Ecological Engineering Analysis of the Burj Khalifa Project

This report provides a detailed analysis of the Burj Khalifa, focusing on its ecological and sustainable design principles. It examines the building's features, including the tri-axial Y-shaped plan, variation in form and texture, and the integration of solar panels for water heating. The report discusses the building's environmental considerations, such as wind force reduction and energy efficiency measures. It also critiques the use of materials like aluminum, steel, and concrete, which are less ecological, and the stack effect, which poses a safety challenge. The report proposes a new approach to urban planning, advocating for a three-dimensional framework that integrates tall buildings into a broader ecological context. It emphasizes the need for urban infrastructure within structures, replacing traditional zoning plans with a comprehensive, height-stratified vision. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of considering climate, light, wind, rain, and air to minimize the environmental impact of tall buildings. The document is well-referenced with sources like Al-Kodmany, Yuan et al., and Gültekin.

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Introduction
Despite the rapid and tremendous advancements that have been witnessed in the technologies,
performance as well as efficiencies of the tall building over the last few decades, it is a arguable
that urban expansion of typical skyscraper had not had significant changed from predominant
aesthetics of glass and steel that had been championed by modernism since 1950s. The
architectural details have gained high levels of refining since the time and definitely both
systems as well as materials formed better than they did more than half a century ago even
though the rectilinear, glass skinned air conditioned box still stands out as the main template of
most of the tall buildings that are undergoing development around the world (Al-Kodmany,
2018). Most of these boxes vary with the form in which the met both the sky as well as the
ground even though they form a part of the globalized expression.
Ecological principles of building
Burj Dubai is tallest building in the world and was completed in recent past. The mixed use
tower is composed of the retail offices, residential apartments as well as hotel and tends to
exhibit the vision of Dubai vision setting the world benchmarks within the construction industry.
In attaining the reality of the project, one of the main issues that the design team worked towards
resolving was about reduction as well as control of the wind forces of the tower. The tri-axial Y
shaped plan was the solution to issue as suggested by the design team in which every tier of
building sets back in spiral stepping pattern to top of structure(Yuan et al., 2017). The concept
enabled the façade to confuse the wind since the vertices of the wind never consolidate with each
other as a result of the evolving building façade. The shaped floor plan comes along with other
advantages including an optimal plan depth to perimeter ratio as well as enabling maximum
views from the outward without the neighbouring apartment being overlooked.

Among the design principles noted in the building include:
Variation with the Height in Program, Form and Texture: According to this principle, tall
buildings are not supposed to be monolithic vertical extrusion of a given efficient floor plan yet
rather have varied in terms of the form, expression as well as program. The variance in the form
is supposed to be an inspiration derived from the city is it physically and environmentally (Yuan
et al., 2017).
Still, there is a realization in the industry that climate is significantly varying with variation in
height hence some of great heights being attained with tall structures of the present significantly
mean design of single tall structures which cut across numbers climate zones (Potienko,
Kuznetsova, Solyakova and Klyueva, 2018). The external air temperature of building is
estimated to be about 7 degree centigrade cooler at building top as compared to bottom hence
such may be noticed in form, systems, façade as well as the program of structure.
Figure 1: Burj Khalifa landscape (Yuan et al., 2017)
Construction of Burj Khalifa stands out a numerous stacked communities as per the opportunities
of every specific horizon in terms of climate as well as physical arrangement in the relation to

the city as opposed to being erected as one monolithic shape from ground level. This manifests
itself in building manipulation as and program as well as the variance in the texture and skin all
over the building based on responsibilities of every varied horizon within form. The MEP
alongside other systems as well vary with at the very least air intake taking place at top of tower
taking advantage of the numerous extent of free cooling available. The building incorporates the
concept of scale is introduced all over building with the building being thought of and designed
accordingly as numerous small buildings put on top of every other within overarching system of
aesthetics, systems as well as structures among others as opposed to a single monolith form as
inspired by a single span.
The construction of the building is in relation to the environmental feature of the town (Gültekin,
2017). As per the principle, any building is considered to be truly environmental only if it
maximizes the potential for utilization of every aspect of the climate within structure. This
encompasses consideration of light, sun, wind, rain and air to ensure minimal impacts on the
building. The design of the building has been done in such a way that it is opposite to the wind
forces hence rendering it climatically relevant to the context.
Burj Khalifa is a perfect complement to sustainable development initiative through making use
of solar panels in heating of 140000 litters of water each day that would then be distributed to the
various homes as well as commercial entities that are found within tower. The solar powered
water results in saving of energy to the tune of 3200 kilowatts per day thus 690 MWh of energy
every year. The solar panels serve as solar solar collectors in comparison with the photovoltaic
electricity generation technology. The tower has 378 collector panels with each of them
occupying a space of 2.7 square metres and is able to heat whole 140000 litres in about 7 hours
per day of time solar radiation.

Figure 2: Burj Khalifa building (Gültekin, 2017)
To enhance energy efficiency, fitting of Fresh Air Handling Units has been done using thermal
wheels and where convenient economizer modes. Still, there is elaborate use of variable speed
drives on air handling as well as water circulating equipment to as well top up on the energy
efficiency. The water systems as well as the air conditioning systems as well include elaborate
energy saving control systems at the main entrance of the pavilions.
What went wrong?

The design and construction of Burj Khalifa was done mainly using aluminium and steel
alongside concrete as the major construction materials. While the design was incorporative of
various strategies and methods of sustainable and ecological design, the major materials used
tend to be less ecological. The building in its entirety is hence not a reflection of ecology and
sustainability. However, owing to the complexity of the building as well as the height which
turned out to be tallest structure globally, sustainable materials including timber could not be
usable in the construction.
Another ecological challenge that even turns out to be a safety threat to the structure is stack
effect. This is a common phenomenon in most of the high-rise building. The stack effects defines
the movement of air into as well as out of the buildings and in most cases the warmer air tends to
be lighter than the cold air which is often dense. The warm air hence rises to the building top
even as the cold air attempts to fill the cracks at the bottom of the building. The resultant is a
pressure build-up at the bottom of the building which results in further cracking turning out to be
disastrous to the building. While there are numerous air duct systems to aid in the movement of
air out of the building in Burj Khalifa building, this does not completely eliminate the stack
effect.
What needs to be done?
An entirely different thinking way needs to be developed regarding the cities to attain the desired
ecological principles. Much of what is proposed via principles of design incorporate creation of
urban, non-private infrastructure within structures that are funded by local authorities just same
way it will be applicable in low-rise horizontal setup (Alotaibi and Sinclair, 2018). Delivering
such involves an entire three view long term stratified in height plan should be generated as serve

to replace constrained two dimensional zoning plan and maximum building heights specified
visions which predominate at the moment.
Every tall building will hence become perceived as an important aspect in general three
dimensional urban framework as opposed to an isolated icon that is superimposed on duo
dimensional urban design. This would as well aid in the breakdown of each ego informing
numerous buildings as soon as they should fit within an entire framework; be linked to each of
the neighbouring buildings literally.

References
Al-Kodmany, K., 2018. Sustainability and the 21st Century Vertical City: A Review of Design
Approaches of Tall Buildings. Buildings, 8(8), p.102
Alotaibi, F. and Sinclair, B.R., 2018. Tall Buildings, High Expectations, Towering
Responsibilities: Critically Considering Skyscrapers, Urbanism and Sustainability
Generalov, V.P., Generalova, E.M., Kalinkina, N.A. and Zhdanova, I.V., 2018. Typological
diversity of tall buildings and complexes in relation to their functional structure. In E3S Web of
Conferences (Vol. 33, p. 01020). EDP Sciences
Gültekin, A.T., 2017, October. Globalisation Reflected onto Architecture: Tall Buildings of
Ankara-Turkey. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 245, No. 7,
p. 072035). IOP Publishing
Potienko, N.D., Kuznetsova, A.A., Solyakova, D.N. and Klyueva, Y.E., 2018. The Global
Experience of Deployment of Energy-Efficient Technologies in High-Rise Construction. In E3S
Web of Conferences (Vol. 33, p. 01017). EDP Sciences
Yuan, Y., Yu, X., Yang, X., Xiao, Y., Xiang, B. and Wang, Y., 2017. Bionic building energy
efficiency and bionic green architecture: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, 74, pp.771-787