The largest building in the world, the Kingdom Tower with a height of 1007 m, is being built in Saudi Arabia, but while the kilometer-long skyscraper is being built, the world-famous "Caliph Tower" in the UAE holds 179 meters below the future Kingdom Tower. The Tower of Azerbaijan projects in Azerbaijan (1050 m), Silk City in Kuwait (1001 m) and Sky City in China (838 m) also entered the battle for heaven.
The tallest building in the world is considered to be the “Khalifa Tower” in Dubai, whose height is 828 m. This skyscraper can be seen from anywhere in Dubai, but you can appreciate the full power of the building only by visiting its observation platform, located at an altitude of 452 m. The grand opening of the tower held in January 2010. Interestingly, one and a half billion US dollars invested in its construction paid off in just a year.
History of the Caliph Tower
Sheikh Dubai announced its intention to build the world's tallest skyscraper in 2002. The design of the skyscraper was developed by experienced architect Adrian Smith, an American by birth, who had previously designed high-rise buildings.
The construction of the Khalifa Tower lasted 6 years, from 2004 to 2010. The tower was built very quickly, 1-2 floors a week. At its construction, up to 12 thousand workers were employed daily. Specially for the construction of the tower, a heat-resistant concrete brand was developed, which is able to withstand temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius. This concrete was poured only at night, adding pieces of ice to the solution. When all 163 floors were ready, the assembly of a 180-meter-high metal spire began. A year before the end of construction, it was announced that the cost per square meter of residential and office space in the Khalifa Tower is $ 40 thousand.
The tower was originally called the “Burj Dubai” (“Tower of Dubai”), but the completion of its construction coincided with the global financial crisis, and the Sheikh of Dubai was forced to seek help from his neighbor, the emirate of Abu Dhabi. In gratitude for the multibillion-dollar support received, the tower was renamed the Burj Khalifa in honor of the Emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Zayed Al-Nahyan, the current President of the UAE.
What is inside the "Caliph Tower"
The Khalifa Tower is the center of Dubai's business life. Inside the building there are numerous parks, boulevards, offices, hotels, luxury apartments and shopping centers. The hotel has 304 rooms on the first 37 floors of the tower, the design project of which was developed by the famous designer Armani. From 45 to 108 floors are reserved for 900 luxuriously furnished apartments. On the 80th floor there is a restaurant with 80 seats. On the remaining floors there are numerous shopping centers and offices. Under the building there is a three-story parking lot for 3000 cars.
It is noteworthy that the 100 and 101 floors of the Khalifa Tower were bought for personal use by the owner of the pharmaceutical empire from India, multibillionaire Dr. Shetti for $ 25 million. "At present, there is no better address than Dubai, the Burj Khalifa Tower, hundredth floor, " Shetty said.
On the 124th floor of the Khalifa Tower, at an altitude of 452 m, there is an observation platform, which is the second highest after the observation platform of the World Financial Center in Shanghai. You can get to the observation platform by a high-speed elevator, which develops a speed of up to 10 m / s. All the way from the first floor to the observation deck will take no more than 1.5 minutes. There are 57 elevators in the Khalifa Tower, but only a service elevator can lift passengers from the first to the last floor, in other cases, the elevators go with a change. An unforgettable view of the surroundings opens from the observation deck.
