Case study on

Burj khalifa
A SEMINAR REPORT

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the

Award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

SUBMITTED TO SUBMITTED BY

Mr. Kapil karadia Vishal kumar singh

Head of department (Civil) 15EAYCE122
ACERC, Jaipur B. Tech IV Year

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

ARYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & RESEARCH CENTRE
SP-40, RIICO INDUSTRIAL AREA, KUKAS, JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN
 CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work, which is being presented in the seminar
report, entitled “CASE STUDY ON BURJ KHALIFA" in partial fulfilment
for the award of Degree of “Bachelor of Technology” in Civil
Engineering submitted to the Department of civil Engineering, Arya
College of Engineering &Research Centre, Rajasthan Technical
University is a record of my own work carried under the Guidance of
Mr. Kapil Karadia (Head of Department-CE).

I have not submitted the matter presented in this Report anywhere for
the award of any other Degree.

Vishal kumar Singh

Roll No.: 15EAYCE122
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like warmest thanks to the management; this seminar wouldn’t

have been possible without their continuous support and motivation.

We would like to first of all express our thanks to Dr. Pooja Agarwal,
Director of Arya Main Campus, for providing us such a great
infrastructure and environment for our overall development.
We express sincere thanks to Prof. Himanshu Arora, Principal of
ACERC, for his kind cooperation and extendible support.
I would also like to thank Mr. Kapil Karadia, H.O.D of CE Department,
for their contribution in preparing my Minor project report and to guide
me for delivering the seminar. And for his painstaking efforts and
enthusiastic cooperation to make seminar possible.

Vishal kumar Singh

15EAYCE122
 Overview of the project

Burj Khalifa ("Khalifa Tower"), known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration,
is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is currently the tallest man-
made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). Construction began on 21
September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009.
The building officially opened on 4 January 2010 and is part of the new 2 km2
(490-acre) flagship development called Downtown Dubai at the 'First
Interchange' along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district.
The tower's architecture and engineering were by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill
of Chicago, with Adrian Smith (now at his own firm) as chief architect, and Bill
Baker as chief structural engineer performed the primary contractor was Samsung
C&T of South Korea.
The total cost for the project was about US $1.5 billion; and for the entire
"Downtown Dubai" development, US $20 billion. In March 2009, Mohamed Ali
Alabbar, chairman of the project's developer, Emaar Properties, said office space
pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US $4,000 per sq. ft (over US $43,000 per m2)
and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US $3,500 per sq. ft
(over US $37,500 per m2).
The project's completion coincided with the global financial crisis of 2007–2010,
and with vast overbuilding in the country, led to high vacancies and foreclosures.
With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions, the government was forced to
seek multibillion-dollar bailouts from its oil rich neighbour Abu Dhabi.
Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening ceremony, the tower was renamed
Burj Khalifa, said to honour the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for
his crucial support.
The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was the world's tallest freestanding
structure from 1975 to 2007, although it arbitrated Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in
Dubai that reached 829.8 m (2,722 ft) in height on January 17, 2009, to be the
tallest.
 FACTS ABOUT BURJ DUBAI

Milestones:
➢ January 2004: Excavation commences.
➢ February 2004: Piling starts.
➢ 21 September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.
➢ March 2005: Structure of Burj Khalifa starts rising.
➢ June 2006: Level 50 is reached.
➢ February 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower as the building with the
most floors.
➢ 13 May 2007: Sets record for vertical concrete pumping on any
building at 452 m (1,483 ft), surpassing the 449.2 m (1,474 ft) to which
concrete was pumped during the construction of Taipei 101, while Burj
Khalifa reached 130 floors.
➢ 21 July 2007: Surpasses Taipei 101, whose height of 509.2 m (1,671
ft) made it the world's tallest building, and level 141 reached.
➢ 12 August 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower antenna, which stands
527.3 m (1,730 ft).
➢ 12 September 2007: At 555.3 m (1,822 ft), becomes the world's
tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the CN Tower in Toronto, and
level 150 reached.
➢ 7 April 2008: At 629 m (2,064 ft), surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to
become the tallest man-made structure, level 160 reached.
➢ 17 June 2008: Emaar announces that Burj Khalifa's height is over
636 m (2,087 ft) and that its final height will not be given until it is
completed in September 2009.
➢ 1 September 2008: Height tops 688 m (2,257 ft), making it the tallest
man-made structure ever built, surpassing the previous record-holder,
the Warsaw Radio Mast in Konstantynów, Poland.
 ➢ 17 January 2009: Topped out at 828 m (2,717 ft).
➢ 1 October 2009: Emaar announces that the exterior of the building
is completed.
➢ 4 January 2010: Burj Khalifa's official launch ceremony is held and
Burj Khalifa is opened. Burj Dubai renamed Burj Khalifa in honour of
the current President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan.

WORLD RECORDS:
At over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds
the following records:
• Tallest building in the world

• Tallest free-standing structure in the world

• Highest number of stories in the world

• Highest occupied floor in the world

• Highest outdoor observation deck in the world

• Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world

• Tallest service elevator in the world

• Tallest of the Supertall

Conception:
Burj Khalifa has been designed to be the centrepiece of a large-scale, mixed-use
development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels such as The Address
Downtown Dubai, 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential
towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) man-made Burj Khalifa
Lake.
The building has returned the location of Earth's tallest freestanding structure to
the Middle East where the Great Pyramid of Giza claimed this achievement for
almost four millennia before being surpassed in 1311 by Lincoln Cathedral in
England.
The decision to build Burj Khalifa is reportedly based on the government's
decision to diversify from an oil-based economy to one that is service and tourism
oriented. According to officials, it is necessary for projects like Burj Khalifa to
be built in the city to garner more international recognition, and hence investment.
"He (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) wanted to put Dubai on the
map with something really sensational," said Jacqui Josephson, a tourism and VIP
delegations executive at Nakheel Properties. Dubai is the fastest growing city in
the world. An army of cranes and labourers worked round the clock to turn the
city into a place of whole world to look after.
Foundation Construction:

Figure 1. An elevation view of the tower’s foundation system (Burj Khalifa 2010)

First designed and constructed a unique foundation to accommodate the overlying

massive tower (Figure 1). Ahmad Abdelrazaq, the Vice President and Executive
Director of the Highrise Building and Structural Engineering Divisions at
Samsung Corporation, reports that the foundation consists of 3.7-meter concrete
raft supported by 1.5-meter-diameter piles, each with a design capacity of 3,000
metric tons. The 194 cast-in-place pile system extends approximately 43 meters
below the raft. Special attention was given to orienting the raft system’s steel
reinforcement to ensure the overlying raft reinforcement could be meshed into
the pile system. Additionally, the steel design for the raft called for the rebar to
be spaced at 30 centimetres omitting every tenth bar to create 60-by 60-centimeter
openings at regular intervals. This design allowed for efficient manoeuvrability
and concrete placement during pours and greatly simplified the raft construction.
The pile concrete is a self-compacting mix with 25% fly ash, 7% silica fume,
water, and a viscosity altering admixture, which allowed for the entire pour to
occur in one step without defects.
Meanwhile, the raft construction integrated four separate concrete pours, each
lasting over 24 hours. This concrete was a special high-performance self-
consolidating concrete blend.
Due to the extreme temperature at the site, the concrete underwent a series of
standard cube, flow table, L-box, V-Box, and temperature tests prior to
placement.
The geotechnical testing and analysis of the surrounding soils showed high levels
of chlorides and sulphates in the groundwater of the subgrade. Because these
corrosive chemicals pose a threat to the integrity of the substructure, engineers
developed specific measures to assure the longevity of the foundation.
William F. Baker, Partner with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, reports that
these measures included specialized waterproofing systems, increased concrete
cover, the addition of corrosion inhibitors to the concrete mix, stringent crack-
control design criteria, and a titanium mesh protection system. Specifically, the
waterproofing membrane covering the concrete raft and a cathodic titanium mesh
covering both the bored piles and the raft protected the foundation from the highly
corrosive moisture in the soil. Furthermore, the Dubai Municipality declared a
seismic zone factor of 0.15 with a soil profile of Sc. A site-specific seismic hazard
analysis revealed that the potential for liquefaction of the structure’s subgrade
was not a concern.
Structural-Design:

Figure 2: structural design of Burj Khalifa

The overall design of the tower came from the geometry of a desert flower
indigenous to the region, the Hymenocallis, which resembles many Islamic
architectural schemes.
A view of the tower can be found in Figure 3. By design, this flower’s “Y” shape,
contributes to the tower’s ability to minimize wind loads and creates a simple
structural plan to follow throughout construction. The central core provides a
support system against the lateral forces that act on the three outward wings. The
wings are constructed with high-performance concrete corridor walls and
perimeter columns that come together creating the six-sided central core.
From the ground up, each wing contains four bays that setback from the structure
at seven-floor intervals making the tower appear to spiral upward into the sky.
In addition to aesthetics, the combination of the central core and wings
strengthens the tower against lateral and torsional forces, maximizes viewing
space, provides ample natural light inside, and lowers energy use.
The Burj Khalifa stands as a high-performance reinforced concrete system from
the foundation to the 156th floor. The concrete walls of the central core resist
torsional forces, much like an axle on a car, as outriggers on the mechanical levels
allow all the concrete in the columns to efficiently handle both vertical and lateral
loads. The concrete mix for the walls contains Portland cement and fly ash with
a mixture of local aggregates, which yielded a modulus of elasticity equal to
43,800 N/mm2 (6,350 ksi).
Design engineers used Lagrange multiplier methods along with other
enhancements to optimize the wall and column sizes and to lessen the effects of
creep and shrinkage on critical elements of the structure. To avoid discrepancy in
the shortening of these critical elements, the columns were designed to have a
gravity induced stress equal to the induced stress on the interior walls.
Five sets of outriggers located on various levels of the structure further lessen the
effects of differential shortening due to creep by connecting all the vertical load
bearing elements together.

The superstructure is designed geometrically so that each wing’s columnar

supports lie directly above its corridor’s walls allowing for a smooth transition of
loads all the way down the structure. This smooth grid of load transition prevents
construction complications related to column transfers. The rotation of wing-to-
wing bay setbacks, along with the overall shape, help prevent wind currents from
developing vortexes that cause powerful lateral forces along the vertical supports.

From the 156th floor to the pinnacle, the tower consists of a structural steel,
diagonally-braced framing system designed for gravity, wind, seismicity, and
fatigue in agreement with the Load Resistance and Factor Design Specifications
of the American Institute of Steel Construction. Workers flame-applied an
aluminium finish to the exterior steel to reduce the effects of corrosion.
Additionally, the steel spire consists of reinforced concrete
walls, link beams, slabs, rafts, and piles. Engineer’s utilized full 3-D model
software to analyse the effects of wind loading in the lateral, perpendicular lateral,
and torsional directions on the spire’s framing system and found all deflections
to be well below the most commonly used sideway criteria.
Construction Planning
The construction of such a tall and detailed structure called for a specific
development plan. Project managers began by establishing a three-day-cycle plan
for all the structural work that divided the construction into segments promoting
the staff to work at a quick yet manageable pace. Engineers applied the latest
advancements in high-rise technology involving an optimal concrete formwork
system that could accommodate the various geometries of the tower.
The steel reinforcement sections for the walls were prefabricated on the ground
to minimize construction time and worker transportation. Also, a revolutionary
automatic self-climbing formwork machine designed to be dismantled and
reassembled by a small workforce quickly formed the walls.15 The central core
and slab sections were cast first followed by the wing walls, nose columns, and
slabs. The circular nose columns were formed with steel forms while the slabs
were casted in MevaDec formwork, a versatile formwork system that can be
quickly assembled to minimize work time and construction costs. Selecting the
most effective equipment for the job and logistically coordinating the delivery of
materials and workers were major elements of the construction plan. Engineers
had to develop a pumping system for distributing the concrete mixtures
throughout the sections and levels of the structure. According to Baker and his
report team, this system consisted of three specialized Putzmeister pumps with
the largest having the capability of pumping concrete to heights of 600 meters in
a single pump stage.
These three main pumps were located at the ground level; however, project
managers placed an emergency pump on the 124th level to assist in pumping
during any complications. Five pump lines ran vertically through the structure
with two located in the central core and one in each of the three wings. Along
with the high-powered pumping system, three high capacity self-climbing tower
cranes were utilized at the tower’s core, and additional hoists were installed to
handle other lifting duties. Furthermore, a special GPS system, instead of
conventional surveying techniques, was used to constantly measure vertical data
from the structure. As the geometry of the structure continually changed,
managers had to continually analyse and modify these logistical plans.
For all the structural concrete, engineers used a rigorous testing program allowing
for the development of curing plans that took into account the daily and seasonal
temperature variations. According to Abdelrazaq’s report team, conventionally
structures are examined using elastic finite-element analysis or by summing
vertical loads, but since the Burj Khalifa is so tall, these conventional analysis
techniques were predicted to yield inaccurate structural behaviour.
Because differential creep and shrinkage redistribute forces, analysts developed
a sequential analysis system that took these time-dependent factors into account.
Engineers divided the structure into fifteen different three-dimensional finite-
element analysis models, which could be accurately examined for creep,
shrinkage, and stiffness over a discrete period of time as incremental loads were
added. To counteract the redistribution of forces, structural engineers designed
each tier of the tower to be “re-centered” minimizing gravity’s horizontal sideway
as the tower was erected. Analysing these time-dependent loading effects freed
engineers to make other design modifications that included slight increases in
floor heights to sustain the structural integrity. The rigorous testing procedures
and complex analysis measures testified to the ingenuity of the entire construction
planning process

Structural Elements — Elevators, Spire

It is an understatement to say that Burj Khalifa represents the state-of-the-art in
building design. From initial concept through completion, a combination of
several important technological innovations and innovation structural design
methods have resulted in a superstructure that is both efficient and robust.
a) Foundation
The superstructure is supported by a large reinforced concrete mat, which is in
turn supported by bored reinforced concrete piles. The design was based on
extensive geotechnical and seismic studies. The mat is 3.7 meters thick and was
constructed in four separate pours totalling 12,500 cubic meters of concrete. The
1.5-meter diameter 43 meter long piles represent the largest and longest piles
conventionally available in the region. A high density, low permeability concrete
was used in the foundations, as well as a cathodic protection system under the
mat, to minimize any detrimental effects form corrosive chemicals in local
ground water.
b) Podium
The podium provides a base anchoring the tower to the ground, allowing on grade
access from three different sides to three different levels of the building. Fully
glazed entry pavilions constructed with a suspended cable-net structure provide
separate entries for the Corporate Suites at B1 and Concourse Levels, the Burj
Khalifa residences at Ground Level and the Armani Hotel at Level 1.
c) Exterior Cladding
The exterior cladding is comprised of reflective glazing with aluminium and
textured stainless-steel spandrel panels and stainless steel vertical tubular fins.
Close to 26,000 glass panels, each individually hand-cut, were used in the exterior
cladding of Burj Khalifa. Over 300 cladding specialists from China were brought
in for the cladding work on the tower. The cladding system is designed to
withstand Dubai's extreme summer heat, and to further ensure its integrity, a
World War II airplane engine was used for dynamic wind and water testing. The
curtain wall of Burj Khalifa is equivalent to 17 football (soccer) fields or 25
American football fields.
d) Structural System
In addition to its aesthetic and functional advantages, the spiralling “Y” shaped
plan was utilized to shape the structural core of Burj Khalifa. This design helps
to reduce the wind forces on the tower, as well as to keep the structure simple and
foster constructability. The structural system can be described as a “buttressed
core” and consists of high-performance concrete wall construction. Each of the
wings buttress the others via a six-sided central core, or hexagonal hub. This
central core provides the torsional resistance of the structure, similar to a closed
pipe or axle. Corridor walls extend from the central core to near the end of each
wing, terminating in thickened hammer head walls. These corridor walls and
hammerhead walls behave similar to the webs and flanges of a beam to resist the
wind shears and moments. Perimeter columns and flat plate floor construction
complete the system. At mechanical floors, outrigger walls are provided to link
the perimeter columns to the interior wall system, allowing the perimeter columns
to participate in the lateral load resistance of the structure; hence, all of the
vertical concrete is utilized to support both gravity and lateral loads. The result is
a tower that is extremely stiff laterally and torsionally.
It is also a very efficient structure in that the gravity load resisting system has
been utilized so as to maximize its use in resisting lateral loads.
As the building spirals in height, the wings set back to provide many different
floor plates. The setbacks are organized with the tower’s grid, such that the
building stepping is accomplished by aligning columns above with walls below
to provide a smooth load path. As such, the tower does not contain any structural
transfers. These setbacks also have the advantage of providing a different width
to the tower for each differing floor plate. This stepping and shaping of the tower
has the effect of “confusing the wind”: wind vortices never get organized over
the height of the building because at each new tier the wind encounters a different
building shape.
e) Spire
The crowning touch of Burj Khalifa is its telescopic spire comprised of more than
4,000 tons of structural steel. The spire was constructed from inside the building
and jacked to its full height of over 200 metres (700 feet) using a hydraulic pump.
In addition to securing Burj Khalifa's place as the world's tallest structure, the
spire is integral to the overall design, creating a sense of completion for the
landmark. The spire also houses communications equipment.
f) Mechanical Floors
Seven double-storey height mechanical floors house the equipment that bring
Burj Khalifa to life. Distributed around every 30 storeys, the mechanical floors
house the electrical sub-stations, water tanks and pumps, air-handling units etc,
that are essential for the operation of the tower and the comfort of its occupants.
g) Window Washing Bays
Access for the tower's exterior for both window washing and façade maintenance
is provided by
18 permanently installed track and fixed telescopic, cradle equipped, building
maintenance units. The track mounted units are stored in garages, within the
structure, and are not visible when not in use. The manned cradles are capable of
accessing the entire facade from tower top down to level seven. The building
maintenance units jib arms, when fully extended will have a maximum reach of
36 meters with an overall length of approximately 45 meters.
 g) Broadcast and Communications Floors

The top four floors have been reserved for communications and broadcasting.
These floors occupy the levels just below the spire.

h) Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing

To achieve the greatest efficiencies, the mechanical, electrical and plumbing

services for Burj Khalifa were developed in coordination during the design phase
with cooperation of the architect, structural engineer and other consultant.
•The tower's water system supplies an average of 946,000 litres (250,000
gallons) of water daily
•At peak cooling, Burj Khalifa will require about 10,000 tons of cooling, equal to
the cooling capacity provided by about 10,000 tons of melting ice
•Dubai's hot, humid climate combined with the building's cooling requirements
creates a significant amount of condensation. This water is collected and drained
in a separate piping system to a holding tank in the basement car park
•The condensate collection system provides about 15 million gallons of
supplement water per year, equal to about 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools
•The tower's peak electrical demand is 36mW, equal to about 360,000 100 Watt
bulbs operating simultaneously

j) Fire Safety

Fire safety and speed of evacuation were prime factors in the design of Burj
Khalifa. Concrete surrounds all stairwells and the building service and fireman's
elevator will have a capacity of
5,500 kg and will be the world's tallest service elevator. Since people can't
reasonably be
expected to walk down 160 floors, there are pressurized, air-conditioned refuge
areas located approximately every 25 floors.
 k) Elevators & Lifts

Burj Khalifa will be home to 57 elevators and 8 escalators The building

service/fireman's elevator will have a capacity of 5,500 kg and will be the world's
tallest service elevator. Burj Khalifa will be the first mega-high rise in which
certain elevators will be programmed to permit controlled evacuation for certain
fire or security events. Burj Khalifa's Observatory elevators are double deck cabs
with a capacity for 12-14 people per cab.

ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

While it is superlative in every respect, it is the unique design of Burj Khalifa that
truly sets it apart. The centrepiece of this new world capital attracted the world's
most esteemed designers to an invited design competition. Ultimately, the honour
of designing the world's tallest tower was awarded the global leader in creating
ultra-tall structures, the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
(SOM) with Adrian Smith FAIA, RIBA, consulting design Partner. The selected
design was subject to an extensive peer review program to confirm the safety and
effectiveness of the structural systems.
The design of Burj Khalifa is derived from patterning systems embodied in
Islamic architecture. According to the structural engineer, Bill Baker of SOM, the
building's design incorporates cultural and historical elements particular to the
region. The Y-shaped plan is ideal for residential and hotel usage, with the wings
allowing maximum outward views and inward natural light. The design architect,
Adrian Smith, has said the triple lobed footprint of the building was inspired by
the flower Hymenocallis. The tower is composed of three elements arranged
around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat desert base, setbacks occur
at each element in an upward spiralling pattern, decreasing the cross section of
the tower as it reaches toward the sky. There are 27 terraces in Burj Khalifa. At
the top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a finishing spire. A Y-
shaped floor plan maximizes views of the Persian Gulf. Viewed from above or
from the base, the form also evokes the onion domes of Islamic architecture.
During the design process, engineers rotated the building 120 degrees from its
original layout to reduce stress from prevailing winds.
The spire of Burj Khalifa is composed of more than 4,000 tonnes (4,400 short
tons; 3,900 long tons) of structural steel. The central pinnacle pipe weighing 350
tonnes (390 short tons; 340 long tons) was constructed from inside the building
and jacked to its full height of over 200 m (660 ft) using a strand jack system.
The spire also houses communications equipment.
More than 1,000 pieces of art will adorn the interiors of Burj Khalifa, while the
residential lobby of Burj Khalifa will display the work of Jaume Plensa, featuring
196 bronze and brass alloy cymbals representing the 196 countries of the world.
The visitors in this lobby will be able to hear a distinct timbre as the cymbals,
plated with 18-carat gold, are struck by dripping water, intended to mimic the
sound of water falling on leaves. The exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa consists
of 142,000 m2 (1,528,000 sq ft) of reflective glazing, and aluminium and textured
stainless steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins. The cladding system is
designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures. Over 26,000 glass
panels were used in the exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa. Over 300 cladding
specialists from China were brought in for the cladding work on the tower.

1 STRUCTURAL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

The goal of the Burj Dubai Tower is not simply to be the world's highest building;
it's to embody the world's highest aspirations. The 280 000 m2 (3 000 000 ft2)
reinforced concrete multi-use tower is utilized for retail, a Giorgio Armani Hotel,
residential and office. Designers purposely shaped the structural concrete Burj
Dubai—'Y' shaped in plan—to reduce the wind forces on the tower, as well as to
keep the structure simple and foster constructability. The structural system can be
described as a 'buttressed' core. Each wing, with its own high-performance
concrete corridor walls and perimeter columns, buttresses the others via a six-
sided central core, or hexagonal hub. The result is a tower that is extremely stiff
laterally and torsionally. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) applied a rigorous
geometry to the tower that aligned all the common central core, wall, and column
elements.
 Figure 3: floor plan of Burj Khalifa

Each tier of the building sets back in a spiral stepping pattern up the building. The
setbacks are organized with the tower's grid, such that the building stepping is
accomplished by aligning columns above with walls below to provide a smooth
load path. This allows the construction to proceed without the normal difficulties
associated with column transfers. The setbacks are organized such that the tower's
width changes at each setback. The advantage of the stepping and shaping is to
'confuse the wind'. The wind vortexes never get organized because at each new
tier the wind encounters a different building shape.

2 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

The centre hexagonal reinforced concrete core walls provide the torsional
resistance of the structure similar to a closed tube or axle. The centre hexagonal
walls are buttressed by the wing walls and hammerhead walls, which behave as
the webs and flanges of a beam to resist the wind shears and moments. Outriggers
at the mechanical floors allow the columns to participate in the lateral load
resistance of the structure; hence, all of the vertical concrete is utilized to support
both gravity and lateral loads. The wall concrete specified strengths ranged from
C80 to C60 cube strength and utilized Portland cement and fly ash. Local
aggregates were utilized for the concrete mix design. The C80 concrete for the
lower portion of the structure had a specified Young's elastic modulus of 43 800
N/mm2 (6350 ksi) at 90 days.
The wall and column sizes were optimized using virtual work/LaGrange
multiplier methodology, which results in a very efficient structure. The reinforced
concrete structure was designed in accordance with the requirements of ACI 318-
02 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete.
The wall thicknesses and column sizes were fine tuned to reduce the effects of
creep and shrinkage on the individual elements which compose the structure. To
reduce the effects of differential column shortening, due to creep, between the
perimeter columns and interior walls, the perimeter columns were sized such that
the self-weight gravity stress on the perimeter columns matched the stress on the
interior corridor walls. The five sets of outriggers, distributed up the building, tie
all the vertical load- carrying elements together, further ensuring uniform gravity
stresses, hence reducing differential creep movements. Since the shrinkage in
concrete occurs more quickly in thinner walls or columns, the perimeter column
thickness of 600 mm (24 in.) matched the typical corridor wall thickness (similar
volume-to-surface ratios) (Figure 4b) to ensure the columns and walls will
generally shorten at the same rate due to concrete shrinkage. The top section of
the tower consists of a structural steel spire utilizing a diagonally braced lateral
system. The structural steel spire was designed for gravity, wind, seismic and
fatigue in accordance with the requirements of AISC Load and Resistance Factor
Design Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (1999). The exterior exposed
steel is protected with a flame-applied aluminium finish.
The structure was analysed for gravity (including P-A analysis), wind, and
seismic loads using ETABS version 84. The three-dimensional analysis model
consisted of the reinforced concrete walls, link beams, slabs, raft, piles, and the
spire structural steel system (Figure 4).
The reinforced concrete structure was designed in accordance with the
requirements of ACI 318-02 (American Concrete Institute) Building Code
Requirements for Structural Concrete. The Dubai Municipality (DM) specifies
Dubai as a UBC97 Zone 2a seismic region (with a seismic zone factor Z = 015
and soil profile Sc). The seismic analysis consisted of a site-specific response
spectra analysis. Seismic loads did govern the design of the reinforced concrete
podium buildings and the tower structural steel spire. Dr. Max Irvine (with
Structural Mechanics & Dynamics Consulting Engineers) developed site-specific
seismic reports for the project, including a seismic hazard analysis. The potential
for liquefaction was investigated based on several methods; it was determined
that liquefaction is not considered to have any structural implications for the
deep-seated tower foundations.
3 WIND ENGINEERING

For a building of this height and slenderness, wind forces and the resulting
motions in the upper levels become dominant factors in the structural design. An
extensive program of wind tunnel tests and other studies were undertaken (Figure
5). The wind tunnel program included rigid model force balance tests, full multi-
degree of freedom aeroelastic model studies, measurements of localized
pressures, pedestrian wind environment studies, and wind climatic studies. Wind
tunnel models account for the cross-wind effects of wind-induced vortex
shedding on the building (Figure 6). The aeroelastic and force balance studies
used models mostly at 1: 500 scale.

Figure 5: wind tunnel model Figure 6: vortex shedding behaviour

To determine the wind loading on the main structure, wind tunnel tests were
undertaken early in the design using the high-frequency force-balance technique.
The wind tunnel data were then combined with the dynamic properties of the
tower in order to compute the tower's dynamic response and the overall effective
wind force distributions at full scale.
 For the Burj Dubai the results of the force balance tests were used as early input
for the structural design and detailed shape of the tower and allowed parametric
studies to be undertaken on the effects of varying the tower's stiffness and mass
distribution.
The building has essentially six important wind directions. The principal wind
directions are when the wind is blowing into the 'nose'/'cutwater' of each of the
three wings (Nose A, Nose B, and Nose C).
The other three directions are when the wind blows in between two wings, termed
the 'tail' directions (Tail A, Tail B, and Tail C). It was noticed that the force
spectra for different wind directions showed less excitation in the important
frequency range for winds impacting the pointed or nose end of a wing (Figure
7) than from the opposite direction (tail). This was borne in mind when selecting
the orientation of the tower relative to the most frequent strong wind directions
for Dubai and the direction of the setbacks.

Figure 7: Plan view of tower

Several rounds of force balance tests were undertaken as the geometry of the
tower evolved and was refined architecturally. The three wings set back in a
clockwise sequence, with the A wing setting back first. After each round of wind
tunnel testing, the data were analyzed and the building was reshaped to minimize
wind effects and accommodate unrelated changes in the client's program.
In general, the number and spacing of the setbacks changed as did the shape of
wings. This process resulted in a substantial reduction in wind forces on the tower
by 'confusing' the wind (Figure 8) by encouraging disorganized vortex shedding
over the height of the tower. Towards the end of design more accurate aeroelastic
model tests were initiated. An aeroelastic model is flexible in the same manner as
the real building, with properly scaled stiffness, mass and damping. The
aeroelastic tests were able to model several of the higher translational modes of
vibration. These higher modes dominated the structural response and design of
the tower except at the very base, where the fundamental modes controlled. Based
on the results of the aeroelastic models, the predicted building motions are within
the ISO standard recommended values without the need for auxiliary damping.

Figure 8: Wind behaviour

4 FOUNDATIONS AND SITE CONDITIONS

The tower foundations consist of a pile-supported raft. The solid reinforced

concrete raft is 3-7 m (12 ft) thick and was poured utilizing C50 (cube strength)
self-consolidating concrete (SCC). In addition to the standard cube tests, the raft
concrete was field tested prior to placement by flow table, L-box, V-box, and
temperature. The raft was constructed in four separate pours (three wings and the
centre core). Reinforcement was typically at 300 mm spacing in the raft and
arranged such that every 10th bar in each direction was omitted, resulting in a
series of 'pour enhancement strips' throughout the raft at which 600 mm x 600
mm openings at regular intervals facilitated access and concrete placement. The
tower raft is 3.7 m (12 ft) thick and therefore, in addition to durability, limiting
peak temperature was an important consideration. The 50 MPa raft mix
incorporated 40% fly ash and a water cement ratio of 0-34. Giant placement test
cubes of the raft concrete, 3.7 m (12 ft) on a side were test poured to verify the
placement procedures and monitor the concrete temperature rise.

Figure 9: Foundation (Raft)

The tower raft is supported by 194 bored cast-in-place piles. The piles are 15 m
in diameter and approximately 43 m long, with a design capacity of 3000 tonnes
each. The tower pile load test supported over 6000 tonnes (Figure 9). The C60
(cube strength) SCC concrete was placed by the tremie method utilizing polymer
slurry.
The friction piles are supported in the naturally cemented calcisilt-
ite/conglomeritic calcisiltite formations, developing an ultimate pile skin friction
of 250350 kPa (2-6-3-6 tons/ft2). When the rebar cage was placed in the piles,
special attention was paid to orient the rebar cage such that the raft bottom rebar
could be threaded through the numerous pile rebar cages without interruption,
which greatly simplified the raft construction.

Figure 10: Burj Dubai foundation slab piling

The site geotechnical investigation consisted of the following phases:

Phase 1: 23 boreholes (three with pressure meter testing) with depths up to 90m;
Phase 2: three boreholes drilled with cross-hole geophysics;
Phase 3: six boreholes (two with pressure meter testing) with depths up to 60m.
Phase 4: one borehole with cross-hole and down-hole geophysics;
depth = 140m.
Based on the results of the geotechnical investigation and the pile load test results.
It was determined the maximum long-term settlement over time would be about
a maximum of 80 mm (3.1 in.). This settlement would be a gradual curvature of
the top of grade over the entire large site. When the construction was at Level
135, the average foundation settlement was 30 mm (1.2 in.). The groundwater in
which the Burj Dubai substructure is constructed is particularly severe, with
chloride concentrations of up to 4-5% and sulphates of up to 0-6%. The chloride
and sulphate concentrations found in the groundwater are even higher than the
concentrations in sea water.
Accordingly, the primary consideration in designing the piles and raft foundation
was durability. The concrete mix for the piles was a 60 MPa mix based on a triple
blend with 25% fly ash, 7% silica fume, and a water: cement ratio of 0-32. The
concrete was also designed as a fully self consolidating concrete, incorporating a
viscosity-modifying admixture with a slump flow of 675 ± 75 mm to limit the
possibility of defects during construction.
Owing to the aggressive conditions present due to the extremely corrosive ground
water, a rigorous program of anti-corrosion measures was required to ensure the
durability of the foundations. Measures implemented included specialized
waterproofing systems, increased concrete cover, the addition of corrosion
inhibitors to the concrete mix, stringent crack control design criteria, and an
impressed current cathodic protection system utilizing titanium mesh.

5 LONG-TERM AND CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE ANALYSIS

Historically, engineers have typically determined the behaviour of concrete

structures using linear-elastic finite element analysis and/or summations of
vertical column loads. As building height increases, the results of such
conventional analysis may increasingly diverge from actual behaviour. Long-
term, time-dependant deformations in response to construction sequence, creep,
and shrinkage can cause redistribution of forces and gravity-induced sideway that
would not be detected by conventional methods. When the time-dependant effects
of construction, creep, shrinkage, variation of concrete stiffness with time,
sequential loading, and foundation settlements are not considered, the predicted
forces and deflections may be inaccurate.
To account for these time-dependent concrete effects in the Burj Dubai Tower
structure, a comprehensive construction sequence analysis incorporating the
effects of creep and shrinkage was utilized to study the time-dependent behaviour
of the structure. The creep and shrinkage prediction approach are based on the
Gardner-Lockman GL2000 (Gardner, 2004) model with additional equations to
incorporate the effects of reinforcement and complex loading history.
Construction sequence analysis
procedures:
The time-dependent effects of creep, shrinkage, the variation of concrete stiffness
with time, sequential loading, and foundation settlement were accounted for by
analysing 15 separate three-dimensional finite-element analysis models, each
representing a discrete time during construction (Figure 10). At each point in
time, for each model, only the incremental loads occurring in that particular time
step were applied. Additional time steps, after construction, were analysed up to
50 years. The structural responses occurring at each time step were stored and
combined in a database to allow studying the predicted time-dependent response
of the structure.

Figure 11: Construction sequence model

Long-term creep and shrinkage testing, over one year in duration, have been
performed by the CTL Group (located in Skokie, IL, USA), under contract with
Samsung, on concrete specimens to better understand the actual behaviour of the
concrete utilized for the project.
Compensation methodology:
The tower is being constructed utilizing both a vertical and horizontal
compensation program. For vertical compensation, each story is being
constructed incorporating a modest increase in the typical floor-to-floor height.
For horizontal compensation, the building is being 'recentered' with each
successive centre hex core jump. The re-entering compensation will correct for
all gravity induced sideway effects (elastic, differential foundation settlement,
creep, and shrinkage) which occur up to the casting of each story.

Vertical shortening:
Based on the procedures presented above, the predicted time-dependent vertical
shortening of the centre of the core can be determined at each floor of the Burj
Dubai tower (Figure 15), not accounting for foundation settlements. The total
predicted vertical shortening of the walls and columns at the top of the concrete
core, subsequent to casting, is offset by the additional height added by the
increased floor-to-floor height compensation program.
Due to the compatibility requirements of strain between the rebar and the concrete
in a reinforced concrete column, as the concrete creeps and shrinks, i.e., shortens,
the rebar must attract additional compressive stress and forces to maintain the
same strain as the concrete. Since the total load is the same, over time part of the
load in a reinforced concrete column is transferred from the concrete to the rebar.
This un-loading of the concrete, therefore, also reduces the creep in the concrete
(less load results in less creep). As per Figure 16, the rebar in the columns and
walls (with a rebar-to-concrete area ratio of about 1%) at Level 135 supports
about 15% of the load at the completion of construction and the concrete supports
85%. however, after 30 years, the rebar supports 30% of the total load and the
concrete supports 70%. This percent increase in force carried by the rebar
increases as the steel rho is increased and/or as the total load decreases.
Gravity-induced horizontal sideway
Extreme ends of the building causing curvature which is integrated along the
height of the structure. Concrete creep and shrinkage properties are variable.
Taking the difference between two variable numbers results in a value which has
an even greater variability; hence, prediction of gravity-induced horizontal
sideway is more of an estimate than the prediction of vertical shortening alone.
Based on the construction sequence, time step, elastic, creep, shrinkage, and
foundation settlement analysis, predictions of the Burj Dubai tower gravity-
induced horizontal sideway have been made.

Official launch ceremony:

The opening of Burj Khalifa was held on 4 January 2010. The ceremony featured
a display of 10,000 fireworks, light beams projected on and around the tower, and
further sound, light and water effects the celebratory lighting was designed by
UK lighting designers Speirs and Major. Using the 868 powerful stroboscope
lights that are integrated into the facade and spire of the tower, different lighting
sequences were choreographed, together with more than 50 different
combinations of the other effects.
The event began with a short film which depicted the story of Dubai and the
evolution of Burj Khalifa. The displays of sound, light, water and fireworks
followed. The portion of the show consisting of the various pyrotechnic, lighting,
water and sound effects was divided into three. The first part was primarily a light
and sound show, which took as its theme the link between desert flowers and the
new tower and was co-ordinated with the Dubai Fountain and pyrotechnics. The
second portion, called 'Heart Beat', represented the construction of the tower in a
dynamic light show with the help of 300 projectors which generated a shadow-
like image of the tower. In the third act, sky tracers and space cannons enveloped
the tower in a halo of white light, which expanded as the lighting rig on the spire
activated.
The ceremony was relayed live on a giant screen on Burj Park Island, as well as
several television screens placed across the Downtown Dubai development.
Hundreds of media outlets from around the world reported live from the scene.
In addition to the media presence, 6,000 guests were expected.
REFERENCE

[1] William F. Baker, D. Stanton Korista, and Lawrence C. Novak; “Engineering the World’s
Tallest – Burj Dubai”, Partner with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Director of
Structural/Civil Engineering with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Director of Engineered
Buildings with the Portland Cement Association

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/

[3] http://www.aboutcivil.org/

[4] http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/

[5] http://www.som.com/

[6] http://www.archinomy.com

[7] http://www.skyscraperlist.com

[8] Joji Methew, Presentation, “Burj khalifa-mode of construction”

[9] Brief on the Construction Planning of the Burj Dubai Project…………………… Ahmad
Abdelrazaq /Executive Vice President, Highrise Building Team, Samsung Engineering &
Construction

[10] WIND ISSUES IN THE DESIGN OF TALL BUILDINGS……………..

Peter A. Irwin / Los Angeles Tall Building Structural Design Council May 7, 2010

[11] BURJ KHALIFA, WORLD.S TALLEST STRUCTURE……… Dr.N.Subramanian /

Consulting Structural Engineer, Maryland, U.S.A.