The highest tower in the world: The Burj Khalifa in Dubai

In January 2010, downtown Dubai inaugurated the world's tallest tower; the Burj Khalifa Tower. Burj Khalifa is a truly striking mixed-use skyscraper with a massive height of : 828 m (2717 ft).

The tower consists of :

• 163 floors

• Several luxury flats

• Gourmet restaurants

• High-end hotels

• Corporate headquarters.

Boasting the highest observation deck and highest service lift in the world.

The imposing property was developed by Emaar Properties and architects Skidmore; Owings & Merrill LLP, led by renowned American architect Adrian Smith.

Reaching a breathtaking height of 828m into the sky. This new skyscraper will soon be described as a "vertical city" and will become an icon of the modern world.

Burj Khalifa in figures

• Project name: Burj Khalifa

• City & Country: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

• Altitude: 2,717 feet

• Floors: 163 (+1 basement)

• Completion date: 2010

Interesting facts

Did you know that this iconic Burj Khalifa building is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York? Oh yes it is!

Over the past two decades, architecture and structural engineering have progressed so much that skyscrapers have become a staple in many of the world's largest and wealthiest cities.

But there is an even higher status that goes with the world's tallest building.

In March 1996, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, surpassed the Sears Tower's record as the world's tallest office building.

Stainless steel pinnacles measuring 73.5 metres (241 feet) in length atop the 88-storey towers brought their height to 451.9 metres (1,482 feet 8 inches). Then, in 2003, Taiwan's Taipei 101 (also known as the Taipei Financial Center) took the title at 508 meters (1,666 feet).

Just a year later, construction began on the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa.

It was to be part of a new 2 km2 (490 acres) flagship development called Downtown Dubai at the First Interchange; near Dubai's main business district in the United Arab Emirates.

World's tallest tower: Design and construction

"We were born with a challenge. A challenge to prove to ourselves first, and to the world, 'Yes, we can'," said Mr Ahmed Al Falasi, executive director of Burj Khalifa, describing his initial inspiration to erect the tower.

People all over the world were wondering if it was even possible to build a building that high. And that's when the Burj was designed to be "only" 518 metres high, 10 metres taller than Taipei.

It actually grew by 310 metres during the design process; about the height of the Eiffel Tower in France.

Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on1 October 2009.

The taller a building is, the greater the effects of time. But the neo-futuristic Burj Khalifa was designed with a complex Y-shaped cross-section to reduce the effect of wind.

The monumental building officially opened on 4 January 2010 and has been certified as the tallest building on the planet.

"It is a very impressive building with a very unique design"; said Talal Omar, UAE National Director, Guinness World Records, when the record was announced.

Records broken by the world's tallest

At 828m (2,717ft) high; the Burj is more than twice the height of the Empire State Building and nearly three times the size of the Eiffel Tower.

As part of the Burj's confirmation as the world's tallest building; Guinness World Records also ratified a number of other lofty achievements for the revolutionary structure.

To name a few, it has the highest lift in a building (504 m; 1,654 feet); boasts the most floors in a building (163) and the highest restaurant from the ground floor (441.3 m; 1,447 feet 10 inches).

One of the most impressive features of the Burj is the 555.7 metre high (1,823 feet 1.9 inches) observation deck. Which was once the tallest in the world until the 632-metre (2,073-foot) Shanghai Tower in China opened one at 561.3 metres (1,841 feet) in 2015.

On New Year's Eve 2015, Dubai's most famous landmark hosted a spectacular show in which fireworks exploded from all sides (and from the top) of the 828-metre skyscraper.

In just under 10 minutes, more than 1.6 tonnes (3,527 lbs) of fireworks were released and a new record for the highest fireworks display on a building was set.

The mighty structure also provided the stage for many other record attempts; including the highest BASE jump from a building and the fastest time to climb the Burj Khalifa by bicycle (2 hours 20 minutes 38 seconds).

Jeddah Tower

The Burj's record could be broken by a Middle Eastern rival in the not too distant future.

The Jeddah Tower, formerly known as the Kingdom Tower, is currently under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is designed to reach 1,000m (3,281ft).

As the world's first 1km building, it will rise 170m (550ft) higher than the Burj Khalifa.

It was designed by Adrian Smith, the same architect who designed the Burj. As of 31 December 2016, a total of 38 floors have been completed and the central core containing the lift shafts and stairwells has reached level 49.

Is it possible to build even further into the sky? We will have to wait and see.

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