The World's Tallest Tower

The world's newest tallest building is about to be completed. This must be the mother of all tallest buildings and will surely hold the top spot in the ranking of the world's tallest buildings and structures for a long, long time to come. It looks amazing, a new milestone in architecture and technology perhaps. Can you fancy yourself there on the top floor looking down? I feel woozy already.

(Do they have earthquakes there? Probably not, just sandstorms. I can think of it being hazardous to planes or other flying objects. Oh well... the urge to leave a legacy outweighs everything else. But of course, we must look on the bright side.)



SPECIFICATIONS - BURJ DUBAI (DUBAI TOWER) AND DUBAI MALL, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Key Data
Order year
2003

Construction start
2004

Project type
Mall, residential and retail facilities and world's tallest skyscraper

Location
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Estimated investment
Dh800 million (mall, residential and retail facilities); Dh3.9 billion (tower)

Completion
2006 (mall); 2007 (tower)

Retail space
5 million square ft²

Shops
>1,000

Car parking
16,000 spaces

Key Players
Sponsor
EMAAR Properties PJSC
Lead contractors, designers, architects and engineers
DC Architects PTE Limited, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Bauer Spezialtiefbau, Middle East Foundations, Turner Construction Corporation, Grocon, Lerch, Bates and Associates Incorporated

This image is from BBC comparing the tallest buildings.


You can't say they don't have a vision. Remarkably, the inspiration for the tower comes from - a flower. The Hymenocallis is a plant widely cultivated in Dubai, India and around the region. It's harmonious structure is one of the organizing principles for the design.


The Foundation