“Places like Dubai and, to some extent, places like China, are still trying to put themselves on the map and prove that they have arrived as modern global and technologically advanced nations.” “These soaring profiles are in many ways symbolic,” Chen tells CNN. “Put simply, structures like this are very expensive upfront, but the benefits of having the ‘tallest’ are often worth the trouble – as was the case with the Burj Khalifa.”Īric Chen, the design and architecture curator M+ visual culture museum in Hong Kong, tells CNN that for emerging economies a skyline can be a powerful communications tool. “Visibility is itself an asset that can have a positive impact on real estate valuation, investment flows, tourism numbers, and public identity. “Height produces iconicity and visibility on a global stage,” says Gabel, explaining why Dubai has focused on building big. Subsequent iconic buildings, such as the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab, have given Dubai global notoriety. It was the city’s first high rise, and the tallest building in the Middle East. “The competitive situation we now see between Saudi Arabia and the UAE very unique.”ĭubai’s lofty intentions debuted in 1979, with the 39-story Dubai World Trade Center. “Historically, no Middle Eastern country has come close to building skyscrapers at the rate and height of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but notable pockets of high-rise development are occurring in Qatar, Israel, and Saudi Arabia,” says Gabel. Home to more than 65 highrises over 656 feet (200m) tall and counting, Dubai has become synonymous with futuristic skyscrapers, and has been a pioneer of this in the Middle East. Rather, it would be the world’s tallest man-made structure, or tower, until the Jeddah Tower is completed. This technicality precludes The Tower from achieving the distinction of being the world’s tallest building. “2020 is a real possibility for completion.”īecause less than 50% of The Tower’s height is occupied by usable floor space, it is defined by the CTBUH as a “supported tower” rather than a “building”. “The Dubai project is an observation tower, and therefore won’t require nearly as much lead time as a full-blown skyscraper,” Gabel tells CNN. This $1.23 billion construction project is, however, already 40 floors off the ground, with 212 left to build – it’s undeniably farther along than the Dubai Tower.īut to think Dubai could finish first is not “as farfetched as it sounds”, according to Jason Gabel, communications manager for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Constructing it will require about 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel, according to the Saudi Gazette. The Jeddah Tower, in Saudi Arabia, will have taken a little longer.Ĭonstruction on this graceful arrow to the sky began on April 1, 2013, and was originally slated for completion in 2018, but its opening date has already been pushed back twice. If construction runs to schedule, this $1 billion tower will have been thrown up in just three years. The Tower, in Dubai, is being constructed by Emaar, the real estate giant also behind the Burj Khalifa, and will anchor the Dubai Creek development, serving – developers hope – as a magnet for tourists.ĭesigned by Swiss-Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava Valls, it will feature The Pinnacle Room – an observation point offering 360-degree views of the emirate – and public vertical gardens, while 18 to 20 floors have been reserved for homes, restaurants, shops and a boutique hotel. The Tower will be the heart of Dubai Creek Harbour, one of the largest tourist and lifestyle developments in the world stretching across 2.3 square miles (6 sqkm).īoth of these towers are feats in modern engineering.
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