Burj Khalifa: A new paradigm

With 828 m height, the skyscraper Burj Khalifa in Dubai breaks all records and is the world’s highest building. The architecture and civil engineering office Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)/Chicago, leader of design works, has developed a new system for the load-bearing structure – the so-called buttressed core. This system is a hexagonal core, strengthened by three buttresses forming a Y. The development of this new system together with some important technological innovations was a basic condition in view of the implementation of this unique building.

After a construction period of 6 years, Burj Khalifa has been completed in January 2010. From the beginning, the skyscraper has been at the centre of an extensive urban development with a surrounding basic structure, neighbouring 6 floor office buildings, and equipped with a 2 storey leisure area including a swimming pools. On its height of 828 m the Burj Khalifa accommodates 160 floors. The building holds records in three categories acknowledged by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH): highest building in the world in view ­of architectural height, highest occupied floor and height to tip.