Dubai has held the record for world’s tallest building since the opening of the Burj Khalifa in 2010. The gigantic tower, which houses office, residential, retail, and hotel space spread over 163 floors stands 2,717 feet (828m) in the air. It was an impressive feat, once in which Dubai and the United Arab Emirates pride themselves on, but in a few short years, its crown will be passed to a new record holder.
The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour, which will surpass the famed Burj Khalifa, has officially broken ground and is expected to be completed ahead of Expo 2020 Dubai. Details on record breaking buildings are usually kept pretty hush-hush until the last minute, to deter any other buildings in design from eclipsing them, but initial reports are expecting the new building to be 3,045 feet (928m) tall, over 300 feet taller than its counterpart. Although it may be significantly taller than the Burj, The Tower will mostly perform as an observation tower for Dubai, offering 360 degree views of the state of the art city. It’s also unknown how long it will keep the record, with the Jeddah Tower currently already under construction in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to peak at 3,281 feet (1000m). The Jeddah, which started construction in 2011, was originally supposed to open in 2019, but has since run into delays.
We strive for new achievements.
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) October 10, 2016
A new heart for our city and global landmark. Humankind has no ceiling or border but our imagination pic.twitter.com/q4sGw67P9Y
The Tower will be the anchor of Dubai Creek Harbour, which is a 2.3 square mile (6km) development, which will highlight some of the most advanced artificial intelligence.
Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of the project’s developer, Emaar Properties, said: "Dubai is a centre of innovation for supertall structures and breakthrough developments in architecture and engineering. The Tower will be a sterling addition to the smart city that HH Sheikh Mohammed envisages. We will continue to push the frontiers of engineering to complete it in time for Expo 2020 Dubai."
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