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Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, is the tallest tower in the world. It was previously called the Burj Dubai but the new name was announced on the opening date on 04 January 2010. Also called Burj Khaleefa?

• See the Burj Dubai information for more details prior to the official opening ceremony.
• Height of the Burj Khalifa is 828 meters, making it the tallest building in the world in any category.
• The Burj Khalifa was named after the President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa. International media and the rumour mill made a connection between the renaming of the Burj Dubai, and Abu Dhabi lending AED 20 billion to Dubai to bail the emirate out of some debts.
• Saudi Arabia plans to build a taller skyscraper. Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal signed a contract for a 1,000 meter (3,280 feet) tower (approximate height only - exact height is a secret apparently) according to news reports on 02 August 2011. Contract awarded to the Bin Laden Group, worth AED 4 billion (US$1.2 billion). Name of the building is the Kingdom Tower, to be built near Jeddah as part of the Kingdom City project. Designer is Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture of Chicago.

The Burj Khalifa Monument

• The 'Burj Monument' is an 18 meter high stainless steel monument to the Burj Khalifa, also located in the Downtown Dubai area. It is not a miniature replica of the Burj Khalifa, but has a similar design. However, nobody lives in it.
• The point of the monument was explained by Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties (the developer of the original Burj Khalifa project) who was quoted in news reports as saying "The Burj Monument is our token of gratitude to everyone who has helped us accomplish the project, and a reminder to every visitor to Downtown Dubai that Burj Khalifa is a true reflection of what Dubai stands for - a global city that welcomes the world."
• Opening or unveiling date March 2012 (announced 20-21 March 2012)?

Atmosphere (At.mosphere), the world's highest restaurant

• The grammatically oddly named At.mosphere restaurant is marketed as the highest restaurant in the world ("World's highest restaurant opens in the Burj Khalifa" - 23 January 2011 press release), which makes one wonder what happened to all the restaurants in ski resorts, and towns and cities at altitudes of more than 442 meters, the height at which At.mosphere is situated. Did they all suddenly close down?

Companies involved in the infrastructure and operations at Burj Khalifa

• Tensator - crowd control and queue flow with 150 Advance Tensabarrier posts installed (12 February 2011 press release).

Burj Khalifa timeline, history, and events

• 28 March 2011 - Alain Robert, a French climber also known as "Spiderman," well known for climbing tall buildings, climbed almost the complete height of the Burj Khalifa (he started on the 4th floor apparently) as part of the HCT Education Without Borders 2011 (EWB) event. He started at 18:03 and finished at 00:07 or 00:15 (different times reported) on top of the antenna. Unlike with most other climbs by Mr Robert, he used a safety harness in accordance with the conditions under which he was granted permission to climb the Burj Khalifa. Luckily for him he did, The National reported that at least once during the climb he was pushed off the building by high winds.
• 05 February 2011 - an Indian businessman made a bomb threat by using someone else's phone to send a text message to the Dubai Police, threatening to blow up the Burj Khalifa if he wasn't paid $1 million. His motive apparently was to get the phone owner arrested and jailed, not to get $1m (or blow up the building). The phone owner was indeed arrested, and spent some time in jail (possibly up to two weeks). The original bomb threat maker was subsequently arrested after he told a barman how he had managed to land the phone owner in jail. Update 20 May 2012 - the bomb threat maker was acquitted by the Dubai Criminal Court. He reportedly denied making the bomb threat.

Ramadan and Iftar for Burj Khalifa residents

• Due to the height of the Burj Khalifa, residents on the upper floors have to wait an extra 2 minutes before starting Iftar dining during the month of Ramadan according to reports in August 2011.

Planned buildings and towers taller than the Burj Khalifa

At the time of opening (04 January 2010), the Burj Khalifa was the tallest building in the world, but there are plans for taller buildings ...

• Azerbaijan, Baku - the Azerbaijan Tower - a 1,050 meter business center south of Baku, with 189 floors. The tower will be part of the Khazar Islands development ($100 billion, 41 man-made islands) in the Caspian Sea. Estimated construction cost $2 billion, completion date 2019 ... or sometime between 2020-2025 according to April 2012 reports. Developer is Avesta Group of Azerbaijan.
• China, Changsha - Sky City One - 838 meters, to be built in 3 months from January to March 2012 (according to news reports November 2012). Developer is Broad Sustainable Building (BSB). Not clear if this is the same as the Sky City 220 tower (with a height reduction) in China reported in July 2012, or a different tower. Update 14 Aug 2013 (China Daily report) - building construction delayed, groundbreaking 20 Jul 2013 but construction start date not until Apr 2014, completion to take 7 months, will have 202 floors, cost $1.47 billion. Odd article - published an artists rendering of the Sky City which looked exactly like the Burj Khalifa.
• China - Sky City 220 (Reuters July 2012 report) - a 2,000 meter (2km) tower with 636 floors to be developed by Broad Sustainable Building (China). Construction schedule reportedly an astonishing 4 months. Building will have more than one school, a hospital, 17 helipads, and capacity for 30,000 people. Location, start date, completion date not reported.
• Saudi Arabia, Jeddah - the Kingdom Tower - 3,300 feet (3,280 feet?), construction cost $1.2 billion, part of the Kingdom City development ($20 billion), completion date 2013 ... 2016-2017 according to reports in January 2012 (with construction starting in Jan 2012) ... mid 2017 according to April 2012 reports. Will have hotels, apartments, offices, and reportedly the world's highest observatory. Owner or developer is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud. Designer is Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill architects in Chicago. Announced August 2011? First reported/rumoured in April 2011 (and denied by architects Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill at the time)?
• UAE, Dubai - Nakheel Harbour and Tower

Last update Saturday 23-Nov-2013. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.

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