Pinnacle of Burj Khalifa, Dubai – UAE
Lifting of the pinnacle that tops the world’s tallest building
▲ Careful planning was required to install the lifting equipment
Scope of work performed
• Lifting of the pinnacle
Weight: 450 t
Lifting distance: 89 m
Lifting speed: 10 m/hour
Equipment
3 units SLU 220/550
The pinnacle features:
In a city of superlatives, the Burj
Khalifa is the latest shining example - Length: 143m
(30% remaining inside the
of the prosperous and dynamic
building for the connection)
Middle East. It is the world’s tallest
- Weight: 450t
building and is also the tallest man(including architectural cladding
made structure, breaking all previous
and base connection beam)
records on its completion in 2009.
The building features:
-Tallest structure - 828m
(record previously held by the
628.8m KVLY-TV mast, which is
not free-standing)
- Tallest free-standing structure 828m
(beating the 553m CN Tower)
- Tallest building/skyscraper – the
top floor’s roof is at 623m (beating
Taipei 101’s record of 449m)
- Building with most floors: 160
(the World Trade Center had 110)
Lifting the pinnacle was a major
exercise. It consists of a rolled steel
pipe with a diameter of 2.1m and 60
mm wall thickness. Segments with a
length of 5m were brought up by
crane and assembled inside the
tower itself at level 156, which is at a
height of +585m.
Welding was carried out to full depth
to increase resistance against fatigue
caused by the continuous oscillating
movement of the pinnacle.
ID 2923
Lifting
the pinnacle for the Burj
.
Khalifa, formerly named Burj Dubai,
is the latest example of VSL’s
expertise being applied to the
world’s tallest structures. The Burj
Khalifa joins a portfolio that includes
Taipei 101, Toronto’s CN Tower and
Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin
Towers, as well as other landmark
buildings in Dubai and the rest of
the UAE.
Temporary openings were let into the
slabs between levels 157 and 162 in
order to assemble the pinnacle. They
were closed on completion of the lift.
The top main crane operated at high
speed but the time required to
complete each cycle to +700m
height was quite long. VSL therefore
optimised the crane operation by
preassembling the jacks on the
ground together with the 120m-long
strand bundles and the jack support
beams. The assemblies for the 3
lifting points weighed each 9.5t.
Space constraints and a clearance
under the crane hook of 32m meant
that VSL’s lifting equipment had to
be installed on the building as soon
as construction reached the level of
the lifting platform.
▲ Construction of the tower has broken
many records.
The pinnacle was lifted by 3 strand
jack SLU 220/550 evenly located
around the pinnacle and connected
together. There were 3 pick-up
points at the base of the pinnacle,
below its centre of gravity. Lateral
guides ensured the lateral and
Pinnacle
(after 5 lifting steps)
Platform for cladding
assembly
OWNER / DEVELOPER:
EMAAR
PROJECT MANAGER
of main contract: TURNER.
MAIN CONTRACTOR in JV:
SAMSUNG Eng. & Const. (South Korea)
with BESIX (Belgium) and ARABTEC
(UAE).
STEELWORK CONTRACTOR
for the steel top structure and pinnacle:
EVERSENDAI Eng.
VSL ENTITY
VSL Heavy Lifting department
DATE
2009
vertical stability. The lift had been
conducted in 8 steps – each between
9 to 12 m due to the installation of
the Pinnacle’s cladding.
Construction continued all around,
enclosing the lifting equipment. As a
consequence, there was no crane
access for the subsequent
dismantling. The equipment had to
be deposed and transported to
platforms on the façade, where the
crane picked them up and lower
them to the ground.
Construction of the Burj Khalifa
began in Sept.2004 and was
completed in December 2009. VSL’s
work was carried out between July
2007 and February 2009. Dubai
inaugurated Burj Khalifa in January
2010.
+713m
Stairs
+695m
VSL Strand Lifting Jacks
Lifting platform
4th lift /elevator
Level 160
Steel structure
▲ Lower anchorage and openings in slabs
+585m
Level 156
Base of the spire
during preassembly
VSL anchorages. Pickup points on the spire
Concrete structure
1/1
Edited 2008
www.vsl.com
▲ Construction of the tower has broken many records.
ID 2923
3rd lift /elevator