On January 4, 2010, the Burj Khalifa (formerly the Burj Dubai) officially opened, and in so doing officially claimed its title of not only the tallest building in the world, but also the tallest manmade structure.  At 828m and over 160 stories in height, Burj Khalifa is 320m taller than the previous record holder.  Designed by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, it is a project almost 7 years in the making between all design and construction phases.  The project represents the collaboration of literally thousands of people from across the globe, all striving to build a structure which pushes the limits of our current technology in order to create something never before seen.  James Pawlikowski, one of the senior structural engineers for the project, will provide an overview of the features of the world’s tallest building, as well as the challenges faced in designing this unique and unprecedented structure.

James Pawlikowski is an Associate Director at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.  He holds a masters degree in architecture and structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  James is a licensed structural engineer as well as a LEED Accredited Professional.  In his career at SOM, James has worked on many significant projects throughout the world, including numerous tall buildings.  He is currently a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI), and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).  James is also a member of the ASCE Sustainability Committee, and is Secretary of the Structural Engineers Foundation.