For over a decade, the Burj Khalifa has stood as the undisputed monarch of the global skyline in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This architectural titan pierces the clouds at a staggering 2,717 feet tall. To put its immense height into perspective, the Burj Khalifa is twice as tall as the Empire State Building and three times taller than the Eiffel Tower. It is so massive that you can actually watch the sunset from its base, take a high-speed elevator to the top, and watch the exact same sunset happen all over again!
Mind Boggling Facts About the Burj Khalifa
- The Elevator Race: The building features 57 elevators. The main double-deck observation elevators travel at speeds of 22 mph (10 meters per second), taking you to the 124th floor in less than 60 seconds.
- Extreme Temperatures: The temperature at the very top of the spire is roughly 15°F cooler than the scorching desert temperature at the ground level.
- The Weight of Concrete: The tower used 330,000 cubic meters of concrete. The weight of this concrete is equivalent to roughly 100,000 elephants.
- A Never Ending Clean: It takes a dedicated crew of 36 workers a full three to four months to clean all 26,000 glass exterior panels. Once they finish the top windows, they have to immediately start over again at the bottom
The Burj Khalifa has exactly 2,909 steps leading from the ground floor up to Level 160. For climbs beyond the 160th habitable floor to the upper mechanical and spire levels, maintenance ladders must be used. But, here's the question. Could you walk all those steps?
It takes about 90 to 130 minutes for an average adult to walk that main steps. However, if you are not using the stairs, the high speed elevators zoom up to the observation decks in just 60 seconds! If the average adult could do it in that time, I could at least do it in 130 minutes? Right? Then of course you have to take all those steps back down. Or you could just use the elevator to come down!
The Breaking of Records
The Burj Khalifa doesn't just hold the title for the tallest building, but it holds an entire trophy room of world records:
- Tallest free standing structure in the world
- Highest number of stories in the world (163 floors)
- Highest occupied floor in the world
- Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
So, the next time you visit Dubai, visit Burj Khalifa, and see if you can do it. Or, just take the StairMaster challenge at the local gym!
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