The Burj Khalifa was designed by architect Adrian Smith when he worked at the firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The Burj Khalifa is to this day the tallest building in the world. However, Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is planned to be the first one-kilometer tall building and may overtake it. Coincidentally, Jeddah Tower was also designed by Adrian Smith.

The Burj Khalifa is more than just the tallest building in the world. It hosts not only residential areas, but a hotel, observation decks, and a restaurant. The park at the base of the tower has a design based on a desert flower. The surrounding area is now filled with shopping and other attractions.

The tower’s design was somewhat derived from the Great Mosque of Samarra, specifically, one of its minarets that is a spiraling tower that gets skinnier the higher up the tower. The y shape of the tower is used to optimize residential and hotel areas. The hexagonal core with wings is used to support the height of the building.