Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa has a Y-shaped plan and steps back twenty-seven times on the way up, the setbacks tracing a spiral. Arranged that way, the wind cannot build a vortex in any one place. The way to raise 828 metres was not to block the wind but to scatter it.
| First tell — Structure | A Y-shaped plan. Three wings hold a central core, and one wing steps back at a time on the way up. It does not narrow because it rose; it rose because it was designed to narrow. |
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| Second tell — Purpose | People live and work here. At this height, they must not feel the sway. Standing was not enough — not feeling that it stands was part of the purpose. |
| Third tell — Order | The setbacks trace a spiral as the floors climb. Arranged that way, the wind cannot build a vortex in any one place. Disturb the order of the setbacks and the effect disappears. |
One vertical line of 828 metres stepped back twenty-seven times in order to scatter the wind.