‘At the Top’ of Burj Khalifa, Dubai – The worlds’ Tallest Building (United Arab Emirates)

Burj Khalifa or “Khalifa Tower” is a mega tall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest structure in the world standing at 829.8m. The construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004, with the exterior completed in 2009. The building was opened in 2010. It is designed to be the centerpiece of large-scale, mixed use development. The decision to build a building of such proportion was for Dubai to gain international recognition. The building was named in honor of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalif bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The building broke numerous height records, including its designation as the tallest tower in the world.

Burj Khalifa was designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Hyder consulting was chosen to be the supervising engineer with NORR Group Consultants International Limited chosen to supervise the architecture of the project.

“At the Top”
The major attraction of the tower is the outdoor observation deck named “At the Top” opened on 5th January 2010 at the 124th floor. From the observation deck you can have an awe inspiring aerial view of Dubai. At 452 meter it was the highest observation deck in the world and the highest outdoor observation deck in the world when it opened. Although it was surpassed in December 2011 by Cloud Top 488 on the Canton Tower at 488m, Burj Khalifa opend the 148th floor SKY level at 555 m, once again giving it the highest observation deck in the world on 15 October 2014. The below pictures were taken by me from “At the Top” during my visit in May-2010. Visitors are able to purchase the tickets online in advance for a specific date and time and at a discounted rate over tickets purchased on the spot.