The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building and tallest free-standing structure in the world, bringing together commercial, residential, retail, and hospitality functions within a single landmark in Dubai, UAE.
Challenge
The challenge was to deliver an unprecedented mixed-use tower while ensuring buildability, coordination, and code compliance while creating an internationally recognized destination and regional symbol for growth. The scale of construction, combined with extensive mechanical and electrical requirements, demanded rigorous oversight throughout the five-year delivery process.
Solution
As Architect of Record, we brought the vision of design architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to life. Our on-site team of architects and support personnel supervised the architecture and analyzed every aspect of the design to ensure compliance and constructability. The 162-story vertical city was delivered over five years by a workforce of 12,000 workers on site each day, representing more than 22 million work hours.
Outcome
Burj Khalifa stands as an architectural, engineering, and construction achievement that continues to define Dubai’s skyline and attract visitors from around the world. The successful delivery of the world’s tallest building demonstrates the value of integrated design coordination and establishes a global benchmark for large-scale mixed-use development.
The tower’s curtainwall is equivalent to 25 American football fields, and the concrete used in construction could lay a sidewalk 1,285 miles (2,065 kilometers) long.
12,000 workers on the site every day, totaling 22 million work-hours over the five-year construction period.
The coordination and installation of complex mechanical and electrical requirements for this massive building was a major challenge
This vertical city encompasses commercial, residential, retail, hospitality, restaurants, observation decks and communications facilities
The much-heralded Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the tallest building and tallest free-standing structure in the world. This 162-story vertical city encompasses commercial, residential, retail, hospitality, restaurants, observation decks and communications facilities. NORR’s role as architect of record was to bring to life the vision of the design architect, Skidmore Owings Merrill (SOM).
The NORR team supervised the architecture and led design coordination during construction. The monumental task of analyzing every aspect of the design to ensure buildability and code compliance was the responsibility of our on-site team of 20 architects and support personnel. The logistics of constructing of the world’s tallest commercial building were staggering; it took 12,000 workers on the site every day, totaling 22 million work-hours over the five-year construction period. The tower’s curtainwall is equivalent to 25 American football fields and the concrete used in construction could lay a sidewalk 1,285 miles (2,065 kilometers) long. The coordination and installation of complex mechanical and electrical requirements for this massive commercial mixed-use building was a major challenge. In the end, Burj Khalifa is an architectural, engineering and construction marvel that continues to dazzle the world.
