The three wings attached to the central core have four bays each, forming a Y-shaped plan. At every seventh level one outer bay is removed from one of the wings as the tower spirals up. The Y-shaped plan is ideal for residential and hotel usage, with the wings allowing maximum outward views and inward natural light.

Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development to include 30,000 homes, [citation needed] nine hotels (including The Address Downtown Dubai), 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential skyscrapers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) artificial Burj Khalifa Lake.