BUILDING A SUPERSCRAPER

Stretching into the sky, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is by far the tallest human-made structure ever built, and its design will enable us to build even higher

- ALEX DALE

Skyscrapers need to be designed to withstand two forces: the vertical force of gravity and the horizontal force of wind. When you're attempting to build the world's tallest building in an area lashed by fierce desert winds, a certain amount of engineering ingenuity is required. This was the challenge facing design architect Adrian Smith and structural engineer Bill Baker of US urban planning firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill when they were tasked with designing the Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates - later renamed the Burj Khalifa. They found inspiration in an unlikely source - a low-lying desert plant called the spider lily.