BURJ KHALIFA

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the world's tallest structure, standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). Completed in 2009 and opened in 2010, it surpassed Taipei 101 as the tallest building. Construction began in 2004, using reinforced concrete and structural steel, some from East Berlin's Palace of the Republic. Named after UAE's former president Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who helped Dubai pay its debts, the Burj Khalifa broke numerous height records. Designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with Hyder Consulting and NORR Group supervising, its design draws from Islamic architecture like the Great Mosque of Samarra. The Y-shaped floor plan maximizes residential and hotel space, with a buttressed core supporting its height. The cladding system withstands Dubai's heat, and the building contains 57 elevators and 8 escalators.