WhereIsAtlas · Architecture

Burj Khalifa

The 828-metre tower in Dubai that has been the world's tallest building since it opened in 2010 — and the answer to "how tall can we go?"

Active — The Burj Khalifa stands in downtown Dubai exactly where it was built and is fully operational: a mixed-use tower of residences, offices, the Armani Hotel and observation decks, with The Dubai Fountain at its base. It has held the title of world's tallest building since it opened on 4 January 2010, and remains the tallest structure ever built by human beings.

The Burj Khalifa is a 828-metre (2,717-foot) skyscraper in downtown Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and the tallest building in the world. It opened on 4 January 2010 after roughly six years of construction, having topped out in January 2009. Its 163 floors hold apartments, corporate suites, the Armani Hotel and observation decks, and its silhouette — a slender, stepped spire that tapers to a needle — has become the single image most associated with modern Dubai.

The tower was designed by Adrian Smith, then of the Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with the structural engineering led by Bill Baker. Its plan is a Y-shaped, three-winged footprint derived from the Hymenocallis flower, a geometry chosen to resist the desert wind and to give as many floors as possible a view of the Gulf. It was built by a consortium led by Samsung C&T of South Korea with Besix of Belgium and Arabtec of the UAE, for a cost widely reported at around US$1.5 billion.

It was originally named the Burj Dubai. On opening day it was renamed the Burj Khalifa in honour of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi, in recognition of Abu Dhabi's support for Dubai during the financial crisis that coincided with the tower's completion — a reminder that the world's tallest building arrived at a moment when its home city was close to the edge.

The Burj Khalifa's records are stacked on top of one another: tallest building, tallest freestanding structure, highest occupied floor, and, at 555 metres on level 148, one of the highest observation decks anywhere. Its elevator system holds records too, including the longest travel distance for a service lift. At its foot sits The Dubai Fountain, and around it has grown the Downtown Dubai district the tower was built to anchor.

More than fifteen years after opening, it is still the world's tallest building, and it is still busy: observation decks, hotel, residences and restaurants operate continuously, and the tower is the anchor of Dubai's tourism and property marketing. A rival is finally rising in Saudi Arabia — the Jeddah Tower, designed to exceed one kilometre — but until it is finished, the Burj Khalifa keeps the title it took in 2010.

Quick facts

Height
828 m (2,717 ft) — the world's tallest building
Floors
163
Opened
4 January 2010 (topped out January 2009)
Original name
Burj Dubai; renamed Burj Khalifa on opening day
Architect
Adrian Smith at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Structural engineer
Bill Baker (SOM)
Developer
Emaar Properties
Main contractor
Samsung C&T, with Besix and Arabtec
Cost
about US$1.5 billion
Uses
Residences, offices, the Armani Hotel, observation decks, restaurants
Views
"At the Top" on levels 124–125; "At the Top SKY" on level 148 (555 m)
At its base
The Dubai Fountain, Downtown Dubai
Named after
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then President of the UAE

Lineage — where the name went

How a tower called Burj Dubai became Burj Khalifa — the record it took from Taipei 101, the developer that built it, and the Abu Dhabi bailout that gave it its name.

  1. 2004 — Emaar Properties created Burj Dubai (construction began on 12 January 2004 as the centrepiece of Downtown Dubai)
  2. Emaar Properties created Downtown Dubai (the district built around the tower)
  3. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill created Burj Dubai (the design, with Adrian Smith as chief architect and Bill Baker as chief structural engineer)
  4. Adrian Smith created Burj Dubai (chief architect)
  5. Bill Baker created Burj Dubai (chief structural engineer)
  6. 2009 — The Dubai World standstill created The Abu Dhabi bailout (the December aid followed the November request to delay Dubai World's debts)
  7. 2009 — Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan created The Abu Dhabi bailout (the federal support organised by the UAE president during the financial crisis)
  8. 2010 — Burj Dubai rebranded as Burj Khalifa (renamed at the inauguration in recognition of Abu Dhabi's money, changing the tower's name on the day it opened)
  9. 2010 — Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum created Burj Khalifa (announced the new name at the opening ceremony)
  10. 2010 — Burj Khalifa was succeeded by Taipei 101 (took the record from Taipei 101, which had held it since 31 December 2004; some measures date the handover to the 2009 topping out rather than the 2010 opening)
  11. Jeddah Tower sibling-of Burj Khalifa (the unfinished challenger in the same line of record-chasing Gulf towers, planned to stand at least 180 metres taller)

Entities in this tree: Burj Khalifa (place, 2010); Burj Dubai (place, 2004); Emaar Properties (company); Downtown Dubai (place); Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (person); Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (person); The Dubai World standstill (event, 2009); The Abu Dhabi bailout (event, 2009); Taipei 101 (place, 2004); Jeddah Tower (place); Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (company); Adrian Smith (person); Bill Baker (person)

Sources

  1. Burj Khalifa - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-15)
  2. Burj Khalifa — Britannica (2026-09-15)
  3. Burj Khalifa fact sheet — Burj Khalifa (Emaar) (2026-09-15)
  4. Burj Khalifa: the iconic skyscraper breaking several world records — Institution of Civil Engineers (2026-09-15)
  5. Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Tower rises past half of Burj Khalifa's height — Khaleej Times (2026-09-15)
  6. Dubai World - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-20)
  7. Taipei 101 - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-20)
  8. Jeddah Tower - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-20)
  9. Emaar Properties - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-20)
  10. Dubai Tower's Name Reflects U.A.E. Shift — Bloomberg (2026-09-20)

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