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World’s tallest building opens with a new name: Burj Khalifa

By New Atlas
January 05, 2010
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The world’s tallest building opened yesterday, with a number of surprises including a new name. The 828-meter Burj Khalifa after UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed, now holds a raft of world records including the world’s highest occupied floor (160th floor), the world's highest observation deck (124th floor), the world's highest mosque (158th floor), the world's highest swimming pool (76th floor), and the world’s tallest service lift. The tower is so tall it can be seen 95 km away, and breaks the previous record by 63% - quite some feat - check the CTBUH Top 100 Tallest Buildings database and the World’s tallest structures list for all the numbers.

The tower is so tall it can be seen 95 km away, and breaks the previous record by 63% - quite some feat - check the CTBUH Top 100 Tallest Buildings database and the World’s tallest structures list for all the numbers.

Since it was first announced in 2004, the structure that was to become the world’s tallest building has been named the Burj Dubai, but was yesterday renamed after UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed. Khalifa was the person responsible for the US$10 billion loan which bailed Dubai out of financial distress last month.

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Holiday DestinationsDubaiRecordBurj Dubai TowerTallest BuildingBurj KhalifaWorld's TallestCTBUH
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New Atlas
New Atlas has been celebrating innovation and human endeavor since our first website launched on March 1, 2002. Since then we’ve produced more than 50,000 articles covering advances in technology, science, transportation, architecture, design, and many other disciplines.
7 comments
Facebook User
none of these tall buildings will last half as long as the shortest on the left, the great pyramids, which are at least 2500-3500 years old. they won\'t even be close.
Gruph Norgle
@Zeev Kirsh: That may be true, but notice that the pyramid is nearly twice as wide as it is high. If the Burj Khalifa were designed like this, it would far outlast the pyramids due to the advanced building techniques available today.
Mark in MI
Gurph: it would still not last nearly as long as the Pyramids. The construction technique is far inferior for longevity. The Burj is not made of stone. Steel will corrode while stone lasts billions of years without maintenance.
Slowburn
The Egyptian pyramids required a massive force of conscripted labor for a building that was built to benefit one person. They failed at there design purpose.
Chris Young
Whoever said it would last longer than the pyramids is so clearly mistaken its funny. There is no current construction material that compares to stone. Stone is an incredibly ineffiecient bldg material but it is as tough and long lasting as it gets.
Matt Fletcher
The Burj Khalifa will be an accident waiting to happen within 10 years but from the moment it opens it's doors people will be able to use it. The Pyramids are no more useful today then they were 2000 years ago and if Pres. Khalifa wanted a Pyramid built it could be completed with rock and cement within a month to last for thousands of years as well but who wants one.
Kim Benedict
Amazing and historical
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