For many, Burj Khalifa will be defined by its soaring beauty. Others will marvel at the audacity of its engineering. Countless more will cherish the breathtaking views from At The Top, Burj Khalifa, the observation deck on level 124.

But for the compilers of the record books, it will be the statistics that etch the deepest impression.

Bringing Burj Dubai to life required a combination of visionary ideals and solid science. In the process, the project amassed an awe-inspiring number of facts, figures, and statistics.

World Records

At over 800 meters (2625 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds the following records:

• Tallest building in the world

• Tallest free-standing structure in the world

• Highest number of stories in the world

• Highest occupied floor in the world

• Highest outdoor observation deck in the world

• Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world

• Tallest service elevator in the world

Not only is Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest building, it has also broken two other impressive records: tallest structure, previously held by the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota, and tallest free-standing structure, previously held by Toronto’s CN Tower. The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has established 3 criteria to determine what makes a tall building tall. Burj Khalifa wins by far in all three categories. 

The building is part of a 2 km² (0.8 sq mi) development called 'Downtown Burj Khalifa' and is located at the "First Interchange" (aka "Defence Roundabout") along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street.

The building is being built mainly by a South Korean company Samsung, along with the Belgian company Besix and the UAE company Arabtec. It was designed by American Adrian Smith before he left Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) of Chicago to start his own independent practice, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in October 2006. However, SOM continues to lead the architectural, structural engineering and mechanical engineering of Burj Khalifa. The total budget for the Burj Khalifa project is about USD 4.1 billion US and for the entire new 'Downtown Burj Khalifa', USD 20 billion US.

At over 800 meters and with more than 160 floors, here are some of the essential numbers associated with the world's tallest building

1. 95 - the distance in kilometres at which Burj Khalifa's spire can still be seen

2. 124 - the floor location of 'At The Top, Burj Khalifa', the world's highest and only publicly accessible observation deck with an outdoor terrace

3. 160 - the number of luxury hotel rooms and suites

4. 605 - the vertical height in meters to which concrete was pumped in the construction of Burj Khalifa, a world record for concrete pumping

5. 504 - the distance traveled, or 'rise' in meters of Burj Khalifa's main service lift, the most of any elevator

6. 49 - the number of office floors, including the 12-floor annexure

7. 57 - the number of elevators

8. 1,044 - the total number of residential apartments inside Burj Khalifa

9. 3,000 - the number of underground parking spaces

10. 5,500 - the capacity in kilograms of the tower's service lift

11. 31,400 - the amount of steel rebar in metric tonnes used in the structure of Burj Khalifa

12. 28,261- the number of glass cladding panels making up the exterior of tower and its two annexes

13. 15,000 - the amount of water in litres collected from the tower's cooling equipment that will be used for landscaping irrigation

14. 900 - the length in the feet of the world's tallest performing fountain, The Dubai Fountain, that lies at the foot of the tower

15. 19 - the number of hectares of lush green landscaping that envelops the foot of the tower

16. 12,000 - the numbers of workers on site during peak of construction

Architecture

Like petals from a stem, the tower's wings extend from its central core.

No stranger to Middle Eastern design, architect Adrian Smith incorporated patterns from traditional Islamic architecture. But his most inspiring muse was a regional desert flower, the Hymenocallis, whose harmonious structure is one of the organizing principles of the tower's design.

The architecture features a triple-lobed footprint, an abstraction of the Hymenocallis flower. The tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. The modular, Y-shaped structure, with setbacks along each of its three wings provides an inherently stable configuration for the structure and provides good floor plates for residential. Twenty-six helical levels decrease the cross section of the tower incrementally as it spirals skyward.

The central core emerges at the top and culminates in a sculpted spire. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes views of the Arabian Gulf. Viewed from the base or the air, Burj Khalifa is evocative of the onion domes prevalent in Islamic architecture.

Floor Plan

Concourse level to level 8 and level 38 and 39 will feature the Armani Hotel Dubai. Levels 9 to 16 will exclusively house luxurious one and two bedroom Armani Residences.

Floors 45 through 108 are private ultra-luxury residences. The Corporate Suites occupy fill most of the remaining floors, except for level 122 which houses a restaurant and level 124, the tower's public observatory.

For the convenience of home owners, the tower has been divided in to sections with exclusive Sky Lobbies on Levels 43, 76 and 123 that feature state-of-the-art fitness facilities including a Jacuzzis on Level 43 and 76. The Sky Lobbies on 43 and 76 additionally house swimming pools and a recreational room each that can be utilized for gatherings and lifestyle events. Offering an unparalleled experience, both pools open to the outside offering residents the option of swimming from inside to the outside balcony.

Other facilities for residents include a Residents' Library, and Burj Khalifa Gourmet Market, a gourmet convenience store and meeting place for the residents. Valet parking will be provided for guests and visitors.

Interiors

The interior design of Burj Khalifa public areas was also done by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP and was led by award-winning designer Nada Andric. It features glass, stainless steel and polished dark stones, together with silver travertine flooring, Venetian stucco walls, handmade rugs and stone flooring. The interior were inspired by local cultural while staying mindful of the buildingís status as a global icon and residence.

Burj Khalifa Construction Timeline

Excavation work began for Burj Khalifa in January 2004 and over the ensuing years to its completion, the building passed many important milestones on its goal to become the tallest man-made structure the world has ever seen. In just 1,325 days since excavation work started in January, 2004, Burj Khalifa became the tallest free-standing structure in the world. 

Construction Highlights

Over 45,000 m3 (58,900 cu yd) of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes were used to construct the concrete and steel foundation, which features 192 piles buried more than 50 m (164 ft) deep. Burj Khalifa's construction will have used 330,000 m3 (431,600 cu yd) of concrete and 39,000 tonnes (43,000 ST; 38,000 LT) of steel rebar, and construction will have taken 22 million man-hours.

Exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa began in May 2007 and was completed in September 2009. The vast project involved more than 380 skilled engineers and on-site technicians. At the initial stage of installation, the team progressed at the rate of about 20 to 30 panels per day and eventually achieved as many as 175 panels per day.

The tower accomplished a world record for the highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 meters. The total weight of aluminium used on Burj Dubai is equivalent to that of five A380 aircraft and the total length of stainless steel bull nose fins is 293 times the height of Eiffel Tower in Paris.

In November, 2007, the highest reinforced concrete corewalls were pumped using 80 MPa concrete from ground level; a vertical height of 601 meters. Smashing the previous pumping record on a building of 470m on the Taipei 101; the world’s second tallest tower and the previous world record for vertical pumping of 532 metres for an extension to the Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant in 1994. The concrete pressure during pumping to this level was nearly 200 bars.

The amount of rebar used for the tower is 31,400 metric tons - laid end to end this would extend over a quarter of the way around the world.