Formerly known as Burj Dubai (translated as “The Dubai Tower”), the world’s tallest building in Dubai was renamed the Burj Khalifa in the wake of the new year in January 2010. This name change came just days before the Grand opening. of the tallest skyscraper in the world that is located in the heart of the “New Dubai Downtown”.

This name changes just before the inauguration of the building on January 4, 2010, in the midst of a deep economic swamp in the State of Dubai. In fact, things got so bad for Dubai’s indebted sovereign wealth fund that it nearly went bankrupt in December 2009, but neighboring Abu Dhabi stepped in and bailed the city out. Some say this led to the building’s name change from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa. The new name honors the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed.

The Burj Khalifa itself is made up of high-class residential apartments (residences), the luxurious Armani Hotel, four magnificent swimming pools, high-tech office space, an exclusive residents’ lounge and an elite cigar club, not to mention the modern – state-of-the-art fitness items for its residents and an observatory.

Some notable facts about Burj Khalia, the tallest building in the world:

  • The highest residential floor is on the 109th floor with the observation deck at 124the flat.
  • World’s tallest skyscraper uses double-decker elevators to present a futuristic look
  • Artfully designed to withstand Dubai’s soaring temperatures in hot summers, the exterior fascia contains 22,000 cladding panels made from reflective glazing, etched with numerous vertical tubular stainless steel fins and textured aluminum and stainless steel panels.
  • At 828m, the building is taller than Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro (396m) and Victoria Peak in Hong Kong (552m)
  • The height of the Burj Khaliafa antenna is 828 m (2,717 ft) and it cost $1.5 billion to build
  • Interestingly, the next tallest building in the world, Taipei 101, with an antenna height of just 509.2 m (1,670.6 ft), cost $1.76 billion.
  • Burj Khalifa has 160 habitable floors compared to Taipei 101 which has 101 habitable floors.
  • It has a constructed area of ​​334,000 mtwo (3,595,100 square feet) while the Taipei 101 has a built area of ​​412,500 mtwo (4,440,100 square feet)

Burj Khalifa can only hold the title of “tallest building in the world” for so long. In 2014, China is expected to complete the construction of the Shanghai Tower. The final and official height of the Shanghai Tower has yet to be released, although it is projected to be at least 2,000 feet and builders are looking to increase it to claim the title of world’s tallest building.

Burj Khalifa is often confused with Burj Al Arab, which is actually a hotel with 202 suites and is classified as a 7-star hotel. Nightly rates range from $2,000 a night to more than $30,000 a night, making Burj Al Arab one of the most expensive hotels in the world.