The Emirates are a proud lot…you would be too if in less than 50 years you are able to transform a Bedouin Arab desert state into one of the most important trading hubs in the world. In fact, Dubai is second only to Hong Kong in attracting merchants from around the world. One of the things that have made Dubai what it is today is their ambition in conquering the world with contemporary architecture. In order to prove to the world that Dubai is indeed in a class of its own, the city planners together with private companies came up with the tallest building in the world – The Burj Khalifa. Below are a few facts about the skyscraper.
The Emiratis are a proud lot…you would be too if in less than 50 years you are able to transform a Bedouin Arab desert state into one of the most important trading hubs in the world. In fact, Dubai is second only to Hong Kong in attracting merchants from around the world. One of the things that have made Dubai what it is today is their ambition in conquering the world with contemporary architecture. In order to prove to the world that Dubai is indeed in a class of its own, the city planners together with private companies came up with the tallest building in the world –Â The Burj Khalifa. Below are a few facts about the skyscraper.
1. At 828 meters (2,716.5 feet) tall, Burj Khalifa is 3 times as tall as Eiffel Tower and twice as tall as the Empire State Building.
2. Burj Khalifa holds the world Records on: tallest freestanding structure in the world, highest number of stories in the world, highest occupied floor in the world, highest outdoor observation deck in the world, elevator with longest travel distance in the world, and tallest service elevator in the world.
3. It is said that the weight of concrete used to build the skyscraper is equivalent to 100,000 elephants and the steel used to construct the frame is equal to that of 5 Airbus 380 aircrafts.
4. The building design takes after the Greek flower, Hymenocallis. The name is translated as Beautiful Membrane in Greek.
5. The building was constructed by a South Korean Company called South Korean company, Samsung Engineering and Construction.
6. Burj Khalifa was built at a cost of $1.5 billion, It is supplied with about 250,000 gallons of water daily, and its electricity needs can go up to 360,000 100-watt bulbs burning at once.
7. During the peak of construction, atleast 12,000 workers worked on the construction site per day.
8. The tip of the sphere of Burj Khalifa can be seen from 95 kilometers away.
9. The tower was to be called Burj Dubai but this was changed at the last minute to honor Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi for bailing out Dubai’s bankrupt sovereign wealth fund with a $10 billion in 2009.
10. Burj Khalifa has 54 elevators which have a speed of up to 40 miles per hour.
Burj Khalifa is Dubai’s pride. It signifies how far the desert country has come in short 50-years. If you are ever in Dubai, your first point of interest should be the towering tower. From its observation deck, you can see the rest of Dubai…you just need a good pair of binoculars.
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BY HARSHVARDHAN SINGH.
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