Dubai is already home to the world’s tallest building but government-supported developer Emaar Properties PJSC revealed plans to build an even taller tower with a number features including rotating balconies and elevated landscaping inspired by the mythical hanging gardens of Babylon, the Associated Press reported.
Emaar Properties hopes the new tower not only draws in tourists but also homeowners who are looking for the latest and greatest place to live. The company’s chairman, Mohamed Alabbar, explained that the new observation tower would be a notch taller than the 828-meter Burj Khalifa but no specifics on the height were made available. In addition to the observations decks, the project will also contain a boutique hotel and several restaurants.
According to the Associated Press, the new tower will become the centerpiece of a massive development being constructed at the edge of Dubai Creek near a protected wildlife sanctuary. The structure is being designed by Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava Valls and Alabbar stated that he believes the project will become a modern-day Eiffel Tower that will be visited from people all over the world and also bring in property buyers. It is tentatively scheduled to open by the time Dubai hosts the World Expo in 2020
However, the building’s unique design, which features more of a cable-supported spire containing observation decks lined with trees and other greenery, means it is unlikely to officially be recognized as the world’s tallest building. Most entities that judge building height require at least 50 percent of a structure’s height must have usable floor area for it to be considered for the rankings. The new tower will probably not meet that requirement.
Of course Dubai has some competition when it comes to tall buildings. The AP noted that a skyscraper being built in the Saudi Arabian city of Jiddah claims that it will stand more than one kilometer high once it is completed surpassing both the Burj Khalifa and the new tower.
