BURJ KHALIFA

Burj Khalifa ,
known as Burj Dubai
prior to its inauguration,
is a skyscraper in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates,
and is the tallest man-
made structure in the
world, at 829.8 m.

Construction
began on 21 September
2004, with the exterior
of the structure
completed on 1 October
2009. The building
officially opened on 4
January 2010, and is
part of the new 2 km2
development called
Downtown Dubai at the
'First Interchange' along
Sheikh Zayed Road,
near Dubai's main
business district.

The design of Burj

Khalifa is derived from
patterning systems
embodied in Islamic
architecture. The Y-
shaped plan is ideal for
residential and hotel usage, with the wings allowing maximum outward
views and inward natural light. The tower is composed of three elements
arranged around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat desert
base, setbacks occur at each element in a spiralling pattern, decreasing
the cross section of the tower as it reaches toward the sky.

To support the unprecedented height of the building, the engineers

developed a new structural system called the buttressed core, which
consists of a hexagonal core reinforced by three buttresses that form the
Y' shape. This structural system enables the building to support itself
laterally and keeps it from twisting.

The spire of Burj Khalifa is composed of more than 4,000 tonnes

(4,400 short tons; 3,900 long tons) of structural steel. The central pinnacle
pipe weighing 350 tonnes (390 short tons; 340 long tons) was constructed
from inside the building and jacked to its full height of over 200 m (660 ft) using
a strand jack system. The spire also houses communications equipment.

The exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa consists of 142,000

2
m (1,528,000 sq ft) of reflective glazing, and aluminium and
textured stainless steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins. The
cladding system is designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer
temperatures. Additionally, the exterior temperature at the top of the
building is thought to be 6 C (11 F) cooler than at its base. [52]Over
26,000 glass panels were used in the exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa.

Burj Khalifa is expected to hold up to 35,000 people at any one time.

A total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators are installed. The elevators have a
capacity of 12 to 14 people per cabin, the fastest rising and descending at
up to 18 m/s. Engineers had considered installing the world's first triple-
deck elevators, but the final design calls for double-deck elevators. The
double-deck elevators are equipped with entertainment features such as
LCD displays to serve visitors during their travel to the observation deck.

Foundation
The foundation system for the Burj Dubai is comprised of 192 bored
piles (drilled shafts in my practice) 1.5-m in diameter and approximately
50-m deep. A 3.7-m thick raft foundation sits on top of the piles under the
full footprint of the structure.

The soil/rock conditions were

generally loose to medium dense
sands overlying weak to very week
sandstone and siltstone with
interbeds of gypsiferous and
carbonate cemented layers (still
relatively weak). Geotechnical
investigations consisted of
approximately 33 boreholes drilled
with several techniques. In addition to SPT sampling, double-tube rock
coring and approximately 60 pressuremeter tests were performed as well
as cross-hole seismic surveys (both P and S-wave). Static load testing was
performed on 7 test piles prior to construction and 8 production piles
(approximately 1% of the piles) were tested as well. One lateral load test
was performed.

Various finite element software packages were used in the analysis

of the foundation system for the structure. The figure above from Poulos &
Bunce (2008) shows the interesting layout of the piles as well as contours
of the maximum axial load.

Construction
The primary structure is reinforced concrete. Putzmeister created a
new, super high-pressure trailer concrete pump, the BSA 14000 SHP-D, for
this project.[24] Over 45,000 m3 of concrete, weighing more than
110,000 tonnes were used to construct the concrete and steel foundation.
 Burj Khalifa's construction used 330,000 m3
(431,600 cu yd) of concrete and 55,000 tonnes
(61,000 short tons; 54,000 long tons) of steel rebar,
and construction took 22 million man-hours.[10] A
high density, low permeability concrete was used in
the foundations of Burj Khalifa. A cathodic protection
system under the mat is used to minimize any
detrimental effects from corrosive chemicals in local
ground water.

The Burj Dubai Tower utilizes the latest

advancements in construction techniques and
material technology. The walls are formed using Dokas SKE 100
automatic self-climbing formwork system. The circular nose columns are
formed with circular steel forms, and the floor slabs are poured on
MevaDec panel formwork. Wall reinforcement is prefabricated on the
ground to allow for fast placement. Three primary self-climbing Favco
tower cranes are located adjacent to the central core, with each
continuing to various heights as required. The cranes have been specially
modified to be able to lift the extreme lengths of cable required, as well as
25-metric-tonne payloads, at high speeds. High-speed (120-m/minute),
high-capacity (3,200-kg), construction hoists were used to transport
workers and materials to the required heights. Because of limitations of
conventional surveying techniques, a specialized GPS monitoring system
has been developed to monitor the verticality of the structure.

The construction sequence for the structure has the central core and
slabs being cast first, in three sections; the wing walls and slabs follow
behind; and the wing nose columns and slabs follow behind these.
Concrete is distributed to each wing utilizing concrete booms that are
attached to the jump form system. Two of the largest concrete pumps in
the world were used to deliver concrete to heights over 600 m in a single
stage. A horizontal pumping trial was conducted prior to the start of the
superstructure construction to ensure pumpability of the concrete mixes.
 Wind engineering
For
a building
of this
height
and

slenderness, wind forces and the resulting

motions in the upper levels become dominant
factors in the structural design. An extensive
program of wind tunnel tests and other studies
were undertaken by the wind tunnel consultant,
RWDI, in its boundary layer wind tunnels in Guelph, Ontario, to evaluate
the effects of wind on building loading, behavior, and occupant comfort.
Additionally, the wind tunnel testing program was utilized as part of a
process to shape the building to minimize wind effects. As mentioned
above, this process resulted in a substantial reduction in wind forces on
the tower by confusing the wind by encouraging disorganized vortex
shedding over the height of the tower. The wind tunnel testing program
included rigid-model force balance tests, a full aeroelastic model study,
measurements of localized pressures, and pedestrian wind environment
studies. Wind statistics played an important role in relating the predicted
levels of response to return period. Extensive use was made of ground-
based wind data, balloon data, and computer simulations employing
Regional Atmospheric Modeling techniques to establish the wind regime at
the upper levels. Based on the results of the wind tunnel testing program,
the predicted building motions are within the ISO standard recommended
values without the need for auxiliary damping.
 Window Technology
When constructing any skyscraper the control of heat is an
extremely important factor. With the introduction of air conditioning
builders were able to avoid their towers becoming large glass
greenhouses cooking the people inside. However, the heat of Dubai, which
reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade with 90 percent humidity, as
well as the height of the tower means new measures needed to be taken
beyond air conditioning.

Special two-paned windows were designed for use in the Burj

Khalifa. The outside face reflects daily solar heat. It is coated with a thin
layer of metal, which deflects ultra-violet radiation. However, this first
pane is useless again infrared radiation. So, the inner pane is coated with
a thin layer of silver, which keeps the infrared rays out.

The building is covered in 30,000 glass panels; enough to cover 17

soccer fields.
 Conclusion
Burj Dubai Tower has eclipsed all previous height records, and is the
tallest structure ever built. It represents an enormous collaboration and
coordination effort of many individuals across all sectors of the building
profession. Conventional and cutting-edge technologies and building
systems were utilized, developed, and further advanced to create this
unprecedented structure, taking this building and the profession to
literally new heights.