Burj Khalifa – Cope with lightning strikes

So how does the building cope with strikes? Situated at the top of the tower is a lightning arrester that contains a system capable of detecting nearby electrical storms.

The arrester detects the polarity of the lightning and gives itself the opposite charge.

The tower’s steel exoskeleton acts as a giant Faraday cage that discharges the electricity around the outside.

The rod at the top of the arrester can measure the intensity of the lightning strikes, while the arrester is powered by a tiny battery to isolate it from the central mains and possible surges.