Technical Report on Innovation of Burj Khalifa

Technical Report on Innovation of Burj Khalifa
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ABSTRACT
New generation of complex and super tall buildings systems are today being introduced that reflect the latest developments in construction, design, materials, IT technologies and sustainability. The Burj Khalifa Project, which began in 2004, is the tallest superstructure built by man, and rises 828 meters high comprising of 162 floors and three basement levels (Abdelrazaq 6). The building’s structural and foundation system was very essential in the architectural massing as well as design of this multi-user structure, where taming and mitigating the dynamic seismic effects was an imperative design criterion that was established at the beginning of the project design. Therefore, with regard to innovative technology, the purpose of this report/paper is to discuss the earthquake design of Burj Khalifa during construction phase, and during its service life.
From the research, the findings revealed that the engineers and architects of Burj Khalifa Project used a very unique and innovative method to ensure that the building withstands and resists seismic tremors of up to 7.0 on the Richter scale. This method involved constructing the foundation using high-performance concrete buttressed bore piles that make the superstructure endure earthquakes of between 5.5 to 7.0 on the Richter scale. In addition, they ensured that there is a rapid evacuation system by incorporating fast and high capacity lifts that evacuate occupants from the building as quickly as possible in the event of a security issue such as an earthquake.
1.0 Introduction
An earthquake is today the most extreme condition any structure is required to endure. Designing Burj Khalifa to withstand and resist an earthquake posed a big challenge to structural engineers, architects and designers. Nevertheless, the technological advances and computational power in the industry of earthquake protection made the solution a reality. This paper provides a comprehensive report on earthquake design, an innovative technology as it was applied in the Burj Khalifa Project, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
2.0 Structural System
2.1 General
The Burj Khalifa Project, which commenced in 2004 and completed in 2010, was a multi-use development structure comprising a total floor area of 460,000 square meters including commercial, hotel, residential, office, parking, leisure and shopping facilities. It is 828 meters high with 162 floors and was intended to be the focus of the large scale Burj Khalifa development (Abdelrazaq 12). The massing of the structure is organized around a middle core that has three wings, each consisting of four bays. At each seventh floor of the building, one outer bay peels away as the building spirals upwards into the sky. Burj Khalifa has ‘Y’ shaped floor plans which maximizes views and allows the tenants to have ample amount of natural light. The buildi...