Various Aspects of the Design and Construction of a Major Civil Engineering Project of the Last Years - Assignment Example

Burj Khalifa al affiliation Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, UAE, and is currently standing as the tallest man-made structure in the world. It stands at two thousand, seven hundred and twenty-two feet above the ground (3,8). The construction commenced in 2004, September 21. Its exterior attained a complete state in 2009, October 1. After completion, the building was officially opened in 4th, January, 2010 (1,9). The building forms part of the two square kilometre development project referred to as the Downtown Dubai. Several brains came together to make the building a success story. Skidmore, Merrill and Owings performed the tasks of the engineering and architecture. Other roles in the construction process included the chief structural engineer performed by Bill Baker, Adrian Smith was the chief architect and Samsung C & T being the primary contractor (10, 11,12). The construction division of Al Ghurair Investment carried the tower construction activities (14, 13). The conceptual design of Burj Khalifa The design of the tower was based on the idea that it was to be the centrepiece of a wide scale development. The initial plan stipulated that the development would have several functions. The building is designed to to encompass thirty thousand homes, at least nineteen residential towers, nine holes, the Burj Khalifa man-made lake and the great Dubai Mall. The additional constructions and structure around the building offered alternative solutions to the needs that would not be met by the building. The primary decision to build the structure relied on the government decision towards diversification. It is observed that the government wanted to diversify from dependence on the oil to service and tourism sector. It is evident that the construction of Burj Khalifa has led to a lot of international recognition. The outcome of such recognitions is increased investment from both the local and international community. The building has put Dubai on the map due to the sensations it creates. Architecture design process and materials The design process was carried out by Merrill, Skidmore and Owings. The architects have also designed other leading structure such as the Willis Tower and the New Yorks World Trade Centre. The structure takes the application of the bundled tube design (37, 38). The building is a reminiscence of the Vision for Illinois, the Frank Lloyd Wright design, designed for Chicago. Initially, Burj Kalifa was designed based on the tower place Tree building with its seventy-three floors. Additionally, the initial plan had it that the building should solely be used for residential purposes. Subsequent redesigns and incorporation of more stakeholders and engineers in the process enlisted the various changes that resulted in the current tower with its adjacent structures. For instance, the Emaar properties decided that Hyder Consulting should carry the position of supervising engineer. Additionally, Noor Group Consultants International Limited got an acknowledgement to be at the helm of the supervising the architecture involved in the project (40). Hyder had a lot of experience and expertise in the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineering. (42). Hyder consulting was tasked with the duties to supervise the entire construction as well as to certify the SOM’s design. Additionally, it had the mandates to be answerable to the UAE authorities. For the purposes of architectural documentation, NORR supervised all the architectural components as well as the design the six storeys extra buildings. In addition, NORR held the responsibility for the designing of the Office Annex Building, the architectural integration drawings for the construction of the Amani Hotel, incorporated in the tower. The magnitude of the work and the importance of the construction process forced Emaar Properties to incorporated the GHD (42). It had to perform the duties of an independent verification and testing body for the steel and concrete used during the construction process. The design process involved borrows heavily from the Islamic architecture (19). In accordance to Bill Baker, a structural engineer from the SOM, the design applied in the building brings together historical elements as well as the cultural designs apparent and pertinent in the region. The spiral minaret had several influences to the design process. The spiral minaret as observed in the Great Mosque of Samarra spirals and grows slender as the building rises (43). The adoption of the Y-shape relied on the projected uses, hotel and residential. The wings seen in the building allow maximum outward viewing as well as permitting optimal inward natural light. The spiral pattern decreases the cross section of the as it attains its height and reaches the sky. At the top, an outdoor terrace is created. A finishing spire forms from the structures central core. The tower has an allowance to sway to a total of 1.5 m at its tallest point in the sky. The engineers came up with a new structural system referred to as the buttressed core in order to support the building’s unprecedented height. The structure contains a hexagonal core obtaining its reinforcement from the three buttresses forming the ‘Y’ shape. The design gives the structure the unique shape that allows the building to support itself laterally as well as keeping it from twisting. The Burj Khalifa spire comprises of more than four thousand tonnes of structural steel. Its central pinnacle pipe weighs three hundred and fifty tonnes. The central section was constructed from the inside of the building, and then jacked to its total height using the strand jack system. The interior of the Burj Khalifa has more than 1000 distinct pieces of artwork for adornment. Dubai has extreme temperatures. The cladding system was employed by the engineers to withstand the extreme. It consists of a reflective glazing as well as texture stainless steel and aluminium panels consisting of vertical tubular fins. On the exterior part of the building, architects used glass panels. The architectural glass used offers thermal and solar performance. It also acts as an anti-glare protector to the intense sun in the desert. Additionally, it offers protection against strong winds and the extreme desert temperatures. The exterior temperatures at the upper part of the structure is 60 than at the base (48). The engineers made the building with a total of eight escalators and fifty-seven elevators (45). The capacity of the elevators ranges from twelve to fourteen people per cabin with the fastest rising and descending at a speed of about 10m/s. Entertainment features including LCD displays have been fitted into the double-deck elevators to serve visitors in the retrieval to the observation decks. Upon completion, the building had 2,909 stairs from the base up to the 160th floor. The plumbing engineers applied ultra modern techniques in the design of water and discharge pipes. The water system employed supplies an average of nine hundred and forty-six thousand litres of water per day using 100 km of pipes. Additionally, 213 km of pipes supplies water to the emergency system. Another 34 km of chilled water gets supplied for the air conditioning purposes. Gravity is used in the wastewater system to discharge water from in the plumbing functions. On the same note, storm water and floor drains borrow the same applications to discharge the water into the city municipal sewer (61). The air conditioning system used in the Burj Khalifa draws the colder and clean air from the upper floors. During the peak cooling times, cooling in the building is equivalent to that produced by 26,000,000 lbs of melting ice, about 46 MW. Additionally, the condensate collection system of the tower uses the humid and hot outside air. The hot air combined with the building’s cooling requirements leads to a substantial amount of condensation. The condensed water collects and drains to a tank in the basement; this water is eventually used in the Burj Khalifa park for irrigation purposes. Horizontal tracks have been installed using heavy cables on the exterior for cleaning purposes. However, the top of the spine cannot be cleaned by the tracks. Specialist window cleaners have to persevere the heights and winds, while dangling, on ropes, to inspect and clean the pinnacle (64). The glass spine and other additional tiers get cleaning services from the unmanned machines. The Dubai fountain, which is part of the Burj Khalifa is 275 m long. It is illuminated by 6,600 lights together with 50 projectors with colours. Additionally, the observation deck consists of a Tellscope electronic telescope that allows real-time viewing (70,71, 72). Another feature associated with the building is the Burj Khalifa park. It consists of 11 ha designed by thr SWA group of landscape architects. The parks design was inspired by the main design concepts incorporated in the Burj Khalifa involving the desert flower symmetries. Watering of the park relies on the water obtained through condensation from the Burj Khalifa. The construction of the Burj Khalifa is a milestone in all engineer’s works. Reinforced concrete forms the primary structure. A high density with low permeability concrete was used. The super high-pressure trailer was used to construct the concrete and steel foundation. However, the remaining above structure comprised of lighter steel. The foundation featured 192 piles with each pile measuring 1.5 m in diameter by 43 m long and buried more than 50 m deep (22). The construction also used 55,000 tonnes of steel rebar. The local ground water contains corrosive chemicals. Therefore, a cathodic protection system was used under the mat to minimize the detriments arising from the chemicals. Special concrete was used to withstand pressure arising from the massive nature of the building. During construction, it was difficult to make concrete that could withstand Persian Gulf temperatures and thousand of tonnes. Therefore, the concrete was not poured during the day. During the summer months, the mixture was poured at night. Read More