Burj Khalifa has “refuge fl oors” at 25 to 30 story intervals
that are more fi re resistant and have separate air supplies
in case of emergency. Its reinforced concrete structure
makes it stronger than steel-frame skyscrapers.
Designers purposely shaped the structural concrete
Burj Khalifa - “Y” shaped in plan - to reduce the wind
forces on the tower, as well as to keep the structure
simple and foster constructibility. It went through three
wind tunnel tests, and one of the important things they
learned was that the taller legs needed to be on the
sides of the prevailing wind rather than the front face
because it sheds the vortexes more eff ectively. The
texture of the façade and the weight distribution also af-
fect how wind impacts the structure – for instance how
much weight is at the top of the building, and where the
columns are placed. The structural system can be de-
scribed as a “buttressed” core.
The building utilises high-speed, non-stop shuttle
elevators to sky lobby fl oors where passengers transfer
to local elevators serving the fl oors in between.
Burj Khalifa has 58 elevators and 8 escalators, which in-
clude 20 Gen2 fl at belt elevators and two double deck
observation deck cabs with a capacity for 12-14 people
per cab. Travelling at 10 metres per second, they will have
the world’s longest travel distance from lowest to highest
stop. The building service/fi reman’s elevator will have a
capacity of 5,500 kilograms and will be the world’s tallest
service elevator.
Inside the high-speed elevator
Placeholders
8
21008_BI.indd 8 23/12/2010 12:47 PM
To Next Page
Loading...
