At the Top
Burj Khalifa
Location
DubaiClient
Emaar PropertiesSurface area
4,277 m² / 46,037 sq ftCompletion date
2014
Towering above even the tallest of Dubai’s skyscrapers, Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building—by a long shot. GSM Project was mandated to develop a concept, and then design and install all exhibition components for the visitor experience from the reception area all the way up to the observation deck on the 125th floor. When the experience was renewed and expanded in 2015, GSM Project was once again asked to handle the design and production, including two new observation decks at Level 124 and 148.
An immensely popular attraction, At the Top Burj Khalifa welcomes more than 5000 visitors daily. The visitor experience ushers people from the ground to the sky and back down through a series of highly interactive and multimedia installations that address the history of Dubai and the construction of the tower, culminating with an unparalleled view from the top.
Partners
Atic
Aya Communication
Accompanying visitors from the ground to the sky and back again is a series of content-rich multimedia installations. Downstairs, visitors interact with a large illuminated model of the Burj Khalifa, ride through an immersive video tunnel, and then climb up to the observation deck in custom-designed elevators with their own immersive multimedia experience.
On Level 124, high-resolution video screens embedded into the floor invite visitors to gaze down at a bird’s-eye-view of Dubai and fly across its landscape from one landmark to another.
Our challenge: Ensure a great view from the top of the tower despite its staggering height and Dubai’s regular dust storms.
You wouldn’t think the view from the top of the world’s tallest tower would need any help, but Dubai’s tricky weather combined with the significant distance to the ground meant potential visibility problems. To address this challenge, GSM Project developed all software and hardware for a custom-designed augmented reality digital telescope called the Tellscope™ to complement the view.
With the touch of a button, visitors can have a closer look at the city in real-time, or as it would appear on a sunnier day, at night, or in an another era.
Blending the romanticism of luxury travel with cutting edge interior design, it is an innovative, sophisticated, and exclusive space designed to make guests feel, literally, at the top of the world. In line with the long tradition of Emirati hospitality, visitors are welcomed by staff serving dates and coffee, and are offered the best view available from anywhere in the building.
Setting a new record for the world’s highest observation deck, the intimate VIP level on the 148th floor was opened in 2014 as Burj Khalifa’s most refined experience.
Also on Level 148, VIP visitors are offered the exclusive opportunity to go on an interactive tour of Dubai. With its Kinect motion controls and floor-to-ceiling parabolic screen, this media production whisks visitors out of the top of the tower and drops them down into four of Dubai’s most iconic locations: the Al Fahidi district of Old Dubai, a tent in the desert, the interior of a mosque, and the ultramodern Dubai Marina neighbourhood. In each of these locations, visitors interact with the video, triggering motion graphics and sounds, before they are swept away to the next destination.
Summary
GSM Project’s three mandates for Burj Khalifa have spanned the complete spectrum of services, including developing the concept, creating all written, graphic, and audiovisual content, and handling the design, production, and installation of all exhibition components.