The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is an engineering marvel—an unparalleled combination of solid science and visionary ideals. The breathtaking structure stands really tall in terms of facts, numbers, figures and stats. Here are a few of them that will make your head spin even without your having to stand on top of Burj Dubai:

The Burj Khalifa stands as high as 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) with more than 160 stories that puts it straight into the record books:

• World’s tallest building
• World’s tallest free-standing structure
• Structure with the most occupied floor in the world
• Structure having the world’s highest outdoor observation
• Elevator having the longest travel distance in the world
• World’s tallest service elevator

Tallest of the super-tall structures in the world:

The Burj Khalifa not only holds the unassailable record as the world’s tallest building, but it has also broken two other long-standing records: tallest free-standing structure, formerly held by Toronto’s CN Towers and tallest structure formerly held by KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, Blanchard, Traill County, North Dakota, United States.

The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has formed 3 criteria (discussed below) that decide what makes a tall structure really tall. Burj Khalifa has clearly come out on top in all three categories:

Height to architectural top:

Measurement of height is carried out from the level of “the lowest, significant open-air pedestrian entrance” to a building’s architectural top. This incorporates spires, but does not take in flagpole, signage, antennae or other functional-technical tools or equipment. This measurement is the most common method and is deployed to define the CTBUH’s rankings of the tallest buildings in the world.

Highest occupied floor:

Measurement of height is carried out from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor inside the building structure, leaving out the maintenance areas.

Height to tip

Measurement of height is carried out from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the building’s highest point, regardless of function of the highest element or material. This takes in signage, flagpoles, antennae and other functional-technical tools or equipment.