Climbing to the Top of the World’s Tallest Building.

1. Is the Burj Khalifa the tallest tower in Dubai?

Yes, it is. With a height of 828 metres, the Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the city of Dubai. It is ahead of Marina 101 (425 metres, 101 floors – currently abandoned), Princess Tower (413 metres, 107 floors) and 23 Marina (395 metres, 88 floors).

2. Is the Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest tower in 2025?

Yes it is. Since its inauguration in 2010, the Burj Khalifa has been the world’s tallest tower, ahead of the Merdeka 118 or KL118 (679 metres, Malaysia). It has defeated Taipei 101 (Taiwan), which was previously the world’s tallest skyscraper with its 508 metres and 101 floors.

Its number 1 status has been officially validated by Guinness World Records. However, it should be noted that, without the 244 metres made up by its steel spire, the Burj Khalifa would lose its leadership and fall to ‘only’ 584 metres.

By way of comparison, the Burj Khalifa is twice the size of the Empire State Building in New York or the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong, and almost 3 times the size of the Eiffel Tower in Paris or The Shard in London.

In July 2023, businessman Farhad Azizi (Azizi Developments) announced the construction of a new tower in Dubai, off Sheikh Zayed Road. It is claimed to be the second tallest tower in the world.

3. What is the surface area of the Burj Khalifa?

Its total surface area is 309 473 m².

4. How much does the Burj Khalifa weigh?

The ‘empty’ tower weighs 500,000 tons. It took 330,000 m3 of reinforced concrete and 39,000 tons of steel to build it.

5. When did construction of the Burj Khalifa begin and end?

Earthworks began in January 2004. The site was opened on 21st September 2004. Work was completed on 2nd December 2009, almost 6 years later.

The building opened with great pomp on 4th January 2010, the anniversary of the Emir of Dubai’s accession to power.

6. What is the construction status of Dubai Creek Tower?

Unveiled in 2016, the Dubai Creek Tower project was originally scheduled to see the light of day in December 2020. However, due to delays in the works caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, and also to the recession and increasingly stringent sustainability requirements, the tower’s completion has been pushed back to 2025.

It will be located 8 km from the Burj Khalifa, in a new 6 km² district (the equivalent of 2 Central Parks!) built on the water’s edge and named Dubai Creek Harbor.

Its height is being kept secret, but it is expected to exceed the Burj Khalifa tower by almost 200 metres (some rumours even suggest a final height of 1,345 metres). 

In all likelihood, it would then become the tallest freestanding structure in the world.

It should include around twenty habitable floors (restaurants, hotels, residences) as well as around ten observation decks, including the ‘Pinnacle Room’, which will offer a 360° view of the city.

The building will generate its own energy using solar panels and complex rainwater recovery systems.

The project is estimated to cost over $1 billion dollars.

7. Will Burj Khalifa be defeated by Jeddah Tower?

The Jeddah Tower is currently under construction in Saudi Arabia. The project began in 2013. It has been on hold since 2018, and construction work was apparently resumed in October 2024. Completion of the triangular tower is scheduled for 2028.

Jeddah Tower (officially JEC Tower) is expected to reach a height of over 1 kilometre, which would make it the tallest tower in the world!

8. What is inside the Burj Khalifa? What is it used for?

Inside this extraordinary building can be found:

• an ultra-luxurious hotel (Armani Hotel);
• over 170,000 m² of residential flats (floors 19 to 108);
• over 28,000 m² of office space (floors 108 to 150);
• the world’s highest restaurant (At.Mosphere, located on the 122nd floor, at a height of 441.3 metres);
• a 5-floor fitness centre with spa (Burj CLub);
• a library;
• 4 swimming pools, the highest of which is on the 76th floor.

9. Why is the tower called the ‘Burj Khalifa’? What does this mean?

The name ‘Burj Khalifa’ (Khalifa Tower in English, برج خليفة in Arabic) was given as a tribute to the Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifah Ibn Zayid Al Nahyan.

It is a mark of gratitude to the man who helped pay off Dubai’s debts during the 2009 financial crisis.

10. How much did the Burj Khalifa cost?

The Burj Khalifa cost $1.5 billion to build and required 22 million man-hours.

11. Who owns Burj Khalifa?

Burj Khalifa is owned by Emaar Properties, one of the largest property groups in the United Arab Emirates.

12. How do people get to the top of the Burj Khalifa?

The building is open to the public. However, to get to the top, you need to book a ticket online. Once there, a lift takes you up to the observation deck at a speed of 10 meters per second.

There are various options for visiting the tower:

• 124th and 125th floors (At The Top) ;
• 148th floor (At The Top Sky) ;
• 152nd, 153rd and 154th floors (The Lounge).

13. How many floors does the Burj Khalifa have?

The Burj Khalifa is 163 floors high, including 160 habitable floors and 3 floors reserved for technical equipment.

14. How many lifts and stairs does the Burj Khalifa have?

The Burj Khalifa has 57 lifts and 8 escalators, with a total of 2,909 steps.

15. How long does it take for the lift to reach the top of the Burj Khalifa?

Two of the 57 lifts rise to 425 metres in less than a minute, or 36 km/h, or 10 m/sec. So it takes less than 1 minute 30 to reach the top.

The two-floor cabins are so fast that they had to be pressurised to protect visitors’ eardrums.

However, it should be noted that it is the Shanghai Tower, and not the Burj Khalifa, that has the fastest lifts, with a lightning speed of 72km/h!

16. Has the Burj Khalifa caught fire in 2020?

On 5th May 2020, it was the Abbco Tower that caught fire, not the Burj Khalifa. This is a 190-metre residential tower in Sharjah, in the north of Dubai.

It should be noted, however, that in December 2015, a luxury hotel located near Burj Khalifa was hit by a fire that almost set the tower ablaze. Although the incident caused extensive damage to several floors, there were no casualties.

Finally, on the night of Sunday 6th to Monday 7th November 2022, a very violent fire also spread to the Emaar Tower, a residential skyscraper located near the Burj Khalifa. Thanks to the intervention of the fire brigade, the fire was contained in less than 2 hours and there were no casualties or injuries.

17. Can the tower withstand an earthquake?

Yes, it can. The Burj Khalifa Tower has been designed to withstand a seismic tremor of magnitude 6 on the Richter scale.

18. Is it possible to display ads on the facade of the Burj Khalifa?

Yes, it is possible to use the facade of the Burj Khalifa for promotional purposes.

The cost of a 3-minute advertisement, trailer or personal message projected onto the tower is AED 250,000 (around €63,000) on weekdays and can rise to AED 350,000 (around €88,000) at weekends.

Requests must be made at least 4 weeks in advance.

In March 2018, Samsung broadcast the presentation of its new smartphone on the building’s LED screens.

19. Is the Burj Khalifa connected to the mains sewage drainage system?

No, the Burj Khalifa is not connected to the city sewers.

The building’s wastewater is collected every week by tankers and transported to a treatment plant.

20. How much energy does the building consume?

Running the lifts, air conditioning and lighting requires 36 MWh of power at peak times, equivalent to the consumption of an average town of 80,000 inhabitants, even though the building has a maximum capacity of 35,000 people.