Tremco illbruck equips Burj Khalifa

The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, was opened on 4th January. Originally planned as the "Burj Dubai” (Dubai Tower), the tower was renamed after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan upon transfer in order to thank him for his support, worth billions, of the construction of the 828-metre tower. Sheikh Khalifa is ruler of Abu Dhabi, a neighbouring emirate, and president of the United Arab Emirates.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, an architecture and engineering firm, designed the building, comprising luxury flats, hotels and offices, with three wings around a hexagonal core. The wings buttress each other, and are structured with decreasing tiers towards the top to reduce wind loads. In addition, 192 concrete piles up to 50 metres long were used to anchor the building in the sandy ground. The piles dissipate loads through lateral friction. According to the architect, this allowed for the use of a raft foundation of the size that would normally support a 40-floor building to be used on the 165-floor building. To stabilise the building further, only in-situ concrete was used up to a height of 600 metres. The support structure is composed of steel or precast concrete components only above that height.

To seal the extremely varied connection details and to protect the building from moisture and heat, Tremco illbruck supplied 17 different products from its broad range, which will retain their function even in the challenging desert climate. The Cologne-based company is represented in 17 countries, including a branch directly in Dubai. This facilitated comprehensive, direct and on-site support of all responsible parties around the clock. The base building encompasses an insulating-glazed surface of 10,200 m², with aluminium frames and sealed with Tremco Tremsil 500.

This silicone is highly resistant to weathering and can absorb component movements of up to 50% of the joint width. This is a very important property as the size of the components and the temperature ranges encountered will result in a large amount of both thermal and dynamic movement in the structure the tip of the tower is calculated to move by up to 1.5m.Tremco Dymonic and Tremco Dymeric 240, polyurethane sealants, specially designed to protect joints from dynamic building movements, were used inside the building.

A further 25,000 m² of glass were also sealed with Tremco illbruck products. These include Proglaze II and Tremco SGT 9200, two premium components for secure and permanent sealing of structural glazing components that efficiently separate the hot desert air from the air-conditioned indoor climate.

In addition to the energy-saving sealants, Tremco illbruck supplied various moisture-resistant sealants for joints and floors, including those for the 120,000 m² subterranean parking levels and the plant areas, distributed at regular intervals throughout the building. The durable, waterproof coatings of the Vulkem product series, that develop a permanent, low-maintenance surface during curing, were used. Tremco Tremsil 200, another product in the Tremco illbruck product range, was used in the kitchens and baths.

Through its wide range of products and its comprehensive customer service, including support during project planning, training and on-site consultation and supervision, Tremco illbruck was able to win over the general contractor, Samsung C&T South Korea. Spanning the range from insulating glass sealants and weatherseals, to materials that absorb the movements of joints, all the way to floor coatings, the international firm provides innovative and effective products for highly specialised applications.

Manufacturing in five competence centres with differing areas of specialisation, Tremco illbruck can respond flexibly to customer needs. With its global network of branches, Tremco illbruck is also able to provide its customers with competent on-site assistance for their individual construction projects with accurate knowledge of local standards and regulations, just as in Dubai.