Burj+Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, standing at a whopping 2,722 feet. Construction of Burj Khalifa began on January 6, 2004. The building officially opened on January 4, 2010, and is part of the new 490-acre development called Downtown Dubai at the 'First Interchange' near Dubai's main business district.

Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels, 7.4 acres of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 30-acre man-made Burj Khalifa Lake. The decision to build Burj Khalifa is reportedly based on the government's decision to diversify from an oil based economy to one that is service and tourism based. According to officials, it is necessary for projects like Burj Khalifa to be built in the city to garner more international recognition and investment. The Sheikh wanted to put Dubai on the map with something really sensational.

An outdoor observation deck, named //At the Top//, opened in January of 2010 on the 124th floor. At 1,483 feet, it was the highest observation deck in the world and the highest outdoor observation deck in the world when it opened. It was surpassed in December 2011 by //Cloud Top 488// on the Canton Tower 1,601 feet, so Burj Khalifa opened the 148th floor SKY level at 1,821 feet, once again giving it the highest observation deck in the world in October 2014. The 124th floor observation deck also features the Tellscope electronic telescope, an device which allows visitors to view the surrounding landscape in real-time, and to view previously saved images such as those taken at different times of day or under different weather conditions. To manage the daily rush of sightseers, visitors are able to purchase tickets in advance for a specific date and time and at a 75% discount over tickets purchased on the spot.

The air conditioning has to be supervised more because of the buildings ginormous size and structure. The air is drawn from the top floors of the building where the air is cleaner and cooler and pushed down to the bottom and middle floors. To wash the 24,348 windows, totaling 120,000 m2 of glass, a horizontal track has been installed on the exterior of Burj Khalifa at levels 40, 73, and 109. Each track holds a 3,300 lb bucket machine which moves horizontally and then vertically using heavy cables.

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," said Jacqui Josephson, a tourism and VIP delegations executive at [|Nakheel Properties].