Photo by Omar Yehia

Originally Posted On: https://www.holidayys.com/dubai-creek-tower-tallest-building/

Countries around the world are always in constant competition for everything. Be it better services, better tourism, or better living. Every individual country is trying to outdo the other. But not the UAE. It is probably in a competition with itself and tries to outdo its ventures. And one thing that it always excels in is giving mind-blowing skyscrapers and infrastructural miracles to the world.

In today’s time, there are a large number of buildings around the world that are straight-up beautiful. Some of them even tried to compete to be the world’s tallest, only to be left behind by another taller structure. Shanghai Tower, Lotte World Tower, One World Trade Center- are some of the tallest standing buildings worldwide. But the record of the tallest standing building is held by Burj Khalifa, as it stands at a height of 829.8 meters. It was designed by architect Adrian Smith and is owned by Emaar.

But Emaar doesn’t intend to stop here. They are soon going to be the owner of an even taller building, named Dubai Creek Tower. This Dubai tower is planned to be 928 meters tall. Its construction began in 2006 and is planned to be finished by 2020, and launched in 2021. Once launched, it will be the tallest building in the world, probably until the Jeddah Tower, previously known as Kingdom Tower, is launched in 2022, which will stand at a height of about 1000 meters. The Dubai Tower is being built in Deira, along the Dubai Creek.

Let us have a closer look at this hyper-tall masterpiece

The Facts

1. The Tower at The Dubai Creek, now known as Dubai Creek Tower, is expected to be the 21st century’s global icon. It is designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Talking about the design, Calatrava said that it is inspired by lily. And the cable arrays supporting the tower are designed, keeping in mind the structure of lily leaves. The tower also resembles a minaret, which is of great significance in the architecture mosques.
2. According to the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the Dubai Tower may not be considered a building. According to it, a structure can be considered a building if it has equal or higher than 50% of the habitable height.
3. The Dubai Tower is one of the hot topics on some of the biggest discussion forums like Skyscraper City. The foundation of the tower was built by laying out 140 barrette piles, each capable of supporting a weight of 36,000 tones!
4. The tower is located at the centre of the Dubai Creek district in Deira, at the Dubai Creek Harbour. Emaar also plans to develop the district as the new lifestyle hub of Dubai. It is planned to be developed along the harbour, including the Dubai Creek Plaza.
5. The design was personally chosen by the Ruler of Dubai. Competitive designs and pitches were received from architects and designers all over the world. Santiago’s design ended by becoming the ultimate choice for the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
6. Along with an ultra-modern structure, it will also be lit up with amazing lightings. According to Emaar, the building will have lighting that will keep changing in intensity, color, and direction. This will make the building a spectacle whenever it is looked at.
7. Aurecon, along with Emaar, is planning to put up lights at the base of the tower that will resemble buds if the lily flower. These buds will appear to be hovering above the building.
8. The harbour is spread across 6 square kilometres. It is being developed near the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. The tower itself will overlook a stunning 360-degree view of the entire city.
9. Located just across downtown Dubai, the tower will provide a great view of the downtown and the Burj.
10. The construction of the tower will cost approximately USD 1B, which is about AED 3.67B.
11. Initially uncertain about the height of the tower, Micael Calatrava, Santiago’s son, stated that it would certainly be taller than Burj Khalifa. It was only later revealed that the entire structure would be about 100 meters taller than Burj Khalifa.
12. Atop the Dubai Tower will be viewing decks called Pinnacle room and VIP Garden Decks. While the viewing decks will be open for all visitors, The VIP decks will only provide entry to select special visitors. These decks will be inspired by the Hanging Garden of Babylon.

A Comparison to Burj Khalifa

Though both of the structures add glory to Dubai, they have their special features. Let’s have a look at some of them

• The first thing that to compare between the two is their heights. While Burj Khalifa is 829.8 meters tall and 830 meters, including the antenna tip. The Dubai Tower is expected to rise up to 928 meters, almost 100 meters taller than Burj Khalifa.

• When it comes to cost, Burj Khalifa is a bit on the higher side. It cost $1.5B to construct the Burj Khalifa, while the Dubai Tower will cost approximately $1B. The construction of Burj Khalifa cost more because it has more commercial living space than the Dubai Tower.

• Burj Khalifa has 163 floors, which includes 900 residential apartments, 304 luxury hotel suites, and some of the world’s highest restaurants and night clubs. While there is no confirmation on the number of floors in the Dubai Tower, it is planned to have the highest observation decks, providing a 360-degree view of the entire city.

• An interesting coincidence about both of the buildings is that the designs for both of them are inspired by the lily flower.

The Progress

The tower’s construction started on January 6th, 2004. It was planned to be completed by 2020. But due to the current health crisis, the construction has been halted. As of now, it is only safe to say that the completion and launch will be postponed by another year.

Dubai is known to have some of the greatest and most iconic buildings and monumental structures in the world. Be it the exceptional Burj Khalifa or the Dubai Frame, all of these structures have left their mark on the globe, which is not to be faded any time soon. And since Dubai is known to outwork itself every time, the upcoming Dubai Tower will also do justice to its commitment to create world-renowned buildings. Initially set to launch in 2021, it is a highly awaited architectural miracle.