How does a tall building like the Burj Dubai maintain stability? Burj Dubai has been renamed to Burj Khalifa. The official height is:
828 m | 2716 feet http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/
The architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill used a series of design models and wind tunnel tests that resulted in substantial reductions in building motion and wind loads. Altering the shape and widths of the floors helped to reduce wind shear forces. The tower’s foundation is a concrete podium weighing 110,000 tons and consisting of 192 piles that are buried 164 meters deep. The large foundation is to prevent the tower from sinking into the sand. The frame of the building is made of structurally reinforced concrete and a steel spire. To manage wind loads, a buttressed core system was used with 3 wings forming a y-shape that help to brace the core structure. The design helps to distribute the weight of the tall tower.
http://www.burjofdubai.com/obstaclesduringtheburjdubaiconstruction/ . To support the tower’s record heights and slim footprint, he developed the “buttressed core”[2] structural system, consisting of a hexagonal core reinforced by three buttresses that form a Y shape. This innovative system allows the structure to support itself both laterally and torsionally. It also eliminates the need for column transfers, and moves loads in a smooth path from the tower’s spire into its foundations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Baker_(engineer) Over 40 wind tunnel tests were conducted on Burj Khalifa to examine the effects the wind would have on the tower and its occupants. These ranged from initial tests to verify the wind climate of Dubai, to large structural analysis models and facade pressure tests, to micro-climate analysis of the effects at terraces and around the tower base. Even the temporary conditions during the construction stage were tested with the tower cranes on the tower to ensure safety at all times. Stack effect or chimney effect is a phenomenon that effects super-tall building design, and arises from the changes in pressure and temperature with height. Special studies were carried on Burj Khalifa to determine the magnitude of the changes that would have to be dealt with in the building design.
http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/thetower/design.aspx#wind