Before Burj Khalifa, the skyline of Dubai was dominated by shorter towers and mid-rise buildings. Its construction heralded a new era of vertical ambition and remains a constant reminder of the city’s vision for the future.
It officially opened on January 4, 2010, and stands at 828 metres. Since its completion, it has held the title of the tallest building in the world, outshining the closest structure, the Shanghai Tower, by more than 200 metres.
While many are familiar with its record-breaking height, there’s more to this engineering marvel than its size. Whether hosting daring climbs, appearing in blockbuster films or serving as a backdrop to celebrations, Burj Khalifa has firmly established itself as one of the most renowned landmarks in modern history.
Here are 15 fascinating facts to celebrate the building’s legacy.
Impressive numbers behind its construction
It took six years, 22 million man-hours, more than 12,000 workers and an estimated $1.5 billion to complete Burj Khalifa. The tower’s construction used more than 330,000 cubic metres of concrete, 39,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement and 103,000 square metres of glass.
The building’s foundation includes a concrete raft supported by 192 piles that extend 50 metres into the desert ground, allowing the structure to stand firm.
A desert flower inspired the design
Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's architectural design for Burj Khalifa, was inspired by the Hymenocallis, also known as a spider lily. This desert flower grows across the UAE and is recognisable for its long, slender petals. The building’s shape mimics the way it flowers outward, with a triple-lobed footprint and setbacks that spiral upwards, but also takes influence from Islamic architecture and its arched domes.
It holds several world records
Besides its height, Burj Khalifa holds numerous records, including the highest occupied floor (on level 160), the highest outdoor observation deck (at 555 metres), the highest restaurant from ground level (441.3 metres) and the longest single lift shaft in the world.
The lifts move up to 10 metres a second, making them among the fastest in the world. Visitors reach the 124th floor in less than a minute. They also cover a total vertical distance of 504 metres, the greatest of any system in the world.
A testament to engineering innovation
When conceived more than 15 years ago, the construction of the neo-futurist-style building pushed the boundaries of engineering. It uses a Y-shaped design and a high-performance concrete mix to counteract wind pressure and other structural stresses. The building’s spire, made of lighter materials, also plays a role in its stability.
Despite its height, it is designed to withstand high winds and seismic activity. During extreme weather, it sways about 1.5 metres in any direction at the top. Its tiered, spiralling shape also helps disrupt wind patterns.
The spire isn’t just decorative
Without the spire, which measures 200 metres, the building wouldn’t be the tallest in the world. On a clear day, the tip can be seen from up to 95 kilometres away. It also houses communication equipment, including antennas to enhance telecoms capabilities.
It uses – and reuses – a lot of water
Burj Khalifa consumes an average of 946,000 litres of water daily, and at certain times of the year, it requires 10,000 tonnes of cooling. Dubai's hot, humid weather, combined with the building’s cooling requirements, creates condensation collected in a separate piping system, which provides about 15 million gallons of supplementary water a year. This equals about 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and the water is collected and recycled for landscaping and cooling purposes.
It also uses the sun as energy
The building incorporates 378 solar panels, 2.7 square metres each, contributing to its energy efficiency. These panels are said to save about 3,200 kilowatts of energy a day, or 690 megawatts annually, reducing the building’s reliance on traditional energy sources. The panels can heat 140,000 litres of water within seven hours.
The building was also designed to maximise natural light, further reducing energy consumption.
It’s a tourist magnet
Did you know more than 17 million people visit Burj Khalifa every year? This is according to research conducted by analytics website Switch On Business.
At the Top observation deck is a major attraction, offering incredible views of the Dubai skyline and beyond. While the 124th and 148th floors are popular with tourists, the 163rd floor – known as the Sky Deck – is only accessible to anyone with a residential or commercial pass.
Setting the stage for art
Burj Khalifa has embraced art in its public spaces and reportedly has about 1,000 works throughout its interiors. These include pieces by more than 85 Middle Eastern and international artists.
One standout is World Voices, a large-scale installation by artist Jaume Plensa in the residential lobby composed of 196 handcrafted cymbals attached to stainless steel tubes above pools of water. Each cymbal represents a country in the world, and water slowly drips on to the cymbals, producing ambient sounds that symbolise humanity’s interconnectedness.
The building exterior has also become a canvas for artistic expression, including LED light shows and projections celebrating global events, cultural milestones and contemporary art installations.
The temperature difference from base to summit
The outside temperature is believed to vary up to 6°C between the bottom and the top of the building. This makes it cooler at the top, but also improves cooling efficiency.
Cleaning its facade is a logistical marvel
Keeping Burj Khalifa’s 24,348 glass cladding panels clean is no mean feat. The task requires a team of about 36 workers, who spend three to four months covering the total curtain wall area of 132,190 square metres. Specialised robots assist in cleaning hard-to-reach areas. By the time the team finishes, they must begin again.
Its starring roles in Hollywood and Bollywood
The tower has become a fixture in cinematic backdrops. Its most memorable appearance came in the 2011 blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, where Tom Cruise scaled the building’s exterior and ran across its glass walls 123 floors above the ground.
The architectural marvel has also appeared in films such as Furious 7 (2015), Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Star Trek Beyond (2016) and Geostorm (2017), as well as Bollywood films like Happy New Year (2014), Laxmii (2020) and Pathaan (2023). It often plays a role that symbolises futuristic ambition or the pinnacle of human achievement.
Record-breaking feats of human endurance
Burj Khalifa has also attracted athletes who are eager to test their limits. One of the most daring feats was achieved by Alain Robert, known as the French Spider-Man. In 2011, he climbed the building’s exterior without safety ropes or equipment, scaling 828 metres in just over six hours.
In 2014, the late professional base jumper Vince Reffet made history by leaping off the tower wearing a jet-powered wingsuit.
It set the stage for drone innovation
The building has served as a testing ground for drone technology, influencing fields such as entertainment, communication and infrastructure management.
For example, the building has hosted groundbreaking drone light shows with high-powered projectors, illuminating the tower with intricate patterns and animations. Drone technology has also been used for the building’s maintenance and inspection, reducing the need for manual intervention in dangerous-to-reach areas.
The birthplace of many an urban myth
Burj Khalifa has also inspired several urban myths. One popular misconception is that the tip sways in the wind, unsettling occupants within. While it was designed to sway slightly, advanced engineering actually makes the movement imperceptible inside.
Many also believe astronauts aboard the International Space Station can see the building from space with their naked eye. But while the structure may appear in images captured from orbit, you can’t see it without a telescope.
