Dubai is the most Big City in the United United Arab Emirates. It attracts thousands of tourists, surprises with its rich cultural heritage, architectural landmarks. One of the last, and rather the main, tower is rightfully considered the Burj Khalifa - the most tall skyscraper in the world. It is built in a modern architectural style and attracts the attention of everyone who flies to Dubai on vacation or on a business visit.

The height of the Burj Khalifa tower is 828 meters. This is 300 meters more than the height of the building in the city of Taimpei, which is considered the main competitor of the Dubai Tower. So far, no building has been built in the world that could surpass the achieved milestone.

If you are wondering how many floors there are in the Burj Khalifa tower, then it includes 163 floors, which house 9 hotels. There is also a complex of fountains, like in Las Vegas. The total price of the high-rise is just over $4 billion.

The author of the high-rise project was a famous American architect. His name is Adrian Smith. Prior to this, he took part in the development of a high-rise building project in China, stretching upward to 420 meters. The Burj Khalifa tower itself in Dubai has become the heart of the city’s business center:

  • on the first 37 floors there are hotels where anyone can rent apartments of the desired level of comfort;
  • Floors 45-108 are occupied by 700 modern apartments, equipped in accordance with the most advanced technologies;
  • the rest of the area is office space, because the building was built as a business center. But even this feature did not prevent it from becoming the main architectural landmark of the city and the UAE as a whole.

To find out what the view is from the Burj Khalifa tower, just go up to the observation deck At The Top SKY. It is located on the 148th floor, at an altitude of 555 m. The ascent is carried out using a modern high-speed elevator, it is considered one of the best in the world and will take you to your destination in just a few minutes. While on the observation deck, you will be able to:

  • explore the entire area, because from here you have an excellent view of Dubai;
  • organize relaxation in the lounge;
  • visit the interactive room.

It is possible to go down to the observation decks located on the 124th and 125th floors. On average, you can stay at the observation decks for about an hour. This time is enough to look at the surrounding beauty from the heights of the tower. Tickets for the venues are sold on the first floor of the high-rise building.

Important! If you buy a regular ticket to visit the Burj Khalifa in the UAE, you can save a lot of money, but in this case you will have to wait in a fairly long line to visit the site. If you don’t want to waste valuable time, you can purchase a more expensive express ticket. It costs almost twice as much, but allows you to skip the line. You can purchase a pass to the observation deck, which is located on the 148th floor, at the same ticket office or on the 124th floor.

Design features of the high-rise

It is difficult to imagine how the largest building in the city and country, the Burj Khalifa tower, is held on the surface of the earth. But this moment was carefully calculated by the designers and architects. Especially for the construction of a high-rise building, a special grade of concrete was developed that can withstand temperatures up to +50. It is poured at night, and ice must be added to the solution itself. It was this technology that made it possible to build the skyscraper in question.

If we talk about the tower itself and its features, then there are 65 two-story lifts. Their total cost is 36 million dollars. It should be noted that you can only go from the first to the top floor using the service elevator. Residents of the building have to move between its floors with transfers. This does not bring significant inconvenience, because the fastest elevators in the world are installed here. They reach speeds of up to 18 m/s.

A modern fire system allows for the fastest possible evacuation of everyone in the building, spending no more than half an hour. The high-rise is equipped with all technologies that ensure the safety of residents and guests.

A very important point. There are two observation decks on the Burj Khalifa. This is important, since ticket prices vary significantly, and Prime hours (the best hours to visit) are different.

AT THE TOP– these are observation platforms on the 124th (open) and 125th (indoor) floors, height – 452 meters.

– this is an observation deck on the 148th floor (open), height – 555 meters.

To understand why this is so, we will dive a little into the history of the Burj Khalifa, although we will tell the whole story in facts and figures in the second part of this article. Top first observation deck there was none at all; there was enough space on the 124th floor (452 ​​meters), which was the highest in the world.

However, in December 2011 (a year after the opening of the Burj Khalifa), the Canton Tower opened in Guangzhou (China) with an observation deck at an altitude of 488 meters, Dubai residents were left without a record.

On October 15, 2014, Dubai regained its record by opening a site on the 148th floor (555 meters). But already in June 2016, an observation deck opened on the Shanghai Tower (China) at an altitude of 561 meters, and the Dubai residents again lost their record.

Now Dubai has nothing to “cover” with. Let us remind you that the Burj Khalifa building is only 585 meters high, and the remaining 243 meters is a large metal spire, in which, according to all safety standards, an observation deck cannot be organized.

Opening hours

Seven days a week, from 8-30 to 22-00. The entrance closes at 21-15.

Prime hours for AT THE TOP venues – from 15-00 to 18-30.

Prime hours for the AT THE TOP SKY site – from 9-30 to 18-00.

Prime hours are subject to change by the administration.

Ticket price

There are two types of tickets - Immediate Entry Admission and General Admission. Children under 4 years old are always free. Further, all prices are given in dirhams; for the current exchange rate, see our article “”.

Immediate Entry Admission. This ticket is purchased at the box office on the day of the visit. It would seem that the simplest and most convenient option.

In practice, this is the worst option. Firstly, this type of ticket is sold only on AT THE TOP, and AT THE TOP SKY does not have them at all.

Secondly, tickets may simply not be available, because a limited number of people are allowed onto the observation decks.

Thirdly, the price is very high: 315 dirhams, versus 210 and 135 dirhams for a ticket purchased on the website. Below is a table of prices for Immediate Entry tickets.

General Admission. This ticket can be purchased on the official website https://tickets.atthetop.ae/. When purchasing a ticket, you need to select the date and time of your visit. Below is a table of prices for General Admission tickets.

General Admission tickets are available on the website one month before the date of visit. Payment is made by VISA, MasterCard and JCB cards. There is an additional charge of 5 dirhams for purchasing a ticket online. That is, add 5 to the prices in the table above.

And one more important point. You cannot buy a ticket for children separately, only together with at least one adult, the system does not allow this. If you are traveling with a child, buy all tickets at once in one transaction. Don’t forget about the children’s ticket, otherwise you won’t be able to buy it later in a separate transaction.

Probably, Burj Khalifa can be safely given another record - for the most expensive tickets to the observation decks. For comparison, look at Shanghai with its record high this moment Shanghai Tower observation deck costs 180 (at the time of writing, $27).

Special offers

When purchasing on the website, you can use combo tickets, some of which are very profitable.

AT THE TOP SKY + Dubai Fountain Boardwalk. Together you buy a ticket to the AT THE TOP SKY venue and watch the show from a special platform at the foot of the Burj Khalifa (pictured below, click to enlarge). Valid from 19-00, price – 360 (+5) dirhams.

A ticket to AT THE TOP SKY costs 350 (+5) dirhams, and viewing the fountains from the platform can be purchased separately for 20 (+5) dirhams. This results in a saving of 15 dirhams.

ATT + Dubai Aquarium. This is a great offer. You get tickets for AT THE TOP (not during Prime hours) and . Price – 180 (+5) dirhams.

A ticket to the Burj Khalifa costs 125 (+5) dirhams, a ticket to the aquarium costs 100 dirhams. This results in a savings of 45 dirhams.

FAST TRACK. This ticket allows you to go everywhere without queuing. Price – 300 (+5) dirhams, regardless of age. This ticket can only be used to enter the AT THE TOP venue; this type of ticket is not available for the AT THE TOP SKY venue. If you see someone skipping the line, don’t be surprised or indignant, he bought himself a FAST TRACK ticket.

There are several more combo tickets, but we won’t talk about them in detail now, since we don’t think they are very popular. If you are interested, you can read their description on the website tickets.atthetop.ae. If you don’t know English, use the browser’s built-in translator, it will be more or less clear.

Work on the original and complex project began in January 2004. The tower was designed by the American company Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Samsung C&T was selected as the general contractor.

Already at the end of September 2004, construction began and proceeded at a very high pace. Within a week, 1-2 floors were erected. The spire, which is 180 meters high, is made using metal structures.

This is a unique structure that has made Dubai famous throughout the world. Burj Khalifa was built using certain grades of concrete that can withstand temperatures of up to 50 degrees. Such concrete was laid only at night, and ice was added to the composition. In total, about 320,000 m3 of this composition were used, and more than 60,000 tons of steel reinforcement.

The construction of the Burj Khalifa (Dubai) cost a huge amount. The UAE spent $1.6 billion on the construction. It should be noted that this amount paid off already in the first year after the start of operation, thanks to the popularity of the structure. After all, not everyone, even the most influential and wealthy people in the world, was able to purchase apartments here. The price of one square meter reached 40 thousand dollars, and they were sold out even before construction was completed.

Design Features

The Burj Khalifa, which you see in this article, is equipped with a turbine that is rotated by the wind and generates autonomous electricity, and a special fire safety system allows the occupants of the tower to be evacuated if necessary in 32 minutes.

There are 57 elevators in the building. They move at a speed of 10 m/s. During construction, we took into account climatic features UAE. To reduce the risk of the structure swaying in the wind, it was given an asymmetrical shape. All guests who come to Dubai are amazed by the Burj Khalifa. On a tour of the skyscraper, tourists are told that special glass was used for the construction, which does not allow dust to pass through and completely reflects the rays of the sun.

Special membranes are installed in the floor, which aromatize and cool the air in the room. All this maintains a comfortable temperature, despite the unbearable heat outside.

Dubai, Burj Khalifa: description

We have already said that the skyscraper in the UAE is currently the tallest on Earth. in Dubai is 828 meters. This is a large-scale and innovative structure. It seems to pierce the sky and rush upward. For comparison, we can say that the famous London Big Ben is seven times lower than the Arab Tower.

Infrastructure

The vast territory houses a luxury hotel with 300 rooms, offices, 700 VIP-class apartments, a restaurant, parking for three thousand cars, shops of famous brands, gyms, swimming pools, spa centers, Jacuzzis, observation decks and even its own park, the size of 11 hectares. As you can see, this is a truly unique building, Burj Khalifa (Dubai). How many floors does it have? This question is probably of interest to many of our readers. The building has 160 floors.

The skyscraper has an asymmetrical shape, reminiscent of a stalagmite, which seems to grow from the bottom of a cave. Another feature of the unique building is that its foundation is not fixed in the ground as usual. It consists of 200 hanging piles, the length of which is 45 meters with a diameter of 1.5 meters.

Air and temperature

The air in the famous tower is not only fully air-conditioned, but also has its own scent, developed specifically for this building. It is fed into the tower through certain holes in the floor. The temperature in the building is maintained at + 18 °C.

Maintaining a stable temperature is achieved by using tinted thermal glass. It will take at least three months to clean all the glass in the building.

Electricity and water supply

How such a huge building is provided with water and electricity is of interest to many tourists who come to Dubai. Burj Khalifa has an autonomous power supply system. It consists of wind generators with turbines 60 meters long and huge solar panels. Their area is 15 thousand square meters. m.

The water supply system supplies the tower with approximately 945,000 liters of water daily through dedicated pipelines. Their length is 100 km. In addition, there is a special pipeline. Its length is 213 kilometers. Another 34 kilometers of pipes supply cold water for air conditioning.

Observation deck

The main panoramic platform is At the Top, which is located at 124,451.9 m). We recommend visiting it to everyone who happens to visit Dubai.

Excursions

You can visit the observation deck either independently, by purchasing a ticket at the ticket office located on the ground floor of the building, or as part of excursion group. Before your visit, you can put things you don't need in storage rooms. Then be sure to go through a metal detector.

Here on the walls there is various information about the structure and popular quotes related to it. At the appointed time you will be shown to the elevators, but before that you will be photographed. In addition, on the way to the elevator you will see pictures and information about the tallest building in the world, the history of its creation, and the companies that took part in the construction. Access to the elevators, which are designed to transport tourists, is allowed in small groups. During the climb there is a beautiful light show accompanied by epic music. The rise takes only one minute.

And now you find yourself on the 124th floor of the building. From here you have a 360 degree view. Half of the site is located under open air, its second part is located indoors. Tourists who have already climbed to the observation deck believe that it should be visited at least 4 times: at dawn, during the day, at sunset and at night.

You are allowed 45 minutes to visit the site, but no one really keeps track of time, so you can stay there as long as you need to enjoy the magnificent scenery. A visit in the late evening or at night is attractive because you can see the musical fountains of Dubai from a great height. There is also a souvenir shop with T-shirts, cups and other paraphernalia. You can also take a photo and receive a photo. When you think you have seen everything you planned, go to the exit, and in a minute you will return from heaven to earth. Before leaving, a pretty girl will approach you and present you with an album with your photo against the backdrop of the picturesque Burj Khalifa.

In the early 2000s, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, began implementing a plan to transform his emirate into one of the main centers of world tourism. One of the points of this plan was the construction of a new area - Dubai Downtown, which includes more than 100 residential and office buildings, hotels, the largest shopping center, impressive fountains and many other projects. But the key element of the new area was to be the world's tallest skyscraper.

2003 Burj Khalifa will be built on this site

In the spring of 2002, Dubai-based construction company Emaar approached architect Adrian Smith with a proposal to design the most high building in the world. Adrian Smith was chosen for his Jin Mao skyscraper, built in the heart of Shanghai. The original design was 518 meters high, enough to overtake the then record holder Taiwan's Taipei 101 skyscraper, which is 509 meters high. But at the initial stage of construction, the project was changed at least 7 times, the latest options provided for a height of 705 and 750 meters. Smith was not happy with the constant demands to change the design and proposed 5 final versions of the tower, which would not be changed. Emaar chose a project with a height of 828 meters.
The project started under the name Burj Dubai, construction works started in January 2004.


In December 2004, the foundation of the tower was completed.

It took almost a year to construct the first 10 floors of the building. September 2005:

A special grade of concrete was developed especially for the Burj Khalifa, which can withstand temperatures up to +50 °C for a long time. It was poured only at night, and ice was added to the solution. Otherwise, too high a temperature would not allow the concrete to gain the necessary strength when hardening. April 2006:

The average speed of tower construction was 1-2 floors per week. October 2006:

October 2007: Burj Khalifa reaches 160 floors, followed by construction of a 200-meter steel spire.

Glass designed specifically for the Burj Khalifa will transmit enough light, but at the same time reflect some of the heat, which will significantly reduce air conditioning costs. In addition, they must withstand enormous wind loads on the tower. March 2008.

On January 4, 2010, the tower was opened by the ruler of the emirate, Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum. Burj Khalifa In Dubai. At first it was called Burj Dubai, but then it was renamed in honor of the President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

History of the tower's construction

Plans for the construction of the tallest building in the world were announced back in 2002. It was planned that the tower would become a key element of the area under construction and would attract tourists from all over globe. The general contractor of the building was the South Korean company Samsung Engineering, and the developer was the Dubai-based Emaar.

The construction of the tower took six years and required about one and a half billion dollars. By the way, they paid for themselves in a record short time - 1 year.

While still under construction, the building's space was sold at $40,000 per square meter. The observation deck has also gained enormous popularity; you can now get to it by purchasing a ticket. Construction of the tower began in 2004. The building was erected quite quickly: one or two floors every week.

A special brand of concrete, developed specifically for the Burj Khalifa, can withstand very high temperatures - up to plus 50 degrees Celsius. It was poured only at night, adding ice to the solution. Having reached the one hundred and sixtieth floor inclusive, the concrete work was completed. Next, according to the plan, a spire was assembled from metal structures, the height of which was one hundred and eighty meters.

Much attention was paid to the fire safety system, which makes it possible to evacuate everyone in the building in no more than thirty-two minutes.

In the spring of 2006, the brutality of the guards provoked a pogrom at the construction site future tower Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Two and a half thousand workers, unable to tolerate the nagging of the guards, beat them, and then, in a fit of anger, began to destroy the construction headquarters, burn branded cars, destroy equipment, and break into safes. The next day they demanded that the employer, Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, raise wages and improve working conditions, otherwise they threatened to go on a long-term strike. The workers were also joined by numerous construction workers of the new airport terminal.

It turned out that the height of the tower could be higher. Surprisingly, the endless upward growth was stopped not by a technical, but by an economic reason: in order to find funds to continue construction, it was necessary to sell a large amount of residential space. Perhaps that is why this building has such a slender silhouette.

The tower was planned to open on September 9, 2009, together with the Dubai Metro. However, the developer's financial problems did not allow this to happen. The solemn event took place in early January of the following year.

Features of the skyscraper project

The Burj Khalifa tower (its height, by the way, is 828 meters) was built according to the “city within a city” project, the author of which was Adrian Smith, an American architect with experience in designing similar structures.

Being in fact the core element of the new business center in Dubai, the building was created according to the principle of a vertical city. The floors in it are arranged in blocks and have different functions. Thirty-five of them are given to offices, thirty-seven to hotel rooms and apartments, the design of which was developed by Giorgio Armani himself.

There are shopping centers and about nine hundred apartments. The hundredth floor with three apartments of 500 square meters each was purchased by the Indian billionaire B. R. Shetty.

The artificial tower rising above the main building, in addition to its decorative function, also has a communication function, as it is equipped with modern telecommunications equipment. Three floors underground are occupied by a parking lot that can accommodate three thousand cars. A turbine 61 meters long, rotated by the wind, and solar panels with an area of ​​approximately 15 thousand meters are installed. All this was done so that the tower could independently produce electrical energy for itself.

The building was equipped with special solar protection and reflective glass panels that reduce indoor heating. This, in turn, reduced the need for air conditioning. The building's air conditioning system itself is quite unique. Air flows are carried out throughout the tower from bottom to top. In this case, underground modules and sea water are used for cooling.

The building has about sixty elevators reaching speeds of up to 65 km/h. In less than a minute you will find yourself at the top of the tallest building in the world.

The tourist part of the tower has magnificent interiors. On the one hundred and twenty-second floor there is the Atmosphere restaurant with eighty seats.

At one hundred and twenty-three and one hundred and twenty-four there is a lobby and a wonderful observation deck. The latter is located at an altitude of five hundred and five meters from the base. Most of it is glazed. Visitors have the opportunity to view the surrounding area through electronic telescopes.

In addition to the real picture, a recording of the historical, day and night panoramas of Dubai is viewed through computers with cameras installed on the floor.

You can stay on the observation deck as much as you like, but getting there is not so easy. It is advisable to purchase tickets in advance; they sell out very quickly. The observation deck, accessible to tourists, offers a magnificent view of the city. You can explore its old part, the port, Dubai Creek, the airport, Sharjah.

In front of the famous tower there is a huge (12 hectares) artificial lake, which houses a beautiful musical fountain, illuminated by 6,600 light sources and 50 spotlights. The length of this majestic source is two hundred and seventy meters, the height of the jets is one hundred and fifty. The music played consists of Arabic and world works.

The Burj Khalifa in the video is a magnificent sight. But it’s even more amazing to see all this beauty with your own eyes by visiting the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai.