7303ENG Assignment: Burj Khalifa Foundation Design and Construction

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the foundation design and construction of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. It details the piled raft foundation system, a critical element for supporting the structure on deep rock deposits and carbonate soils. The report covers geotechnical investigations, laboratory testing, and the design process, including considerations for cyclic degradation of skin friction due to wind loading. Numerical computer analyses used for the initial design and subsequent peer review are outlined. The project's context, including the client (Emaar Properties), the construction manager (Turner International), and the general contractor (Samsung Joint Venture), is presented. The report also touches upon the architectural design's influence on the foundation, particularly the Y-shaped floor plan, which maximizes views and natural light. Furthermore, the research methodology is discussed, highlighting both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis, including the use of secondary sources like journals and articles to understand the project's complexities.

1Abstract— The paper offers a description of process of
foundation design used for Burj Dubai which is the tallest
building in the world. The type of foundation system used is
piled raft based on deep rock deposits as well as carbonate
soils. The geotechnical investigations performed, laboratory
testing programs, process of design as well as the different
design issues are discussed including the cyclic degradation
of skin friction as a result of wind loading. The numerical
computer analyses which were used for initial design
alongside the check analyses would be outlined and then the
optional analyses used for peer review process described.
Keywords: Barj Dubai, design and construction, piled raft,
foundation system
I. INTRODUCTION
The Burj Dubai Project, the tallest building in world
currently, is multi-purpose development tower having a
cumulative floor area of about 46000 square meters which is
inclusive of residential, office, shopping, commercial,
entertainment, leisure, parking as well as hotel facilities and
structures. The design of Burj Dubai Project was done to
attain a centrepiece of large scale Burj Dubai Development
which rises into sky to an unexpected height which is more
than 7000 meters and is composed of more than 160 floors
(Alotaibi and Sinclair, 2015).
1
Student Name (student number) is studying XXXX engineering in the
Griffith School of Engineering and buildt Environment, Griffith University.
Email [e-mail]
.
The client of development, Emaar Properties, is one of main
managers of lifestyle real estate across Middle East. Turner
International has been set aside by the owner as the
Construction Manager while Samsung Joint Venture that is
made up of Samsung, Belgium base contractor, Korea base
contractor, Arabtec, that is a Dubai base contactor serving as
the General Contractor.
The concept and Burj Dubai Tower design borrows from
desert flower geometries that is indigenous in locality as
well as the systems of patterning that are included in Islamic
architecture. The organization of massing of tower is done
about central core that has three wings. Every wing is
composed of four bays. At each seventh floor level, one of
outer bays peels off even as structure spirals into sky.
Contrary to most of super-high-rise structure having deep
floor plates, Y shape floor plans used in Burj Dubai is
designed is such a way that there is maximization of views
as well as offering tenants with adequate natural light
(ArulJayachandran et al., 2016).
The design of superstructure of Burj Dubai tower is done as
an all reinforced concrete building having high performance
concrete running all the way from foundation level to 156th
level and then topped up using a structural steel braced
frame from level of 156 to the highest point of building.
The massing of tower is as well driven by wind engineering
needs of reducing dynamic wind excitation. The width and
shape of building disappears as the tower spirals and gets
into the sky hence resulting in wind dynamic acceleration,
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DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION OF FOUNDATION OF BURJ AL KALIFA
Student Name and student number

movement as well as effects. Integration of principles as
well as requirements of wind engineering into the
architectural design of tower lead to a stable dynamic
response, ensuring control of strong winds.
Problem Statement
The Burj Dubai Project, tallest building in the world
currently, is multi-purpose development tower having a
cumulative floor area of about 46000 square meters which is
inclusive of residential, office, shopping, commercial,
entertainment, leisure, parking as well as hotel facilities and
structures. The design of Burj Dubai Project was done to
attain centrepiece of large scale Burj Dubai Development
which rises into sky to an unexpected height which is more
than 7000 meters and is composed of more than 160 floors
(Alotaibi and Sinclair, 2015).
The client of development, Emaar Properties, is one of main
developers of lifestyle real estate across Middle East. Turner
International has been set aside by owner as Construction
Manager while Samsung Joint Venture that is made up of
Samsung, Belgium base contractor, Korea base contractor,
Arabtec, that is a Dubai base contactor serving as General
Contractor.
The concept and design of Burj Dubai Tower borrows from
geometries of desert flower that is indigenous in locality as
well as the systems of patterning that are included in Islamic
architecture. The organization of massing of tower is done
about a central core that has three wings. Every wing is
composed of four bays. At every seventh floor level, one of
outer bays peels off even as the structure spirals into the sky.
Contrary to most of super-high-rise structure having deep
floor plates, Y shape floor plans used in Burj Dubai is
designed is such a way that there is maximization of views
as well as offering tenants with adequate natural light
(ArulJayachandran et al., 2016).
The design of Burj Dubai tower superstructure is done as an
all reinforced concrete structure having high performance
concrete running all way from foundation level to the 156th
level and then topped up using structural steel braced frame
from level of 156 to highest point of building.
The massing of tower is as well controlled by wind
engineering needs of reducing dynamic wind excitation. The
width and shape of building disappears as tower spirals and
gets into sky hence resulting in wind dynamic acceleration,
movement as well as effects. Integration of principles as
well as requirements of wind engineering into architectural
design of tower lead to stable dynamic response, ensuring
control of strong winds.
Literature Review
The Burj Dubai Project, tallest building in world currently,
is multi-purpose development tower having a cumulative
floor area of about 46000 square meters which is inclusive
of residential, office, shopping, commercial, entertainment,
leisure, parking as well as hotel facilities and structures. The
design of Burj Dubai Project was done to attain centrepiece
of large scale Burj Dubai Development which rises into sky
to an unexpected height which is more than 7000 meters and
is composed of greater than 160 floors (Alotaibi and
Sinclair, 2015).
2

The client of development, Emaar Properties, is one of main
lifestyle real estate developers across Middle East. Turner
International has been set aside by owner as Construction
Manager while Samsung Joint Venture that is made up of
Samsung, Belgium base contractor, Korea base contractor,
Arabtec, that is a Dubai base contactor serving as General
Contractor.
The Burj Dubai Tower concept and design borrows from
desert flower geometries that are indigenous in locality as
well a systems of patterning that are included in Islamic
architecture. The organization of massing of tower is done
about a central core that has three wings. Every wing is
composed of four bays. At every seventh floor level, one of
outer bays peels off even as structure spirals into sky.
Contrary to most of super-high-rise structure having deep
floor plates, Y shape floor plans used in Burj Dubai is
designed is such way that there is maximization of views as
well as offering tenants with adequate natural light
(ArulJayachandran et al., 2016).
The design of Burj Dubai tower superstructure is done as an
all reinforced concrete building having high performance
concrete running all way from foundation level to 156th
level and then topped up using a structural steel braced
frame from level of 156 to highest point of building.
The massing of tower is as well driven by wind engineering
needs of reducing dynamic wind excitation. The width and
shape of building disappears as the tower spirals and gets
into sky hence resulting in wind dynamic acceleration,
movement as well as effects. Integration of principles as
well as requirements of wind engineering into architectural
design of tower lead to stable dynamic response, ensuring
control of strong winds.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Extensive alongside consistent understanding of foundation
design and construction of Burj Dubai tower would be of
great significance. It is hence via qualitative research that
explanations may be offered on raft foundation systems
successfully transmitting the load of tower. Still,
quantitative research os useful when it comes to quantative
data and it use in making comparison of different study
scenarios that are treated to be of most significance to
research. The basis of making conclusions and offering
justifications is developed through different quantative data
comparisons which are thereafter used is making required
recommendations.
Qualitative aspect of the study would be implemented
through the use of four main stages of phases including
emperical, interpolation as well as data analysis. The initial
phase is conceptual phase and involves the use of different
skills among them deductive reasoning and creativity
besides firm grounding in establishment of basis of research.
The phase involves gaining a background into the research
and aims of research through conceptualization and
literature alongside review of proposals made by earlier
scholars.
Design and planning is the second phase. For this research,
the phase would use interviews that are geared toward
reacting to the research questions from the perception of
stakeholders.
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Just immediately after the design and planning phase is the
emperical phase which involves gathering of data and
preparing the same for analysis that is to be conducted in the
subsequent phase. The needed data that is regarding
foundation design and construction for Burj Dubai is
gathered and safely kept for purposes of analysis using the
selected methods of data analysis. The data that has been
collected can safely be maintained though storage of such
inftomation in forms of files within computers or otherwise
in coded forms to ensure they are protected from possibility
of loss, manipulation or being destroyed.
Analysis is last bit of qualitative analysis which would go
hand in hand with making sense of collected data. The
approaches and techniques of data analysis are significantly
affected and based on the nature of data collected in the
previous stage. Computers may be used in this phase to
assist in enhancing the analysis process for instance where
there is need for statistical data analysis.
Data collection
Data got from the various secondary sources would be
derived from different sites, special industry alongside
scholastic diaries. Various criteria would be developed in
ensuring exactness and pertinences of information for the
aims of the study. The main basis would be selecting on
diary and articles which are regarding exploration theme of
study that is generation frameworks. Arrangement of the
data sources in order of most pertinence ensures simplicity
in gathering and grouping of those which regard a similar
theme together. The pertinence is as well comprehensive of
the ones which discuss subtopics of the main point.
Discussions regarding topic often provide an inside and out
evaluation of the same and thus aiding in enhancing proper
comprehension.
Secondary information sources used for data collection have
to be peer reviewed on diaries as well as articles would be
used as another criterion. Through the reviews evaluated, it
means articles are made by researchers or experts and
thereafter reviewed by various other experts in same field to
ensure there are no flaws or mistakes with their content prior
to being published. This ensures that the contained data in
articles are accurate and are these permitted to be most
updated. The secondary sources picked for this research with
be those journals and articles published not more than five
years ago i.e. 2014 onwards. Just like in other fields, field of
academics undergoes numerous as well as rapid changes
influenced by all that take place about life of human beings.
RESULTS
Geology
The Arabia Gulf region geology has been significantly
influenced by deposits of marine sediments due to numerous
changes in levels of sea during the significantly recent
geological time. The geographical nature of country is such
that it is generally low lying having near surface geology
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that is mostly dominated by Quaternary deposit to late
Pleistocene age inclusive of mobile Aeolian dune sands,
marine sands as well as evaporates deposits.
Dubai is located towards eastern edge of geographically
stable Arabia Plate and differentiated from unstable Iranian
Fold Belt to north by use of Arabian Gulf. The site is hence
perceived to be positioned within region that is seismically
active.
Geotechnical Examination & Testing Program
Four phases were used in conducting the geotechnical
investigation as discussed:
Phase 1: Main investigation involved 23 boreholes,
installation of 4 standpipe piezometers, in sixty SPT’s, 40
pressure tests done in 3 of boreholes contamination testing
as well as specialist laboratory testing
Phase 2 involved three geophysical boreholes having cross
hole as well as tomography geophysical surveys conducted
between three new boreholes alongside 1 existing borehole
Phase 3 was inclusive of 6 boreholes, installation of 2
standpipe piezometers, 20 pressure meter tests using 2
boreholes as well as laboratory testing (Poulos, 2016).
The drilling was conducted using cable percussion
techniques alongside follow-on rotary drilling methods to
about 30 m to 140 m in depth below ground levels. The ore
quality recovered in some of initial boreholes was to some
extent poorer in comparison to the one recovered in later
boreholes and thus note was taken of defects in initial rock
ores could not be a representation of real defects in rock
mass. The aim of phase 4 of investigation was to evaluate
the variation in quality of core and this demonstrated that
differences were most likely associated with the drilling
fluid that was used alongside overall quality of drilling.
Disturbed as well as undisturbed samples alongside split
spoon spaces were extracted from boreholes. The
undisturbed samples were extracted with aid of double tube
core barrels as well as wire core barrel generating core
varying in diameter of between 57 mm and 108.6 mm.
Standard Penetration tests were conducted at different
depths and were conducted generally in souls that were
perceived to be overburdened, weak rock or even soil bands
which experienced rock strata (Poulos, 2016).
Geotechnical Conditions
The conditions of ground are made up of a horizontally
stratified subsurface profile that is sophisticated and highly
variable as a result of deposition nature as well as prevalent
conditions of hot arid climate. Medium dense to highly
loose granular silty sands lie beneath successions of
significantly weak to very weak sandstone that are
interbedded by highly weakly cemented sand, weak to
significantly weak conglomerate as well as gysiferous fine
grained sandstone.
The levels of groundwater are often across site and
excavations would probably experience groundwater at
about +0.0 m DMD which is about 2.5 m below the level of
ground surface. The profile of ground as well as the derived
parameters of geotechnical design from investigation data is
as shown in table below
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Foundation Design
An assessment of foundations of structure was conducted
and it was vivid that piled foundations turned out to be most
ideal for Tower as well as Podium construction. The
following recommendations for design as given by Horvath
and Kenney (1979) were used in initial assessment of
capacity of pile (Sergievskaya, Pokrovskaya and
Vorontsova, 2018).
Ultimate unit shaft resistance, fs=0.25 (qu) 0.5
Table below shows used ultimate compressive unit shaft
friction values for different site rock strata. The ultimate
unit pile sin friction of pile which was under load in tension
was assumed as half of ultimate unit shaft resistance of pile
that was load when under compression.
The evaluated capacities of piles were given to SOM which
then provided details on number, layout as well as diameter
of piles. The tower piles used were 1.5 m in diameter with
length of 47.45 m with tower raft based at -7.55 mDMD.
The diameter of podium piles were 0.9 m with a length of
30m and the podium raft being based at -4.85mDMD. The
rafts had thickness of about 3.7m with the loading being
provided by SOM and composed of 8 load cases among
them four load cases for wind as well as three for seismic
conditions (Sergievskaya, Pokrovskaya and Vorontsova,
2018).
The initial runs of ABAQUS showed the strains in strata fell
within initial region of small strain of non-linear stress strain
curves that were developed for materials. The values of
secant elastic modulus at small strain levels were hence used
for analyses of validation as well as sensitivity. A non-
linear analysis was conducted in VDISP with non-linear
stress strain curves that were developed for materials.
The predictions of distribution of load in piles as well as raft
and podium settlement were obtained through linear and
non-linear analyses. The settlements are obtained from FE
analysis model as well as from VDISP have been changed
from those for flexible pile cap to ones of rigid pile cap to
be used for purposes of comparison with PIGLET and
REPUTE models using generation equation shown below
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There was a commendable correlation between the results
got from VDISP, REPUTE and PIGLET and the settlements
obtained from FEA mode.
A sensitivity analysis was conducted using FE analysis
model and application of maximum design soil strata non-
linear relationships of stress and strain. The findings from
stiffer soil strata reaction provided a 28% reduction in
Tower settlement for combined wind load, dead load as well
as live load case analyzed to 61 mm from 85 mm.
The maximum as well as minimum pile loadings were
derived from FE analysis for all combinations of loadings.
The maximum load were found to be at corners for three
wings; being of order 35 MN even as minimum loads were
established to be within center of group being of order 12-
13 MN. The contours of calculated maximum axial load are
as shown in figure below
The effect of cyclic loading on the pile was significant
consideration and in bid to address same, variation of load
below or above dead load in addition to live load cases was
calculated (Sergievskaya, Pokrovskaya and Vorontsova,
2018). The maximum variation in load was established to be
not more than 10 MN.
Conclusion
The process used in design and construction of foundations
for Burj Dubai alongside independent verification of designs
has been presented in this paper. The conditions of site are
composed of horizontally stratified subsurface profile that is
complex and properties significantly varying with depth.
Recommendations
 Soil testing of ground should be done of any site
before construction commences
 Various software including ABAQUS should
extensively be used during soil lab testing and the
findings incorporated in design
 Structural analysis should be done for entire
building to ensure the building meets the required
structural needs
REFERENCES
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Arabian Gulf: Perception| performance| place-making. of
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Kareem, A., Kun, D. and Kijewski, T., 2016, August.
Performancebased full-scale data assessment of a tall
building: A machine learning approach. In 4th American
Association for Wind Engineering Workshop. Miami,
Florida, USA
Badelow, F. and Poulos, H.G., 2016. Geotechnical
foundation design for some of the world's tallest
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