Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building, rising 828 meters above Dubai's metropolis. To achieve excellent performance in a severe desert climate, the 162-story tower's design merges local cultural influences with cutting-edge technology.

The Burj Khalifa is the focal point of a massive mixed-use building that includes offices, retail space, residential units, and a Giorgio Armani hotel. The views of the Arabian Gulf have been maximized thanks to a Y-shaped floor design. The skyscraper is flanked on the ground level by green space, water features, and pedestrian-friendly boulevards.

The general design of the tower was influenced by the geometry of a local desert flower as well as the patterning patterns found in Islamic architecture. The tower is made up of sculpted volumes organized around a central buttressed core and is made of reinforced concrete and glass. Setbacks occur in an upward spiraling pattern as the tower rises from a flat base, diminishing the building's mass as it reaches the sky. The central core emerges at the peak and forms a spire.

The Burj Khalifa combines novel structural and construction efficiencies to reduce material usage and waste, in addition to its world-record-breaking height. A "sky-sourced" ventilation system, in which cool, less humid air is pulled in through the building's top, is one of them. The tower also houses one of the world's largest condensate recovery systems.

Location: Dubai

Height: 2,717 ft (828 m)

Floors: 163

Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)

Building Function: Hotel, Residential, Office

Completion: 2010