Mystery of Burj Khalifa How Tall can Humans Build?

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Mystery of Burj Khalifa

On January 6th, 2004, Dubai’s sandy landscape began to transform as construction began on the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. At that time, the world’s tallest building was Taipei 101, located in Taiwan, standing at just over 500 meters.

The ambition behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, however, was nothing short of extraordinary. The goal wasn’t just to surpass Taipei 101; they aimed to build a skyscraper 62% taller than the second tallest building at the time, a feat never seen before. While previous record-breaking buildings had only surpassed their predecessors by about 5%-10%, the Burj Khalifa was set to soar an astounding 829 meters into the sky, a difference that would make it nearly impossible for anyone to break its record for years to come.

Construction took approximately 5.5 years, and by October 1st, 2009, the Burj Khalifa was officially completed. The building took the world by surprise, and since then, many countries have announced plans to build taller buildings. However, despite numerous attempts, none have succeeded in surpassing the Burj Khalifa’s height. Even after more than 13 years, it remains unbeaten.

Why is it so challenging to surpass the Burj Khalifa? And how tall can buildings realistically get? Let’s delve into the challenges of constructing such a monumental structure.

Before the Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made structures were often monumental creations like the Great Pyramid of Giza, built around 2500 BC. It stood at 145 meters for thousands of years. In the 1300s, the record was broken by a cathedral in England, and for the next few centuries, various churches around the world claimed the title until the Eiffel Tower took the lead in 1889.

However, the Eiffel Tower wasn’t a building in the conventional sense; it wasn’t a space for people to live or work. The first true skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built in 1884, was a significant milestone in human history, marking the beginning of skyscrapers that people could inhabit. Though this building was only 55 meters tall, it introduced the technologies that would allow for taller, habitable skyscrapers.

For much of the 20th century, the competition to build the tallest buildings was centered around New York and Chicago, two cities at the heart of the world’s economic boom. In 1931, the Empire State Building claimed the title of the tallest building, holding it for 40 years until it was overtaken by the World Trade Center in 1971. However, the competition soon expanded globally, with buildings like the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which reached 452 meters in 1998, and Taipei 101, which became the tallest in the world in 2004. But none of these could compete with Burj Khalifa, which surpassed all records in 2009.

The Burj Khalifa was originally planned to be 550 meters tall, just slightly taller than Taipei 101. However, during the planning process, engineers realized they could go much higher. With a desire to break the record by a significant margin, the building’s height eventually reached 829 meters, 62% taller than the second tallest building at the time.

Dubai’s leaders wanted to make the city a global hub for tourism and business, especially after oil was discovered in the region. The Burj Khalifa would be the centerpiece of this vision, and its construction was a key part of Dubai’s strategy to diversify its economy beyond oil.

To give you an idea of the scale, if you were to jump from the top of Burj Khalifa, it would take 13 seconds to reach the ground in the absence of air resistance. With air resistance, it could take up to 20 seconds. The construction of Burj Khalifa cost around $1.5 billion, involved more than 12,000 workers from over 100 different countries, and required 22 million man-hours.

The project turned out to be an incredible success. Dubai became not only a global tourism destination but also an economic powerhouse. The area around the Burj Khalifa saw property prices skyrocket, and the initial investment was quickly recouped.

So, what makes the Burj Khalifa so difficult to surpass? The key challenges of building a structure this tall lie in supporting its weight and resisting the extreme winds at those heights. Burj Khalifa overcame these hurdles with its innovative design, notably its “buttressed core” system. This design, which resembles a tripod with three wings, was critical in allowing the building to reach such incredible heights. It was used previously in the 264-meter Tower Palace 3 in South Korea, and Burj Khalifa was only the second building to use this technique.

This design helps reduce the impact of the strong winds that can otherwise destabilize such tall structures. Without such an approach, buildings might need to leave certain floors empty to let winds pass through, as seen in other tall buildings like 432 Park Avenue in New York. Additionally, the Burj Khalifa’s foundation is supported by 192 concrete and steel columns, which extend 50 meters into the ground, ensuring stability.

The building also features more than 100,000 square meters of glass on its exterior, but one of the most remarkable aspects is its use of LED lights. The Burj Khalifa is not just a skyscraper; it’s the world’s largest LED screen, capable of displaying videos and light shows, including movie trailers.

Despite the challenges of constructing such a tall building, Burj Khalifa has also set standards for safety. In the event of a fire, for example, the building’s design allows for effective evacuation even from the upper floors.

As we look to the future, many are wondering if we’ll ever see a building taller than the Burj Khalifa. While the pursuit continues, the challenges—both in engineering and pract
icality—remain immense.
Would you dare to descend 160 floors via stairs?

In emergencies, buildings like the Burj Khalifa provide refuge areas on every 25th floor. These areas are pressurized and air-conditioned, offering a safe zone. Additionally, the staircases are made of fire-resistant concrete, which helps prevent fire from spreading throughout the building.

Now, let’s explore some buildings that might surpass the Burj Khalifa in height in the future. It’s worth noting that, despite no building surpassing the Burj Khalifa in the last 12 years, 17 out of the 20 tallest buildings currently have been constructed since the Burj Khalifa.

One example is the Merdeka 118, which stands at 679 meters. Located in Kuala Lumpur, it was completed in 2023 and became the second tallest building in the world. However, it’s still significantly shorter than the Burj Khalifa’s towering height of 829 meters.

Several other buildings are in the works that could one day eclipse the Burj Khalifa’s record. The first contender is the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia. If completed as designed, this tower will be the first to exceed a height of 1 km. The tower’s design, like the Burj Khalifa’s, follows the Y-shape for structural stability, and its goal is to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy beyond oil. The construction started in 2013, but halted in 2018 due to an anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the construction status remains uncertain, if it resumes, this building may be the one to surpass the Burj Khalifa.

Another project with immense potential is the Dubai Creek Tower in Dubai. Designed by a Spanish architect, this tower is intended to be an observation tower. The foundations were laid between 2016 and 2018, and the original plan was to open it during the 2020 Expo, but construction was paused. Its estimated height could range from 838 meters to 1,300 meters. Although it might surpass Jeddah Tower in height, it will not be classified as the world’s tallest building due to its purpose as an observation deck, much like the Eiffel Tower. Construction remains stalled, and its future is uncertain.

Apart from these, there are other ambitious plans, though they haven’t yet broken ground. One such project is the Mubarak Al-Kabir Tower in Kuwait. Proposed in 2007, this tower was planned to reach 1,001 meters, but construction has not begun, leaving its future in limbo.

A far more audacious concept comes from Tokyo, with the proposed Sky Mile Tower. This megastructure would soar to 1.7 kilometers and house 500,000 people. With a design similar to the Burj Khalifa, this tower aims to address the growing needs of a futuristic Tokyo, but construction is only in the conceptual stage. If it proceeds, the completion date could be around 2045.

Beyond these, there are even more futuristic proposals. The X-Seed 4000, for example, envisions a 4-kilometer-tall tower that could house a million people. Though this project was first proposed in 1995, no work has started, and it remains purely theoretical. Another outlandish concept is the Space Elevator—a structure designed to transport people directly into space. While interesting, this would not qualify as a “building” and belongs more to the realm of science fiction.

As for the practical question of how tall buildings can be constructed, Bill Baker, the structural engineer behind the Burj Khalifa, believes that with an updated version of the “Buttressed Core” design, it is theoretically possible to build a tower over 3 kilometers tall—potentially even surpassing Mount Everest’s height. However, the taller the building gets, the more challenges arise. The immense weight on the lower floors and the impact of strong winds at the top pose significant engineering hurdles.

For such colossal structures, current materials like concrete, steel, and aluminum would reach their limits. Innovations such as carbon fiber, which is lighter and stronger than steel, might pave the way for taller buildings in the future. However, beyond engineering concerns, human factors must also be considered. For example, at extreme heights—over 1.5 to 3 kilometers—humans would face altitude sickness due to lower oxygen levels. Special accommodations, like pressure-controlled environments, would be necessary to prevent discomfort, but this would come at a high cost.

Additionally, socio-economic factors play a crucial role. Constructing skyscrapers of such height requires immense investment, and not all governments or investors may see such projects as economically viable. For instance, China has even passed a law limiting the height of buildings to no more than 500 meters to prevent vanity projects that would waste public funds. The law aims to ensure that resources are used more efficiently, especially in cities with populations of up to 3 million people, where skyscrapers are capped at 250 meters.

Ultimately, while ambitious projects may exist in the conceptual and planning stages, the financial, engineering, and human challenges make it unlikely that a building taller than the Burj Khalifa will be completed in the near future. For now, the Burj Khalifa will continue to hold the title of the tallest building in the world.

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