Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, standing at 828 meters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was designed by the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and features cutting-edge engineering and construction techniques. The building's design incorporates elements of Islamic architecture and utilizes advanced technologies to withstand the challenges of its extreme height.
3 Key excerpts on "Burj Khalifa"
eBook - ePub- Yasser Elsheshtawy(Author)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Advertisements display a depiction of the tower with the words ‘History Rising’ indicating that the construction of this tower heralds the dawn of a new era for Dubai. Official announcements proclaim that this ‘iconic’ building symbolizes ‘modernity and engineering prowess’ and that it will make ‘the surrounding district the most prestigious square kilometre in the world’. Furthermore, the developer’s Executive Director notes: 6.16. The Burj Dubai surrounded by the pseudo-Arabian architecture of Souq Bahar. We now embark on the exciting part of the development where the world can witness our promise of ‘History Rising’ coming to fruition… [The towers design] combines … historical and cultural influences with cutting edge technology to achieve a high performance building which will set new standards for development in the Middle East and become the model for the future of the city of Dubai. 46 In addition, the project is intended to be ‘a symbol of human endeavour and success that makes Dubai one of the finest cities in the world that believes in excellence and a desirable quality of life’. Furthermore, ‘… skyscrapers have historically represented our quest for bettering our urban centers and have created some of the world’s most desirable and admirable places. Burj Dubai will do the same for the city of Dubai’. These official proclamations lead to a series of observations. The modernity discourse plays a prominent part in justifying the construction of such a gigantic building. Simply by placing this tower in Dubai, the city could proclaim itself to be truly modern, irrespective of the fact that it is designed by an American firm (SOM), built by a Korean construction company (Samsung), worked on by a plethora of Asian labourers, and that most of the apartments and hotels are purchased by an expatriate clientele...
eBook - ePubDesign-Tech
Building Science for Architects
- Thomas Leslie, Robert Whitehead(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Net to gross ratios here are far less important than access to the staggering views from the upper floors, and thus the economics of the typical skyscraper are somewhat backwards. As a result, the structure of the Burj, especially at the upper floors, takes up a far greater percentage of the overall floor plate, and it is necessarily much more extensive than in a more typical commercial skyscraper. The tower is closer in form and in configuration to a supertall concrete mast, as a comparison with Sears or Taipei 101 shows (Figure 29.9). 29.9 Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest skyscraper, relies on a system of shear walls and a dense core to achieve its 830m height. An important feature of the Burj's form is the tower's ability to actually shed wind in ways that reduce the lateral load on the main structure. The tower's Y-shaped form steps back at regular intervals, though these are staggered between the three lobes of its triangular plan. At each setback, wind that has built up pressure against the inner surfaces of the Y is shed at one edge, breaking up the overall force unevenly around the tower. This prevents large vortices from forming on the leeward side of the building, reducing the tendency of the building to sway back and forth (Figure 29.10). 29.10 Supertall buildings require particularly efficient structural schemes, with economics often dictating which types are best for which heights. Supertall Effects on Circulation and Environment The Burj was completed in the midst of the global recession of 2008–2010, and there were no similar towers constructed to which it can be compared. However, even though its structural system seems extensible to further heights, its record seems unlikely to be surpassed in the near future as it represents the furthest current extent of supporting technologies. In particular, supertall buildings today are limited by the capacity of elevators to serve such remote floors...
eBook - ePubAl Bahr Towers
The Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters
- Peter Oborn(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
...It may be easy to criticise and dismiss the unusual urban context outside as an unplanned, anti-urban morass, but it does in fact bear the marks of a serious effort to create places of real natural interest, local character and biodiversity, the beginnings of an intriguing ongoing experiment. The mangroves and the rows of palms form the beginnings of a determinedly local landscaping, a thoughtful and long-term reaction to the short-term marketing-led golf-course absurdity of so much that has gone before. VIP reception area. On entering the building from the upper deck, VIPs are provided with a dedicated reception and waiting area. Technology And Meaning There is an argument to be made about a particular fascination with the various incarnations of architectural technology in the Islamic world. The Burj Al Arab and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai have set the scene in contemporary towers and super-luxury hotels – whatever one may think of their architecture. Abu Dhabi itself, with the Yas Marina Formula 1 race circuit, Ferrari World and even Masdar, presents a series of different faces of that interest in the confluence of technology and architecture. The Emirates and the Gulf Region are attempting to establish themselves as a showroom of architectural innovation with technologically challenging schemes embracing culture, commerce and research. Whether we see these as natural extensions (or rather deliberate resurrections) of local perceptions of an Islamic golden era of science and mathematics, as a natural successor to a tradition of tall minarets and astonishing architectural feats from Moorish Spain to the great Ottoman architect Sinan (1490–1588), is up to us, but it is a tempting interpretation...
