Fifteen things to know about Burj Khalifa on its 15th anniversary

The skyscraper will have spent a decade and a half as the world’s tallest building on January 4

The Burj Khalifa construction site on April 29, 2005, in Dubai. Rabih Moghrabi / AFP

Construction under way on Downtown Dubai and Business Bay on January, 29, 2006. Nasser Younes / AFP

A camel handler exercises his animals along Nad Al Sheba track, in front of the Burj Khalifa Downtown Dubai construction site on April 2, 2007. Karim Sahib / AFP

Construction is under way on Burj Khalifa in 2007. Pawan Singh / The National

Construction under way on the very top of Burj Khalifa on December 17, 2008. Paulo Vecina / The National

Burj Khalifa and the surrounding Downtown Dubai area still under construction during a media tour of the area on January 26, 2009. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Fireworks are set off during the inauguration of Burj Khalifa on January 4, 2010. Jeff Topping / The National

Burj Khalifa pictured on January 26, 2010, days after it opened to the public. Randi Sokoloff / The National

Tom Cruise is filmed running along the outside of Burj Khalifa for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol on November 5, 2010. Pawan Singh / The National

The Downtown Dubai skyline protrudes from early morning fog on September 6, 2011. Pawel Dwulit / The National

Burj Khalifa surrounded by fog on February 11, 2012. Jeff Topping / The National

Visitors take photos of Burj Khalifa during the Eid holidays in Dubai on August 10, 2013. Satish Kumar / The National

Burj Khalifa pictured from the metro on September 3, 2014. Pawan Singh / The National

Children look at Burj Khalifa, while the lights are switched off during Earth Hour on March 28, 2015. Jeff Topping / The National

Burj Khalifa pictured from City Walk on April 2, 2016. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

A full moon rises above the Burj Khalifa on August 7, 2017. Christopher Pike / The National

Burj Khalifa lights up in the colours of Saudi Flag to celebrate the kingdom's 88th National Day on September 21, 2018. Satish Kumar for The National

Between the 111th and 73rd floor, 11 window cleaners wash Burj Khalifa's facade on September 17, 2019. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Fireworks go off on December 31, 2020, to celebrate the New Year. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dubai rings in 2022 with fireworks at Burj Khalifa. Photo: Dubai Media Office

Burj Khalifa Eid Al Etihad Union Day National Day 2024. Photo: Emaar

Fireworks light up the sky at midnight on January 1, 2024. Photo: AFP

Before Burj Khalifa, the skyline of Dubai was dominated by shorter towers and mid-rise buildings. Its construction heralded a new era of vertical ambition and remains a constant reminder of the city’s vision for the future.

It officially opened on January 4, 2010, and stands at 828 metres. Since its completion, it has held the title of the tallest building in the world, outshining the closest structure, the Shanghai Tower, by more than 200 metres.

While many are familiar with its record-breaking height, there’s more to this engineering marvel than its size. Whether hosting daring climbs, appearing in blockbuster films or serving as a backdrop to celebrations, Burj Khalifa has firmly established itself as one of the most renowned landmarks in modern history.

Here are 15 fascinating facts to celebrate the building’s legacy.

Impressive numbers behind its construction

It took six years, 22 million man-hours, more than 12,000 workers and an estimated $1.5 billion to complete Burj Khalifa. The tower’s construction used more than 330,000 cubic metres of concrete, 39,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement and 103,000 square metres of glass.

The building’s foundation includes a concrete raft supported by 192 piles that extend 50 metres into the desert ground, allowing the structure to stand firm.

A desert flower inspired the design

Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's architectural design for Burj Khalifa, was inspired by the Hymenocallis, also known as a spider lily. This desert flower grows across the UAE and is recognisable for its long, slender petals. The building’s shape mimics the way it flowers outward, with a triple-lobed footprint and setbacks that spiral upwards, but also takes influence from Islamic architecture and its arched domes.

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It holds several world records

Besides its height, Burj Khalifa holds numerous records, including the highest occupied floor (on level 160), the highest outdoor observation deck (at 555 metres), the highest restaurant from ground level (441.3 metres) and the longest single lift shaft in the world.

The lifts move up to 10 metres a second, making them among the fastest in the world. Visitors reach the 124th floor in less than a minute. They also cover a total vertical distance of 504 metres, the greatest of any system in the world.

A testament to engineering innovation

Construction under way on Burj Khalifa in Dubai on May 1, 2006. Photo: Getty Images

When conceived more than 15 years ago, the construction of the neo-futurist-style building pushed the boundaries of engineering. It uses a Y-shaped design and a high-performance concrete mix to counteract wind pressure and other structural stresses. The building’s spire, made of lighter materials, also plays a role in its stability.

Despite its height, it is designed to withstand high winds and seismic activity. During extreme weather, it sways about 1.5 metres in any direction at the top. Its tiered, spiralling shape also helps disrupt wind patterns.

The spire isn’t just decorative

Without the spire, which measures 200 metres, the building wouldn’t be the tallest in the world. On a clear day, the tip can be seen from up to 95 kilometres away. It also houses communication equipment, including antennas to enhance telecoms capabilities.

It uses – and reuses – a lot of water

Burj Khalifa consumes an average of 946,000 litres of water daily, and at certain times of the year, it requires 10,000 tonnes of cooling. Dubai's hot, humid weather, combined with the building’s cooling requirements, creates condensation collected in a separate piping system, which provides about 15 million gallons of supplementary water a year. This equals about 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and the water is collected and recycled for landscaping and cooling purposes.

It also uses the sun as energy

The building incorporates 378 solar panels, 2.7 square metres each, contributing to its energy efficiency. These panels are said to save about 3,200 kilowatts of energy a day, or 690 megawatts annually, reducing the building’s reliance on traditional energy sources. The panels can heat 140,000 litres of water within seven hours.

The building was also designed to maximise natural light, further reducing energy consumption.

It’s a tourist magnet

Did you know more than 17 million people visit Burj Khalifa every year? This is according to research conducted by analytics website Switch On Business.

At the Top observation deck is a major attraction, offering incredible views of the Dubai skyline and beyond. While the 124th and 148th floors are popular with tourists, the 163rd floor – known as the Sky Deck – is only accessible to anyone with a residential or commercial pass.

Setting the stage for art

Burj Khalifa has embraced art in its public spaces and reportedly has about 1,000 works throughout its interiors. These include pieces by more than 85 Middle Eastern and international artists.

One standout is World Voices, a large-scale installation by artist Jaume Plensa in the residential lobby composed of 196 handcrafted cymbals attached to stainless steel tubes above pools of water. Each cymbal represents a country in the world, and water slowly drips on to the cymbals, producing ambient sounds that symbolise humanity’s interconnectedness.

The building exterior has also become a canvas for artistic expression, including LED light shows and projections celebrating global events, cultural milestones and contemporary art installations.

The temperature difference from base to summit

The outside temperature is believed to vary up to 6°C between the bottom and the top of the building. This makes it cooler at the top, but also improves cooling efficiency.

Cleaning its facade is a logistical marvel

Keeping Burj Khalifa’s 24,348 glass cladding panels clean is no mean feat. The task requires a team of about 36 workers, who spend three to four months covering the total curtain wall area of 132,190 square metres. Specialised robots assist in cleaning hard-to-reach areas. By the time the team finishes, they must begin again.

Its starring roles in Hollywood and Bollywood

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. He performed his own stunts while filming one scene on Burj Khalifa. AP

Behind the scenes as Cruise scaled the Dubai skyscraper during filming. Pawan Singh / The National

A promotional video from Emirates welcomed visitors to Dubai with a flight attendant on top of Burj Khalifa. Photo: Emirates

A video shared by Sheikh Hamdan shows Burj Khalifa sheltering itself with an umbrella. Photo: Sheikh Hamdan / Instagram

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II lights up Burj Khalifa following her death in September. AFP

The Downtown Circle concept by architectural firm Znera Space would be a 550-metre-tall mega structure encompassing Burj Khalifa. Photo: Pictown / Znera

The tower has become a fixture in cinematic backdrops. Its most memorable appearance came in the 2011 blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, where Tom Cruise scaled the building’s exterior and ran across its glass walls 123 floors above the ground.

The architectural marvel has also appeared in films such as Furious 7 (2015), Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Star Trek Beyond (2016) and Geostorm (2017), as well as Bollywood films like Happy New Year (2014), Laxmii (2020) and Pathaan (2023). It often plays a role that symbolises futuristic ambition or the pinnacle of human achievement.

Record-breaking feats of human endurance

Burj Khalifa has also attracted athletes who are eager to test their limits. One of the most daring feats was achieved by Alain Robert, known as the French Spider-Man. In 2011, he climbed the building’s exterior without safety ropes or equipment, scaling 828 metres in just over six hours.

In 2014, the late professional base jumper Vince Reffet made history by leaping off the tower wearing a jet-powered wingsuit.

It set the stage for drone innovation

The building has served as a testing ground for drone technology, influencing fields such as entertainment, communication and infrastructure management.

For example, the building has hosted groundbreaking drone light shows with high-powered projectors, illuminating the tower with intricate patterns and animations. Drone technology has also been used for the building’s maintenance and inspection, reducing the need for manual intervention in dangerous-to-reach areas.

The birthplace of many an urban myth

Burj Khalifa has also inspired several urban myths. One popular misconception is that the tip sways in the wind, unsettling occupants within. While it was designed to sway slightly, advanced engineering actually makes the movement imperceptible inside.

Many also believe astronauts aboard the International Space Station can see the building from space with their naked eye. But while the structure may appear in images captured from orbit, you can’t see it without a telescope.