The Tower will be 100 metres taller than the Burj Khalifa

Here’s more info on the soon-to-be tallest building in Dubai – The Tower.

Remember that building we told you about that would be taller than the Burj Khalifa?

Well Emaar chairman Mohammed Alabbar originally said that The Tower at new development Dubai Creek Harbour would be “a notch taller” than the Burj Khalifa, but we can now confirm that it will be a hefty 100 metres taller than Dubai’s tallest building.

The Burj Khalifa is 828 metres, which means The Tower will be at least 928 metres. This also means, however, that it is unlikely to be taller than Jeddah’s Kingdom Tower, which will be 1,008 metres when complete (it’s scheduled to be finished in late 2018).

Both The Tower and Burj Khalifa are developed by Emaar, and the soon-to-be-built building has been designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Cables will support the building, and they will appear “almost like jewellery” according to Emaar chairman Mohammed Alabbar.

The tower will cost Dhs3.6 billion to construct and will include a boutique hotel, gardens, restaurants, observation decks and function halls.

Alabbar said construction will begin in July and should be complete in 2020 – it will be located near Ras Al Khor (as in near the flamingo sanctuary).

“The plaza will be much bigger than this [Downtown] plaza because of the sheer size of the tower and the cables,” explained Alabbar of the area around the new building. “But what we will do with the plaza and how we beautify it and real estate around it will be quite a job.”

Inspired by Islamic architecture, the tower that is inspired by a blooming lily will be an architectural and engineering marvel due to its eye-catchingly slender design, the delicate mesh-like structure around it and, of course, its mammoth size.

The architectural team confirmed that visitors will be able to go to near the very top of the tower, and will be able to stand on a 360 degree viewing deck, while the VIP observation decks will “recreate the splendour of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon”. Oh, and there will be balcony viewing decks that rotate around the tower. Umm, cool.

Here’s a video that shows how the rotating balconies will work:

Here’s what Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia will look like when complete: