Landscape architecture of the tallest building on earth

1. BURJ KHALIFA PARK AND PLAZA
SWA GROUP

2. The park has the incredible job of connecting the tallest building on
earth with ground level by scaling down the size of the building to
match the surrounding street scape and make it more human-scaled.

3. The Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai
was designed with the three
'petals' of the ‘spider lily’
Hymenocallis in mind. The park
design reiterates that design focus,
with intricate and beautiful
patterning found in Middle Eastern
art, architecture and gardens.
Indigenous plants and local stone
paving are woven into three
complex geometric patterns
reminiscent of spider lilies and the
formal gardens spread throughout
the Persian Gulf. Each of the three
roundabouts and stylized
landscapes serves one of the
tower’s three functions: residential
living, office space and the hotel

4. The landscaping surrounding the incredibly tall building was carefully
designed to merge the structure with the ground level while providing
space for visitors to enjoy.

7. Main entry watercourt arrival

8. The main entry drive is a granite
roundabout circled by date
palms, with a central fountain
and three peripheral fountains
The ground level view of the Palm
Court shows ‘Hameln” dwarf
fountain grass (foreground), with
olive trees and ‘Royal Poinciana’
rising above the jetting waters.

9. Hotel entry arrival

10. This is the northeast side of the
Burj Khalifa Tower with its own
distinctive landscape patterning
of palms and succulents, with a
roundabout and curlicue
entrance to the subterranean
parking for guests of the Armani
Hotel Dubai.
From the hotel drop off at
Tower Park, radial paving
patterns emanate and extend
into the landscaping beds
that integrate with the traffic
circle.

11. Residential entry arrival

12. The bed plantings include shrubs
and groundcovers of Ficus
microcarpa ‘Green Island’, Iresine
herbstii ‘Bloodleaf’, Jasminum
sambac ‘Arabian jasmine’,
Pennisetum alopecuroides
‘Hameln’ (dwarf fountain grass)
and Quisqualis indica ‘Rangoon
Creeper.’

13. Wong took inspiration from
native plants, traditional Islamic
patterns and especially
the hymenocallis, or spider lily,
which is seen through an
iterative pattern of banding
including concentric and
radiating arcs and criss-crossing
lines.

14. Tower Garden Zone
The garden
spaces of the
Grand Terrace
offers custom
site furnishings
and a lake edge
promenade.

16. The hardscape banding is a
fine–grain mosaic of light gray
50 x 50 mm granite blocks.
The mosaic motif is a design
intent to create more
intimate pedestrian ways.
Bands of low-clipped hedges
of Ruellia brittoniana ‘Katie’
and Asystasia gangetica
Chinese violet alternate as
borders to the walkways.

17. Water Garden Terrace

18. A series of terraces slope from
the plaza to the lakeshore. The
terraces are 20 mm deep
reflective pools (the dark
triangular areas) of raised
polished black granite.
Interspersed within this
geometry are Plumeria
obtuse ‘Singapore
Frangipani’ trees in bloom,
and Seashore paspalum, a
warm-season grass known
for its salt tolerance.
Beneath the terraces are
four stories of below-grade
parking.

19. Irrigation for this spectacular landscape is
sourced via a synergistic relationship with the
tower itself. The Burj's chilled water cooling
system produces significant amounts of
condensation, which is saved and used to
irrigate the park.