The Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world
Whoever said it wasn’t about winning, but about taking part, was lying. We all want to be the best. Whether this means being the fastest, the strongest or the first person ever to do something, there’s a lot to be said for standing out. And this is exactly what the Burj Khalifa does. As the world’s tallest building, it certainly stands out.
Of the many architecturally impressive sights that Dubai has to offer, the Burj Khalifa is undoubtedly the most famous, and now that we have a Hill House Interiors office in Dubai, we can marvel at it whenever we like.
Dubai’s most impressive architecture
Dubai is known for its opulence. That’s exactly what we love about it. It unashamedly boasts high-end luxury at every turn, from clothing and accessories to shops, restaurants and our favourite of all, architecture.
Sitting at 2,722 ft, the Burj Khalifa is a staggering half a mile high. In addition to holding the top spot for the world’s tallest building, it also boasts a number of other records:
- Building with the most floors (163)
- World’s longest travel by elevator (1,654 ft)
- World’s highest nightclub (144th floor)
- World’s highest restaurant (122nd floor)
- World’s highest New Year firework display
Building the Burj Khalifa was no mean feat. Excavation began in January 2004 and the official launch ceremony wasn’t until 6 years later in January 2010. We’ve taken on some pretty big projects ourselves, and arguably some comparably high end and extravagant ones. None of them have reached over 160 level high though…
High end architectural design in Dubai and worldwide
The Burj Khalifa was designed by American-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), who also designed New York’s One World Trade Centre. Construction was carried out by Samsung C&T from South Korea, who previously worked on the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia. In keeping with Dubai culture, no expense was spared and only the best was considered from conception and design through to completion of the finished building. It’s a principle we believe in ourselves at Hill House. High end, opulent, luxury living.
As all good designers know, the flow of space extends from the inside to the outside of building, and vice versa. This principle was clearly applied during the design of the Burj Khalifa too. Outside of the building is the stunning Dubai Fountain, a 900 ft long water fountain illuminated by 6,600 lights and 50 coloured projectors where water shoots 500ft in the air to a backdrop of classical to contemporary Arabic and world music. Again, it’s no surprise that this was granted an accolade – it’s the world’s largest choreographed fountain.
Whether you are visiting Dubai or live here and have taken for granted the architectural wonder that is on your doorstep, we would strongly encourage you to go and visit the Burj Khalifa for a hit of inspiration. Designing something to this scale is a little beyond our capabilities in terms of scale, but if you’re looking for opulence and luxury then just like the world’s tallest building, with Hill House Interiors, the sky really is the limit.
To speak to an interior designer in Dubai, please get in touch.
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