attract the
lightning towards it(refer fig 5b). The electron flow of lightning is then passed through the outer column’s
steel structure and dissipated into the earth pits via the steel inside the foundation piles

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VISUAL PRESENTATION
the visual allure of the Burj Khalifa is symmetrical and asymmetrical. The design concepts of
Burj Khalifa are organic, naturalism, and bio-mimet. While the wind effect is an important consideration
when designing, planning, and constructing high-rise buildings, Burj Khalifa is not an exemption, as it

reaches its full height owing to its adherence to the Y-shaped plan concept. The reason behind the
asymmetrical design is vortex shedding(refer fig 1b). This phenomenon occurs when the wind passes
around a structure and leads to very beautiful and dangerous vibrations in the building and can collapse the
building. This is dangerous because the vortices are fluctuating. This generates fluctuating force on this
building. If the natural frequency of vibration of this building is the same as the frequency of these
fluctuations in force, the building will violently oscillate. A phenomenon called resonance. These
oscillations will continue to increase and eventually the burj khalifa may fail completely. The interesting
thing is that around 70% of the burj khalifa is supported by the concrete core. The top 25% does not have
any concrete core support. It is a steel structure. The burj khalifa mainly resists bending, but the top of this
superstructure is allowed to bend and sway by about six feet in windy storms. The steel can easily resist
tensile loads.

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GOLDEN RATIO

CONCLUSION AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The key structural element for this mega tall tower is termed a “buttressed core structural
system” that offers a remarkable progression in height. It entails a three-winged structure attached to a central
hexagonal resilient tube, where each wing is braced to the other to offer a decisive and stable structure. The
wings provide an increased moment of inertia and shear resistance, while the central core offers the torsional
resistance for the entire structure. Additionally, regulating the building plan outcome and the variation in plan
shape or dimensions throughout the height of the building can be attained by reducing and changing the plan
shape. Meanwhile tapering and setback forms were adopted to minimise the wind intensity; thus, the excess
pressure is evident. It is noted that ever since the structural health monitoring (SHM) programme was installed
at the Burj Khalifa, a good amount of the structural system behaviour has been recognised and incorporated,

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measuring the (i) structural acceleration at every level; (ii) structural displacements at level 160M3; (iii) wind
speed and direction alongside the tower height at most balcony zones, which still require calibration to share
the fundamental wind profile; (iv) tower dynamic frequencies, with higher modes; (v) anticipated tower
damping at low amplitude as a result of both seismic and wind events; and (iv) the records at the bottom of the
tower.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
As with any tall building, wind plays a major factor in structural calculation process. The
design team of Burj Khalifa conducted over 40 wind tunnel tests to determine the amount of stress that the wind
would place on the building. Wind force on the tower was one of the critical stressors considered in the design
and features implemented into the tower’s structure. The overall shape of the tower if looking from above
resembles the letter “Y”; this three-legged structure was engineer’s solution for the intense wind conditions the
tower would face. The stack effect is a common problem in most high rise buildings. The stack effect is the
movement of air into and out of buildings. Commonly, the warmer air is lighter and less dense than cold air.
Therefore the warm air will rise to the top of the building while the cold air will try to fill the cracks in the
bottom of the building. The problem this causes is that the pressure in the bottom can build up and can cause
more cracking. This could be disastrous to a building as tall as Burj Khalifa. Cracks in the foundation could
cause complete structural failure Despite its positive impact, the Burj Khalifa has also been criticized for its
negative impact. The construction has displaced thousands of people in the city and has adversely affected the
local environment. The building's construction also caused air and water pollution and reduced the quality of
life for local residents. In addition, the building has been criticized for excessive consumption of resources. A
large amount of concrete, steel, and glass was used in the construction process, which is a non-renewable
resource. Finally, the building has also been criticized for its high cost and as a symbol of excessive
extravagance.

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EFERENCES

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa
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2. https://www.gogeometry.com/geometry/real-world/dubai/dubai-burj-khalifa-golden-rectangle-
skyscraper.html
3. https://www.lesics.com/burj-khalifa-design-and-interesting-facts.html
4. https://www.archinomy.com/burj-khalifa-dubai-burj-dubai-or-tower-of-kahlifa/
5. https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1701509.pdf
6. https://faculty.arch.tamu.edu/anichols/courses/applied-architectural-structures/projects-631/Files/
BurjKhalifa.pdf

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