Burj Khalifa - Ensuring the Safety of the Inhabitants of the Tallest Building in the World - Speech or Presentation Example

Name: Tutor: Task: Date: Introduction This is a case study that focuses on the tallest building in the world. It is going to expand on the activities, processes, materials, services and the structural design involved in the construction of high rise buildings. A high rise building should be 30m and above in height. This height is divided using regular intervals into levels that can be occupied. It should stand on solid ground. It should have fabrications all through its height done by use of deliberate processes. A high rise building is taken to be that goes beyond the maximum height that people are willing climb on foot. It calls for mechanical transportation upwards. Basically this report is meant to shed some light on the requirements of bringing up a high rise building. This is for the benefit of an architectural company that is apparently contemplating venturing in this kind of building constructions. Location To date Burj Khalifa happens to be the tallest building in the world. Formerly it was known as Burj Dubai but upon its completion, this name was changed in favor of the current president of the United Arab Emirates- Khalifa bin Zayed. It is found in the commercial city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This location was strategic for its construction due to Dubai’s significance as a commercial centre in the world and especially the Middle East, (Elsa 2009). Size and purpose for construction Burj Khalifa being the tallest built structure in the world, also holds the record for other features as well. To the top of its spire it has 828m or 2717 feet. It has a total of 160 floors which puts it at the top in that category. It has a swimming pool on its 76th floor which is actually the highest. It is also the building with the highest vertical concrete pumping not to mention that it has the highest mosque and residential space, (Babu 2008). The main purpose for its construction was to bring together so many things. It was planned to have nine hotels, thirty thousand homes and 3 hectares of parkland, 19 residential towers and a 12 hectare artificial lake. Duration of construction Construction was started in September 2004 but it was not until January 2010 that the building was opened, (Babu 2008). The whole project of construction is estimated to have take US$ 1.5 billion before its completion. Its laborers came from South East Asia with the architecture and engineering being done by Mellins, Skidmore and Owings from Chicago in the U S, (Katie 2008). Rationale for selection Burj Khalifa being the holder of the record of the World’s tallest building attracts a lot of attention. It is the height of technological advancement in building and construction and is a typical example of a building done in the modern days. A lot of expertise and experience in construction has gone into this project and therefore anybody wanting to bring up a high rise building may find information on this project very useful. (Katie 2008). For an architectural practice with keen interest in such buildings, analysis of its structural system and other things such as cladding, compliances, building services, fire engineering and the general construction process cannot be ignored. This kind of building suits the purpose since it is easy to relate any other construction to it in terms of the implications owing to its location in a modern commercial and prosperous city. (Katie 2008). Analysis of the structural system The basic structural system of Burj Khalifa is made from reinforced concrete. It has over 45 000 m2 of concrete with a weight of more than 110,000 tones that was used to construct the steel and concrete foundation,(Babu 2008). The foundation has 192 piles where each pile is 1.5m in diameter multiplied by 43m of length and is buried in a depth of 50m. The foundation construction took low permeability but high density concrete. ] There is a cathodic protection system under the mat used to reduce any ill effects of the corrosive chemicals in the local under ground water, (Babu 2008). The tower has concrete up to the 156th floor. The diagram below shows the concrete part of the structure. The rest is made of light steel. Special blends of concrete that can withstand pressure from the weight of the building were used after being tested to ensure they are suitable. The Islamic architecture played a pivotal role in the systems used in the structural engineering process of Burj khalifa. The design of the building has elements that are cultural and historical that can only be found in the region, (Elsa 2009). It has a ‘Y’ shaped plan that is good for residential purposes as well as hotel practice. The wings make it possible for maximum light to come in and at the same time they provide excellent views of the out side environment. The tower has 3 elements surrounding a core that seems to be at the centre of the three. According to the design architect Adrian Smith, the three part pattern was borrowed from a flower called Hymenocallis (below). The tower is constructed in a way that as it rises it has set backs at each of the three elements in a spiraling pattern upwardly. The cross section of the tower therefore decreases as the tower rises. The whole building has 27 terraces. The central core emerges at the top and ends up in a finishing spire. The floor plan with the Y-shape provides a better view of the Persian Gulf. The form as seen from the top or base resembles the onion domes found in Islamic architectural designs. (Elsa 2009). The tall height of the building needed support. To achieve this system called buttressed core was developed by the engineers. It has a six sided core supported by the 3 buttresses that make a ‘Y’ shape. The figure below shows the ‘Y’ shape of the structure. Such a structural system makes it possible for the building to afford lateral support that makes it resistant to twisting. The spire on Burj Khalifa has over 4,000 tones of structural steel. The pinnacle pipe at the center weighs 350 tones. Its construction was done inside the building after which it was jacked to full height-over 200m. This was done by use of a strand jack system. It displays the structure of three elements with a central core that goes all the way to the top, (Saberi 2008). The diagram below shows the building under construction. Note that the size of the building at the base is wider and decreases as it rises. This is accounted for by the set backs incorporated in the design of the whole structure. They cause the building to narrow progressively until it ends up in a spire that gives it its highest point as displayed in the diagram below. Description of the Building process The whole construction of 22 million hours consumed 330,000m3 of concrete with 55,000 tones of steel rebar. The concrete used needed to have a certain level of consistency. It was hard to make concrete that can bear the high pressure from the weight of overlying material and the high summer temperatures of the Persian Gulf, (Elsa 2009). To take care of this challenge, concrete was poured during the night during summer because then the air is cooler and the humidity higher. Ice was added to help cool it before being poured out. Cooler concrete cures uniformly and therefore avoiding cracks. RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations below touch on various aspects concerning the structural building process of a high rise structure. External cladding system The out side cladding system should be planned bearing in mind the predominant atmospheric conditions of the place where the construction is to be done. In places where temperatures are extremely high, a suitable cladding system like the one for Burj Khalifa is recommended. Highly reflective material is recommend is such a case in order to turn a way the heat. It took more than 26,000 panels of glass to clad this building. The external cladding of Burj Khalifa has 142,000m2 of glazing that is highly reflective, aluminum and panels of steel spandrel that are textured. There are also up right tubular fins, (Elsa 2009). The photograph below shows the shiny and highly reflective materials used for the external cladding of Burj Khalifa in Dubai. This is meant to turn away excessive light and heat from the building owing to the high temperatures in the Persian Gulf. Specification for the cladding system The cladding system should make use of materials basing on various religious and cultural provisions. The aspect of climatic conditions should also be considered. In this regard material being used should be properly selected to suit the climatic conditions of the place. Cladding systems and materials should also not add unnecessary weight on the building, (Saberi 2008). Light steel and aluminium are highly recommended for cladding especially when the structures reach great heights. Building services It makes sense to import labor especially when it cannot be acquired locally at fairly cheap costs or even if it is not available at all. However labor importation may result in many difficulties among them financial and logistical. Burj Khalifa was constructed by a company from South Korea called Samsung engineering and construction, (Stephania and Chritchlow 2010). The bigger part of the labor was provided by people from South East Asia. Media reports indicated that there was massive under payment of the workers with payment being with held until they had to strike. Housing conditions were unsuitable for them where as working conditions were hazardous. This created so many accidents and even deaths on the site. On 17th June 2008, 7,500 skilled workers including carpenters from China were employees during the construction, (Saberi 2008). Fire engineering In all buildings there are supposed to be safety measures in order to protect the buildings from fire, and the first measure should be life safety ,in the buildings that there are occupants as the offices they require enough time and facilities to help them escape in times of fire. The second measure that should be put into consideration is prevention of conflagrations. This is preventing of fire from spreading to other buildings in the surroundings.The third measure is property protection. This is where we should consider protection of contents such as furnishings, fittings objects of value and other forms of property. (Saberi 2008). The most important requirements have been basically placed towards the necessary fire resistance principles for walls and floors to avoid the spread of blaze and the stipulation of an appropriate way of escape to guarantee life safety. Fire and Rescue establishments are the primary enforcers and have a legislative task to enforce the necessities of the legislation. Each individual should be responsible for his own safety. As an individual one should carry out the required measures to make sure there is safety and incase of fire they will be able to ensure their safety. This can be done by ensuring that one has fire safety cylinders installed in the building and in case of fire he can be able to use them. There are also other safety measures that should be adhered to. There are other special precautions required in houses and work place like keeping of combustible liquids in the process areas, workrooms laboratory and other working areas, the rooms should also be ventilated to dilute and remove flammable gas, making use of equipments that may not act as source of ignition, use extraction systems to be able to remove flammable materials like wood dust. Burj Khalifa has so many compartments. On almost every 40 floors there are pressurized refuge floors with air conditioning where people are supposed to shelter while fleeing the upper floors in case of fire emergencies (Katie 2008). Building compliance High rise buildings have a set of requirements set to international requirements that they need to adhere to. There are certain facilities and amenities that are a MUST be in such buildings. This follows internationally recognized laws governing the construction of high rise structures. Such structures should have lifts and elevators since people cannot climb the great heights using there feet. Another thing required is a fire control system in case of an emergency. Fire extinguishers or carbon dioxide gas cylinders should be fixed on every floor. The building should also comply with insurance requirements whereby it should be insured from catastrophes like fires, earth quakes together with the lives of the people operating in it. There should be enough ventilation on every part of the building to allow in light and fresh air. Air conditioning systems should be installed in order to control temperatures. Where temperatures fall so low at times, there should be heating elements in place to heat up the rooms during the winter seasons. Hot areas should have cooling systems in place. Ambient water supply should also be connected to the building for various water requirements. The existence of any structure coming up should be legalized by the relevant authorities. Environmental concerns should be settled with the concerned bodies and government departments before construction commences. Burj Khalifa being a government backed project, it did not have so many battles with the law. Many things were done with reasonable ease,( Katie 2008). However being a world class kind of development it fully complies with international laws on construction of high rise buildings. This was important since its major purpose was to attract and serve the international community. CONCLUSION High rise structures may not be very different from other low buildings. The difference comes in the height area. Everything required for ensuring the wellbeing of the building and the safety of the inhabitants at such heights should be the prime focus. Construction should therefore follow the laid down pattern for such structures across the globe. Work cited Huang, Carol, Tallest building in the globe: Amazon publishers . 2010). Puckett, Katie (3 October 2008).  Bianchi, Stefania; Andrew Critchlow ."Global Tallest Skyscraper Opens in Dubai". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc.2010 Das Augustine, Babu "Burj Dubai completion delayed by another eight to nine months". Oxford University Press. June 2008) Saberi, Mahmood "Burj Dubai is the height of success". Gulf News. Person Publishers (19 April 2008). 5 Baxter, Elsa .20 December 2009.Worlds buildings and structures. (19 April 2008). Read More