Inside Burj Khalifa - How Dubai Built $1 5 Billion World's Tallest Tower on Impossible Shifting Sand

[00:00:00]Hi guys, I'm standing at the top of the tallest building in the world.

[00:00:05]>> This is where it began.

[00:00:06]Not a tower, Dottie, just sand, machinery, and an impossible idea.

[00:00:13]>> Right here, in this exact desert, engineers were about to attempt something no one believed possible.

[00:00:20]This soil is the first problem. Loose, shifting sand is the enemy of anything built to last.

[00:00:26]>> Underneath, weak sedimentary layers meant any tower here would simply sink and collapse.

[00:00:33]>> Critics called it a fantasy.

[00:00:35]>> A castle in the air no one could ever actually build.

[00:00:40]>> So, engineers designed a Y-shaped foundation, the key to making the impossible stand. Boring machines began drilling the Y-shaped foundation and the first real step toward the sky.

[00:00:53]>> This is where theory becomes reality.

[00:00:56]The Y-shaped foundation is finally being built.

[00:01:01]>> The depth is exactly 50 m.

[00:01:06]Straight into solid bedrock. Keep it steady there.

[00:01:09]That's right. Ease it down.

[00:01:11]Watch the clearance on the right.

[00:01:14]Coming down now.

[00:01:16]>> Across the entire site, hundreds of piles are poured.

[00:01:21]The foundation is coming together.

[00:01:24]>> Piece by piece, the foundation is taking shape.

[00:01:28]But, the hardest part is still ahead.

[00:01:32]>> Together, the piles and raft carry over half a million tons of weight.

[00:01:39]With the foundation complete, the real climb toward the sky is about to begin.

[00:01:47]With the slab ready, crews begin building the formwork for the very first floor.

[00:01:52]The first pour goes in.

[00:01:55]After years of planning, the tower finally begins to rise.

[00:02:00]>> This is the moment the desert stops being a construction site and starts becoming a skyscraper.

[00:02:07]>> The foundation is finally complete.

[00:02:10]Everything built from here rises straight into the sky. Right here, the real climb begins.

[00:02:17]The first floor rises above the finished foundation.

[00:02:21]>> Floor two starts immediately. Steel goes down first, exactly like every floor before it.

[00:02:29]>> The formwork climbs itself, floor after floor, never once touching the ground again.

[00:02:36]The Y shape is not just design. Each wing braces the others against the wind.

[00:02:44]>> Day after day, the same rhythm repeats, and floor by floor, the tower keeps rising.

[00:02:51]>> At this pace, this tower is already climbing faster than anyone thought possible.

[00:02:58]>> The pressure looks good. Keep it steady.

[00:03:01]Affirmative. Concrete flowing smoothly up to the deck.

[00:03:05]>> Even as a global financial crisis shakes the world, this construction never once stops.

[00:03:13]Deep inside, the world's fastest double-deck elevators are already being installed.

[00:03:22]This tower has just become the tallest structure ever built by human hands.

[00:03:29]>> It is officially the tallest building on Earth.

[00:03:33]And it is still not finished.

[00:03:36]>> The final piece of the spire locks into place, high above the clouds below.

[00:03:42]This tower now stands taller than any freestanding structure ever built on Earth.

[00:03:49]>> At its final height, this tower stands more than 800 m tall.

[00:03:57]Now the tower gets its skin. Thousands of glass panels fitted piece by piece.

[00:04:04]Panel by panel, floor by floor, glass slowly wraps the entire tower in light.

[00:04:12]At the base, an entirely new attraction begins taking shape.

[00:04:17]A massive dancing fountain.

[00:04:20]>> Outside and inside, everything is coming together at exactly the same time.

[00:04:27]>> At its unveiling, this tower receives a new name, honoring the nation that built it.

[00:04:35]Every elevator runs test after test before a single visitor ever steps inside.

[00:04:42]Inside, this tower holds offices, homes, a hotel, and one of the world's highest viewpoints.

[00:04:50]Every surface on these lower floors is finished to the highest possible standard.

[00:04:58]>> Walking through here, it is hard to believe this was empty desert not long ago.

[00:05:05]>> Keep pushing.

[00:05:08]>> Got it. Got it. Check the level.

[00:05:11]Perfect. Done.

[00:05:13]Keep an eye on the velocity.

[00:05:15]I'm I'm tracking it.

[00:05:17]Readings are stabilizing. Excellent work.

[00:05:22]>> This tower is designed to sway slightly, absorbing wind instead of fighting it.

[00:05:29]>> The tower is almost finished. Soon the entire world will see it for the first time.

[00:05:38]>> Around the tower, the final details of the plaza and fountain are finally complete. The very last details are finished, and every trace of construction disappears completely.

[00:05:50]As evening falls, the first guests begin arriving for a night nobody will forget.

[00:05:58]>> Tonight, after years of work, this tower finally opens to the entire world.

[00:06:05]>> Every floor, every window, every system is finished.

[00:06:10]The tower stands complete at last, from an empty desert to this.

[00:06:17]Every single floor, every single day, all at once.

[00:06:21]For one last quiet moment, the tower stands alone before the whole world arrives.

[00:06:29]The countdown begins. In moments, this tower opens to the world for the first time.

[00:06:37]And there it is. The tower opens, and fireworks explode across the entire sky.

[00:06:46]>> Below, an enormous fountain dances in perfect rhythm, right beneath the tower's glow.

[00:06:54]>> I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. This is incredible.

[00:07:01]>> For the very first time, the public steps inside this record-breaking tower.

[00:07:08]>> In under a minute, visitors rocket upward through more than 100 floors.

[00:07:17]The doors open, and suddenly the entire city stretches out beneath their feet.

[00:07:27]>> This view alone makes every single year of construction completely worth it.

[00:07:33]>> Beyond the view, this tower holds homes, hotel rooms, and spaces people actually live in.

[00:07:40]From every angle, this tower now defines the entire skyline of the city.

[00:07:48]From nothing, humanity built something the whole world will never stop looking up at.

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