The building's architectural plan was ingenious, though laden with risks. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the structure around a buttressed core system; the tripod-shaped core twists as it rises to add strength and, according to structural engineers, to aid stability when high-speed winds whip the top.

The simple Y-shaped plan reduces wind forces and also enhances constructability. Each wing, with its own high-performance concrete core and perimeter columns, buttresses the others via a six-sided central core, or hexagonal hub. The result is a tower that is extremely stiff torsionally.

In addition to its aesthetic and functional advantages, the spiralling "Y" shaped plan was utilized to shape the structural core of Burj Khalifa. This design helps to reduce the wind forces on the tower, as well as to keep the structure simple and foster constructability.