Projects

Burj Khalifa

The triple-lobed footprint of the building is based on an abstracted desert flower native to the region. A subtle reference to the onion domes of Islamic architecture can be found in the building's silhouette when looking up at the lobes from near the base.

The tower will be situated on a man-made lake which is designed to wrap around the tower and to provide dramatic views of it. The top of the building will contain a public observation deck and a private club above that. Although the building's shape resembles the bundled tube concept of the Sears Tower, it is structurally very different and is technically not a tube structure.

"Burj" is Arabic for "Tower". Burj Khalifa will become the world's tallest building, along with the world's tallest man-made structure when it is completed. The official height has not been released, and remains secret. The total height is 828 meters.

The highest residential floor will be level 109. An observation deck will occupy the 124th floor. The building was rotated 120 degrees to allow for less stress from the prevailing winds. The foundation piles are 150 ft. deep. The building sits on a concrete and steel podium with 192 piles descending to a depth of more than 50 metres (164 feet).