The Burj Khalifa uses a Y-shaped design and a central core to stay stable against strong desert winds.

Architect Adrian Smith and engineer Bill Baker designed the Burj Khalifa with a 'buttressed core.' This system uses a hexagonal center made of high-performance concrete. Three wings extend from this center to act like braces. Each wing supports the other two through the middle core.The building's shape changes at different heights in a spiral pattern. This design helps manage a problem called vortex shedding. When wind hits a flat building, it creates swirling circles of air. These swirls can make a tall building shake or sway dangerously.The Burj Khalifa's uneven shape prevents these air swirls from forming a single pattern. The wind never hits a flat or uniform surface for long. Engineers tested this design in wind tunnels over 40 times. The tower can survive wind speeds up to 240 kilometers per hour.The building weighs 500,000 tons. To hold this weight, the foundation has a concrete mat nearly 4 meters thick. Under the mat, 192 concrete piles go 50 meters deep into the earth. Construction used 330,000 cubic meters of concrete and 39,000 tonnes of steel.