22. Case 18: Making of the Tallest Building—Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa, the iconic structure in UAE is the tallest manmade structure in the world. The 162 story tower with a height of 828 m above the metropolis of Dubai is the world’s tallest building. The project was completed in the year 2010. It took 6 years for the completion of the project which involved over 12,000 workers during the peak period of the project. Emaar properties, one of the largest real estate companies in the world is the master developer of the project. The Burj is more than twice the height of the Empire State Building and almost three times the size of the Eiffel Tower. The design of Burj Khalifa was based on technologically advanced, highly efficient and environmentally sustainable MEP system which provides a healthy indoor environment. The tower has one of the world’s highest pressure chilled water system. Burj Khalifa was an international collaborative project as more than 60 contracting and consulting companies around the world were involved in the project. Mashreq bank, Emirates Bank International and Abu Dhabi Commercial bank formed a syndicate to finance the project in the year 2005.