Standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft.) it was known as the world's tallest building preceded by Taipei 101. Construction began on January 6, 2004, completed on October 1, 2009, and officially opened on January 4, 2010. It's been 11 years since the tower's opening day. Originally, it was named Burj Dubai but it was changed to honor the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Hence, it is called Burj Khalifa (translated to Khalifa Tower).
Designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The team behind the Willis Tower and One World Trade Center. The building's design was derived from Islamic architecture, the Great Mosque of Samarra was the inspiration for creating this marvelous architecture. Burj Khalifa housed a diverse industry of commercial, residential, and hospitality ventures.
Now, the building broke numerous records being the tallest structure ever built, the tallest freestanding structure, 163 floors surpassed the World Trade Center. The only tallest structure that has a residential space, a nightclub on the 144th floor, a restaurant on the 122nd floor, and the largest light show staged on a single building. It may break numerous records, but the building had a darker past. The primary labor force from South & East Asia, would get lower wages, and confiscated their passports expecting to get a higher wage once the job is done. It resulted in protests and sparked a riot, damaging everything around from cars, offices, computers, and construction equipment.
In popular culture, Burj Khalifa was featured in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (portrayed by Tom Cruise) climbs outside to sneak from one room into another to gain the nuclear launch codes from Kurt "Cobalt" Hendricks.
Imagine Dragon's Thunder features some of Dubai's landmarks, the building was also shown in their music video.
Sources:
Lead Image/Screengrab from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn7AFhVEI5o
