Beautiful Stories Burj Khalifa

Just how much do you know about Burj Khalifa? Well, maybe not much. In this post we explore Burj Khalifa like never before in the story series courtesy-Burj Khalifa tickets.

The Spider Lily

Not the crawling spider! Interestingly, Burj Khalifa’s design mimics the lyrical and perfectly proportioned structure of the Hymenocallis flower also known as spider Lily. The regional desert flower gave inspiration to Architect Adrian Smith’s in design conception. .

World First Designer Hotel

Surprise! Get a taste of Giorgio Armani’s exquisite style at Armani hotel Dubai. The renowned designer personally designed the hotel making it all the more special. The hotel bears the designer’s markings right from design to fabrics and furnishings. The hotel opened its doors on April 27, 2010.

Versatile Tower!

Besides the tower being magical by its mere design and outlook, it’s possesses other jaw dropping qualities. The tower comprises 1.85 million square feet of residential space, 300,000 square office space and addition to Armani Hotel Dubai and Armani Residences. Amazingly, the tower also hosts incredibly beautiful lounges, wellness facilities, pools and two world class observation decks.

Famous Voices

The resident’s lobby at Burj Khalifa is brought to life by the beautiful voice of Jaume Plensa’s sculpture. ‘World Voices’. The piece has 196 cymbals with water gently and beautifully dripping from the ceiling and striking the Cymbals resulting a chorus of distinct tones that represent voices of the people globally. It’s really a magical sight.

World Record Holder Art Gallery

Burj Khalifa has broken many world records and the world’s tallest art gallery is one of them. The tower hosts commissioned works of arts from over 85 artists from across the globe. The art ranges from impressionism to abstract works which all have an Arabic cultural context.

Beautiful Sculptures

The corporate entrance to Burj Khalifa is adorned with Egyptian born artist Karim Rashid’s sculpture. The sculpture features shifting ovals made of highly reflective organic coating and natural stones in a transparent UV resistant epoxy system.

Beautiful Numbers

Numbers are beautiful and they blow our minds when presented to us in inconceivable proportions. It’s no different for Burj Khalifa which has figures adding up to the beautiful structure. That said, more than 12,000 people worked onsite everyday during the construction of the tower. The workflow on and off site was coordinated in the WAR room (Work Action Resolution)

Downtown Brought to Life 

Let’s agree, downtown Dubai in all its glory is ultimately brought to life by the enchanting Burj Khalifa. The structure perfectly complements Dubai Mall, Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Souk Al Bahar and Old Town all along the tower :

Armani Residences    

Located on levels 9-16 is the 144 Armani residences in Dubai with each apartment featuring bespoke furnishes, perfect furniture and fittings. The idea was to create a warm, harmonious luxe space with a touch of elegance creating a perfectly balanced ambience. 

Step Up!

How many steps can you do before burning out? Maybe you can break yet another world record by taking Burj Khalifa’s stairwell that has a total of 2,909 steps leading up to 160th floor. Sigh*

Magical Views

The beautiful views of the dancing Dubai fountains is definitely a sight to behold. This is in combination with the beautiful views of Dubai especially from the observation decks. It’s quite an immersive experience as the fountain moves to the beat of the soundtrack. Very romantic as well. 

Bespoke Scents!

I was startled too, but yeah the tower’s common areas have a bespoke fragrance that was uniquely selected from upto 18 aromas. Each space has a variance in the last just to create a dramatic feel for each.

A Dream Come True 

Do dreams come true you ask? Well, yes they do and as for Burj Khalifa, it has brought many photographers dream to life from around the globe. This automatically qualifies the structure the most photographed building/structure in the world.

World’s Powerful Cranes

Building the world’s tallest structure required the most sophisticated machinery. The construction featured three of the world’s largest cranes with self jacking mechanisms and a capacity to lift upto 25 tonnes.

Distinct Landscaping 

The tower has three distinctly landscape sections for the residences, offices and the hotel. The beautiful landscape features a palm court, six water features, a lakeside promenade, forest groves, a play area and terrace gardens. I’ll tell you it’s a really beautiful place.

Burj Khalifa Ghost Protocol  

Did you know Burj Khalifa featured in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol? It was a hair raising stunt by none other than Tom Cruise  who nailed it! The stunt was so cool it was parodied in the popular animated TV series-The Simpsons

World Record Trend Setter

Isn’t Burj Khalifa the mother of all world record setters? The tower boasts a record breaking 330,000 cubic metres of concrete, 1.1 million square feet of glass and 166, 800 square feet of embossed stainless steel. The icing on the cake-It took 22 million man hours to build the tower.

Scaling the Heights

Burj Khalifa leads the way for all tall buildings in the world standing at 828 metres (2,716.5 ft) which is incredibly high!

World Class Concrete Mixtures

The project involved high-compressive strength concrete mixtures to achieve the record breaking height. Pours were strictly done at night and concrete was chilled prior to mixing, with part of the water being mixed with shards of ice. 

A Journey Worth It!

Right from excavation to the moment the grand opening was televised on Jan 4th 2010,  it took an unbelievably 6 years of toil and dedication. 

The Plan

The planning of the structure was an intricate process and especially in the design phase. This combined with the effort of the architects, structural engineers and consultants all resulted in a perfect structure that awes the entire globe..

The Water Supply

The building’s water system supplies upto 946,000 litres of water a day. Putting into consideration the height of the tower, that may not be much. The water storage tanks are installed in the main mechanical plant located every 30 floors.

What would it take you to make a date with this incredible piece of art? It’s a one in a lifetime moment we cannot miss to experience. Get your Burj Khalifa tickets online, save up and let us make history.

Dalphine Wanjiru is an adept content author with over six years writing expertise. Presently she’s a content marketer at itickets.ae. I’m an avid traveller and while not writing, I enjoy exploring new activities and interesting destinations across the globe. 

Burj Khalifa Valentine Moments

What’s Valentine’s to you The big day is fast approaching and it’s about time you start planning and thinking out of the box. As most of us scramble to find the perfect spot to surprise their partner, count yourself lucky if you’re in Dubai. What this means is that you’ll be spoilt for choice between hundreds of perfectly romantic options. In this post is one such spot that you cannot go wrong with. Take at the magnificent At.Mosphere.

At Mosphere, Burj Khalifa

First of all, you’ll be extremely lucky to be spending your Valentine at At.Mosphere and you’ll find out why  in a bit.

Intimate Decor  

The restaurant’s decor is dark and woody making romance truly alive. A major feature is an intimate dining room with an upper and lower level lit up by twinkling lights of Dubai city. At.Mosphere takes you back to the days when having dinner while sitted was truly relished. The bucket seats, crisp linen and engraved silverware brings about just about the perfect feel of a 5 star experience.

 Ambience

The restaurant is situated on level 122-Burj Khalifa, automatically qualifying it as the highest dining joint in the world. It’ll be impossible not to be awed by the stunning height of the restaurant amid the twinkles, champagne and soft music. Whether it’s valentine's day or not, At,Mosphere hands down delivers the most romantic experience well from the clouds.

Food 

The restaurant’s cuisine is from the best ingredients from around the globe. The menu is French focused and extremely fabulous. A special Valentine’s day menu is one paired with wine and isn’t this just how we want it on this day anyway? The special menu has upto six courses with major highlights being the pan seared foic gras along apple-passion puree. The Brittany Lobster with vanilla potato and braised onions is particularly tantalizing.

Why you should go:

Besides dining and wining below are other reasons as to why you should absolutely visit this piece of marvel during this special period.

Burj Khalifa is one record breaking feat with a long list of records as follows:

●        The world’s tallest building

●        The world’s tallest freestanding structure

●        The highest number of floors in the world

●        The highest occupied floor in the world

●        The lift with the longest travel distance in the world

I think that’s quite impressive! But, just in case you need more reasons to be stunned and seduced by its sleek altitude, let’s dig into the flesh ;)

Burj Khalifa has 160 floors of usable accessible space with 163 accessible floors. Yes! The actual number of floors  is 163. The reason we often hear of 160 floors is because the top three parts are part of a mechanical wing not accessible to public. Get your breath drawn as you stand before the structure  and struggle craning your neck to take in all of the length. It’s just beautiful. Occasionally though you might be able to spot the peak but also very tricky especially during day time because of the glaring sun.

Cool, fun facts Burj Khalifa

●        The construction of the building started back in 2004. The skeletal and exterior work was completed by 1st of Oct 2009, and it took an extra three months to finish the interior. The attraction later on opened in 2010. Well, that may sound like such a long time but,  it's really not a long wait considering the end, sleek, perfect and astounding results.

●        Financing the mega project was no walk in the park. This especially considering the many customized additions including a mechanical window cleaning system meant for the top 27 floors. The system was developed in Australia at a cost of $8 million. In addition, three massive tower cranes were involved in the construction of the uppermost levels.

●        Burj Khalifa's price tag is a staggering $1.5 billion. That's huge but given another perspective of complexity and stature of the structure this might not sound as insane. Some of the factors that really came in handy cutting the cost down include: a clever, yet compact design, affordable material for reinforced concrete for the first 156 floors in place of pricey steel making up the remaining part of the structure. This means, much of the building is made up of the similar components stacked upon one another to ease the task and minimize cost. 

●        During the construction of Burj Khalifa, Dubai slipped into a debt. As if that was not enough, its completion coincided with global financial crisis 2008-2009. During this time, neighbouring Abu Dhabi lent Dubai money to finish off the construction. As a result, there was a last minute change in name from Bur Dubai to Burj Khalifa in honor of the president of UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi-Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

How to get to Burj Khalifa   

It’s easy and straightforward. However, there’s a twist to it because you cannot directly access the attraction unless of course you’re a resident or staying at Armani hotel, or have a reservation to dine or lunch at At.Mosphere. The part of Burj Khalifa accessible to the public is through Dubai Mall. This leads you straight to Burj Khalifa ground floor ready to experience the beauty and grandeur of the piece of art

Well, if you’re questioning how to get to Dubai Mall, use Dubai Metro and hop off at Dubai Mall station. Don’t be worried though of getting lost inside the gigantic mall, inside it’s spotted with signs to Burj Khalifa. You could also opt for a cab from your place of residence which will highly likely drop you off at Downtown Dubai. From here you walk over an incredibly beautiful bridge that connects you to Dubai Mall.  .

Helpful Tips

●        Book your Burj Khalifa tickets online early in advance especially in this month of love ; It’s more convenient and favourable especially if you loathe queues. 

●        Make sure to catch the sunset. It’s absolutely stunning from At the Top observation decks

●        Get your camera lens ready to ensure you capture nothing but the best images

●        Take home some amazing souvenirs from At the Top gift shop.

Maybe spending your Valentine’s day from new heights is what you might want to do with your love. Make it special, make it count.

Dalphine Wanjiru is an adept content author with over six years writing expertise. Presently she’s a content marketer at itickets.ae. I’m an avid traveller and while not writing, I enjoy exploring new activities and interesting destinations across the globe.  

Celebrating Love At the Top Burj Khalifa

Dubai holds many world records and now being officially the month of love, it’s about time we reminded you how to fall in love with yourself. Has it ever occured to you how easily we fall in love with others but us? Love others but don’t overlook yourself. One of the simplest ways you can show a little more love to yourself this special period is by indulging in new experiences both at and away from home. In Dubai and all its wonders there’s one very iconic attraction that has awed the entire planet-Burj Khalifa Tickets.

In this post, we’ll look at the beauty of the iconic Burj Khalifa and why it would make an absolute treat for yourself this valentine.

Origin

Wondering where the brilliant idea behind Burj Khalifa came from? Surprisingly, it was the idea of a respected leader-his highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, the vice president, prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. Dubai was eager to create something so extraordinary that surpasses anything ever created by man. To make this a success, there was a need to have nothing but a vision and the most exceptional minds. Following a still competition by designers from around the globe, the honor of bringing this landmark to reality was granted to Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merill LLP (SOM)with Adrian Smith FAIA, RIBA consulting design partner. The design work of the structure right from paper went through extensive reviews to ensure sustainability, safety and security. Note, the structure’s designing was well inspired by patterning of Islamic culture.

Construction

Most often than not, we don’t get to really appreciate the beauty of something until we fully understand its worth and the reason we’ll briefly discuss what really went into the construction work of the tower. By no means was this an easy task. Following intense stages of planning and designing, the construction of the tower kicked off in 2004. The construction took place for 3 years, and in May 2007 the cladding of the exterior began with the help of up to 380 highly skilled technicians and engineers.

At the start, the tower was known as Burj Dubai until its official opening in 2010. Prior to opening, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa in honor of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of United Arab Emirates, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Jaw Dropping Facts Burj Khalifa

Want to know why you should visit the magnificent structure, below are some mind blowing facts.

●        The tower is the tallest building on the planet soaring at 2,716.5 ft. On top of that, it holds a world record of the tallest free-standing structure in the world. Interesting to note, the title was previously held by CN tower in Toronto; and the tallest structure title was previously held by KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota.

●        This one is unbelievable! Burj Khalifa is unbelievably thrice the height of the globally renowned Eiffel Tower in Paris, more than 10 times the height of the beautiful Niagara Falls and nearly twice as big as Empire State Building, New York.

●        Another interesting one. Burj Khalifa boasts record breaking machinery that pumped concrete to the highest point of 605 metres. 

●        The tower also boasts the highest number of floors in the world as well as the highest occupied floor on the planet.

●        An insane amount of rebar-31,400 metric tons was used to construct the tower; and if it is laid end to end, it can cover more than a quarter way around the world.

●        In a day, Burj Khalifa consumes 250,000 gallons of water, with the electricity consumed within the same period being equivalent to 360,000,100 wat bulbs all lit at a go.

●        The initial concept of the building was a 90 storey tower, but later redesigned in efforts to make it an icon on the global map.

●        Just how possible is it to experience two sunsets at a go? There are no impossibilities at Burj Khalifa and it’s the only spot on the globe where you can witness two sunsets in one day. At the Top, Level 124 and At the Top SKY on level 148

●        At the Top, Level 148 is the highest observation deck in the world at a height of 555 meters.

●        The tower hosts the tallest elevator spanning 140 levels. In total, the building has 57 elevators and 8 escalators.

●      The doors of the tower are equipped with a wind tracking device that determines the safety of opening them or not. That’s really cool!

●      By the end of 2014, the elevator travel distance covered to At the Top level was equal to circumnavigating the globe 8 times. It’s now 2018, do the math 😊

●        On level 122 of the tower is At.Mosphere-The world’s highest lounge bar that boasts stunning views of Dubai skyline.

●        The tower has its own substation on level 155 which is also the highest in the world

●      It took the hard work of 12,000 workers who spent 22 million hours to bring it to successful completion.

●        How much number of doors have you met your entire life? Well Burj Khalifa boasts 17,000 doors and a uniquely designed emergency elevator in case of security threats or fire incidents

●        Burj Khalifa hosts 304 hotel rooms, 900 luxurious apartments, and 2,957 parking slots

●        An incredibly huge amount of glass (27,400 glass panels) was used to finish the exterior of the façade.

●        The first 100 storeys of the structure were built in an incredibly short amount of time (1,093 days) That would equal to constructing one floor in just 3 days.

●        At any one given time, the top floors of Burj Khalifa is 6 degrees cooler than ground floor

●        The tower’s tip can be seen from as far as 95 km away making it really epic for those flying over Dubai 

●        The landscaped gardens of Burj Khalifa have been specially designed with a special species of trees that grow slowly and can bear the incredibly high temperatures in the city.

●        Burj Khalifa has the highest aluminium and glass facade in the world.

Burj Khalifa is unbeatable as not only Dubai’s, but global’s spectacle. It has fulfilled the vision to create the impossible and has hands down earned its mark on the globe. In addition, the tower effortlessly declares the might of the Emirates, successfully symbolizes prosperity in the city of Dubai and an unbeatable emblem of the dynamic, prosperous yet exciting Middle East culture. To experience the marvel of the globe’s most exceptional architecture, book your ticket to Burj Khalifa at itickets.ae this valentines with best price guarantee :)  

Dalphine Wanjiru is an adept content author with over six years writing expertise. Presently she’s a content marketer at itickets.ae. I’m an avid traveller and while not writing, I enjoy exploring new interesting activities and destinations around the globe.