Contractors have until 20 November to bid for 1-kilometre-high skyscraper.
Selected companies have been invited to submit proposals by 20 November for a tower at least 1 kilometre high at the AED140bn ($38bn) Nakheel Harbour & Tower development in Dubai.
The companies are the local/Australian Al-Habtoor Leighton, the local/UK Al-Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, South Africa's Murray & Roberts Construction (Middle East), South Korea's Samsung Corporation, Japan's Taisei Corporation, and France's Vinci Construction Grand Projets.
The AED30bn tower will be developed over a period of 10 years. The client plans to shortlist two groups by the end of the year and select one group to provide pre-construction services by early 2009. The pre-construction period is expected to last for at least one year.
Enabling works on the development are being executed by France's Soletanche Bachy. The package is scheduled for completion in October 2010, and work on the tower's superstructure is expected to follow shortly after.
In June, sources close to the project said the tower had been designed to be 1.4km tall. However, Nakheel has only confirmed that it will be more than 1km high. Once finished, it will be taller than the Burj Dubai, which is expected to be about 820 metres high when completed in 2009.
The Tall Tower was originally called the Pinnacle and was to be located on the Palm Jumeirah, before becoming part of the Dubai Waterfront scheme, when it was renamed Al-Burj. The consultancy team for the tower includes UK-based WSP, US-based Leslie E Robertson Associates and Australia's Woods Bagot.
The development will be built alongside the proposed Arabian Canal and next to Ibn Battuta Mall and Jumeirah islands. It will cover an area of 2.7km and will be home to more than 55,000 people (MEED 8:10:08).
"The cost of construction of the tower, canal and other buildings will be AED140bn," Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai World and Nakheel told those attending the formal launch of the project on 5 October.
The development will include 250,000 square metres of hotels and hospitality space, and 100,000 sq m of retail space.
Other Nakheel projects have been affected by the global credit crisis. Work on its multi-billion dollar Palm Deira project has been scaled back, and it is now unclear what its development strategy across its $100bn-plus portfolio will be in the coming months.
It is likely that Nakheel, along with other developers in Dubai, will prioritise certain projects. The move to select a contractor for the Tall Tower suggests the scheme is a priority for Nakheel and the Dubai government.
In addition, the costs incurred during the preconstruction period will not be such a large financial burden as actual construction work such as dredging.
By 2011, when work on the tower's superstructure is due to start, the economic crisis may have passed, allowing Nakheel to proceed with work in a more benign financial climate.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Nakheel Harbour & Tower Renders
The tower was designed by Woods Bagot architects and it will be built by Nakheel, the same developer which has built those fancy state-of-the-art man-made islands in Dubai. The skyscraper will be called Nakheel Tower and as a bonus, there will also be built world’s first inner city harbor.
The entire construction area will be of 270 hectares, and when the Nakheel Tower and Harbor will be finished, it will provide enough space for 55,00 inhabitants, workplaces for 45,000 people, and for millions of tourists every year. Although it will be one kilometer-high, the skyscraper will only feature 200 floors, but this could change as the developers don’t want to tell us more about the actual height as rivals could build taller towers.
The entire construction area will be of 270 hectares, and when the Nakheel Tower and Harbor will be finished, it will provide enough space for 55,00 inhabitants, workplaces for 45,000 people, and for millions of tourists every year. Although it will be one kilometer-high, the skyscraper will only feature 200 floors, but this could change as the developers don’t want to tell us more about the actual height as rivals could build taller towers.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Nakheel Harbour & Tower Photos
Nakheel Harbour & Tower Photos, The future worlds tallest building / skyscraper photos. When this tower is completed Dubai will have the worlds first 1km high tower.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Nakheel Harbour Tower aka Al Burj/Tall Tower photos
Nakheel Harbour Tower aka Al Burj/Tall Tower photos, photo update of the construction site.
Also:
Nakheel tower overcomes design issues.
Structural design challenges associated with building the Nakheel Tower has been overcome, according to WSP Middle East director of engineering Stephen Taylor.
Nakheel appointed WSP Group as structural engineer for its Nakheel Tower project earlier this month.
The tower, which will be more than 1km in height, will form the centrepiece of the US $38.12 billion (AED140 billion) Nakheel Harbour and Tower development.
"All I can say is that the tower is well into the design and most of the challenges have been solved," Taylor told Construction Week.
He refused to comment as consultants working on the tower have had to sign confidentiality agreements concerning the project details.
The Nakheel Tower is set to "race for the skies" with Saudi Arabia-based Kingdom Holding, which announced plans for a tower standing in excess of 1km immediately after the Nakheel Tower launch.
WSP has also played a programme management role supporting the development of the masterplan and infrastructure works in Meraas Development's $95 billion Jumeirah Gardens project, the first master-planned urban regeneration development in Dubai.
The firm was one of many hired by Meraas for the project. "We've made sure that the master plan, with the 30 plus consultants that we have had working on it, is one that we are confident with," Meraas CEO Sina Al Kazim said.
Also:
Nakheel tower overcomes design issues.
Structural design challenges associated with building the Nakheel Tower has been overcome, according to WSP Middle East director of engineering Stephen Taylor.
Nakheel appointed WSP Group as structural engineer for its Nakheel Tower project earlier this month.
The tower, which will be more than 1km in height, will form the centrepiece of the US $38.12 billion (AED140 billion) Nakheel Harbour and Tower development.
"All I can say is that the tower is well into the design and most of the challenges have been solved," Taylor told Construction Week.
He refused to comment as consultants working on the tower have had to sign confidentiality agreements concerning the project details.
The Nakheel Tower is set to "race for the skies" with Saudi Arabia-based Kingdom Holding, which announced plans for a tower standing in excess of 1km immediately after the Nakheel Tower launch.
WSP has also played a programme management role supporting the development of the masterplan and infrastructure works in Meraas Development's $95 billion Jumeirah Gardens project, the first master-planned urban regeneration development in Dubai.
The firm was one of many hired by Meraas for the project. "We've made sure that the master plan, with the 30 plus consultants that we have had working on it, is one that we are confident with," Meraas CEO Sina Al Kazim said.
Friday, October 24, 2008
foundation works for the tallest tower in the world
The Dubai Nakheel Tall Tower is part of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower project and involves the construction of a new town on a 270 hectare site in the centre of Dubai. At a height of more than 1 km, when completed the Nakheel Tall Tower, the project’s central structure, will be the tallest building in the world.
In early 2008, Solétanche Bachy constructed three test barrettes and then, from April to June 2008, installed a 130 m diameter diaphragm wall including the capping beam. Last August, we commenced the construction of 392 barrettes to form the foundations of the Tall Tower. Additionally, Solétanche Bachy will be responsible for the construction of the pumping system, earthworks, a draining foundation raft and a concrete blinding layer. Foundation works are due to be completed by January 2010.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Engineers appointed for world's tallest tower
TALLEST TOWER: WSP Group has been appointed structural engineers for Nakheel's ambitious project.Consultancy firm WSP Group has been appointed structural engineer for Nakheel’s project to build the world’s tallest tower in Dubai, the company announced on Wednesday.
UK-based WSP said it was already working on plans for the more than one-kilometre high structure, which Nakheel unveiled last week as part of the multi-billion dollar Nakheel Harbour and Tower development.
WSP revealed it was also playing a major role in Meraas Development’s $95 billion Jumeira Gardens scheme, Dubai’s first master planned urban regeneration development, also launched last week.
The company said it was an integral part of the Meraas’s program management team supporting the development of the master plan and infrastructure works for the scheme, to be delivered over many years.
Chris Cole, WSP Group chief executive officer, said he expected the firm’s business operations in the Middle East to grow significantly in the next few years.
"Success in winning projects of the calibre of the Nakheel Tower and Jumeira Gardens is a strong endorsement of our strategy to increase our global business and provide our employees with the opportunity to work on major landmark projects around the world.
"We expect to announce our appointment to further high-profile schemes across the Middle East in the very near future,” he said.
Work on-site is already underway for a third high-profile Dubai project, the Dubai World Trade Center District, for which WSP is acting as design consultant.
It is providing structural, mechanical and electrical engineering input, in addition to environmental, infrastructure and transportation guidance for the $1.36 billion first phase of the project.
It follows WSP’s recent appointment to provide a similar range of services on the Dubai Exhibition City development at the Dubai World Central development in Jebel Ali.
In addition, WSP was appointed earlier this year to develop the Green Building Code for Dubai, supporting Dubai’s commitment to introduce strong environmental performance to the design and development of its urban space.
WSP is already working on projects across the region covering Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.
It has increased staff numbers in the Middle East to around 1,000 after experiencing significant growth.
UK-based WSP said it was already working on plans for the more than one-kilometre high structure, which Nakheel unveiled last week as part of the multi-billion dollar Nakheel Harbour and Tower development.
WSP revealed it was also playing a major role in Meraas Development’s $95 billion Jumeira Gardens scheme, Dubai’s first master planned urban regeneration development, also launched last week.
The company said it was an integral part of the Meraas’s program management team supporting the development of the master plan and infrastructure works for the scheme, to be delivered over many years.
Chris Cole, WSP Group chief executive officer, said he expected the firm’s business operations in the Middle East to grow significantly in the next few years.
"Success in winning projects of the calibre of the Nakheel Tower and Jumeira Gardens is a strong endorsement of our strategy to increase our global business and provide our employees with the opportunity to work on major landmark projects around the world.
"We expect to announce our appointment to further high-profile schemes across the Middle East in the very near future,” he said.
Work on-site is already underway for a third high-profile Dubai project, the Dubai World Trade Center District, for which WSP is acting as design consultant.
It is providing structural, mechanical and electrical engineering input, in addition to environmental, infrastructure and transportation guidance for the $1.36 billion first phase of the project.
It follows WSP’s recent appointment to provide a similar range of services on the Dubai Exhibition City development at the Dubai World Central development in Jebel Ali.
In addition, WSP was appointed earlier this year to develop the Green Building Code for Dubai, supporting Dubai’s commitment to introduce strong environmental performance to the design and development of its urban space.
WSP is already working on projects across the region covering Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.
It has increased staff numbers in the Middle East to around 1,000 after experiencing significant growth.
Nakheel Harbour & Tower Photo update
Nakheel Harbour & Tower Photo update, here is some photos taken of the constructon site today.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Nakheel Harbour & Tower Renders #1
The tower was designed by Woods Bagot architects and it will be built by Nakheel, the same developer which has built those fancy state-of-the-art man-made islands in Dubai. The skyscraper will be called Nakheel Tower and as a bonus, there will also be built world’s first inner city harbor.
The entire construction area will be of 270 hectares, and when the Nakheel Tower and Harbor will be finished, it will provide enough space for 55,00 inhabitants, workplaces for 45,000 people, and for millions of tourists every year. Although it will be one kilometer-high, the skyscraper will only feature 200 floors, but this could change as the developers don’t want to tell us more about the actual height as rivals could build taller towers.
The entire construction area will be of 270 hectares, and when the Nakheel Tower and Harbor will be finished, it will provide enough space for 55,00 inhabitants, workplaces for 45,000 people, and for millions of tourists every year. Although it will be one kilometer-high, the skyscraper will only feature 200 floors, but this could change as the developers don’t want to tell us more about the actual height as rivals could build taller towers.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
DUBAI Supertall Projects & Construction
The definitions for the descriptions in the status:
Completed - Structure ready and no more work going on on the outside of the tower. This doesn't mean it's opened yet though, just structurally complete.
Topped Out - Full height reached including spire
Rising- Between being at ground level and full height
Ground Work - Anything happening before tower reaches ground level. This description is important because lots of towers stall for a while or take a really long time before rising.
Announced & Selling - We're pretty much sure the tower has the final design and construction should start within a year.
Announced - Design officially revealed but no selling of office space or apartments. The design shown most likely final design
Under Design - Tower is known about, including developer, and the design is in the final stages but not yet complete. Design may still change.
Concept- Towers which are probably real projects but not necessarily(I try to exclude insignificant ones or ones most likely to be fake). Design in early stages
On Hold - Tower started construction, then stopped.
Stale Proposal - A tower which didn't start construction and which there has been no news about it for a long time. Most likely a cancelled project.
The List..
Completed - Structure ready and no more work going on on the outside of the tower. This doesn't mean it's opened yet though, just structurally complete.
Topped Out - Full height reached including spire
Rising- Between being at ground level and full height
Ground Work - Anything happening before tower reaches ground level. This description is important because lots of towers stall for a while or take a really long time before rising.
Announced & Selling - We're pretty much sure the tower has the final design and construction should start within a year.
Announced - Design officially revealed but no selling of office space or apartments. The design shown most likely final design
Under Design - Tower is known about, including developer, and the design is in the final stages but not yet complete. Design may still change.
Concept- Towers which are probably real projects but not necessarily(I try to exclude insignificant ones or ones most likely to be fake). Design in early stages
On Hold - Tower started construction, then stopped.
Stale Proposal - A tower which didn't start construction and which there has been no news about it for a long time. Most likely a cancelled project.
The List..
Nakheel Harbour & Tower Key Facts
KEY FACTS
• The project will take in excess of 10 years to complete, but completion will be phased, with various stages coming on line much earlier
• The project location is at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Arabian Canal, with Waterfront to the west and Deira to the east
• It will cover an area over 270 hectares
• It includes the world’s only inner city harbour
• It includes a tower that will be more than a kilometre high
• Apart from the Nakheel Tower there will also be another 40 towers ranging in height from 20 floors to 90 floors (250 meters to 350 meters)
• Nakheel Harbour & Tower will be home to more than 55,000 people and a work place for more than 45,000 people
• There will be more than 19,000 residential apartments. These will include a diverse mix of housing – from affordable family homes to exclusive villas and penthouses.
• There is more than 950,000 m2 of commercial and retail space
• There will be more than 3,500 hotel rooms. There will be a super luxury 100 room hotel at the top of Nakheel Tower
• There will be approximately 30,000 workers involved in the development of the Nakheel Harbour & Tower
Open space experiences:
• Nakheel Tower public space: to complement the dramatic height and volume of the tower, an expansive, breath-taking crescent-shaped open space “rings” the tower and extends out into the neighbouring districts
• The (Arabian) Canal Promenade: visitors and residents will have access to over 3.9 km around the tower precinct of meandering canal promenade environment and stretching to over 10 km along the entire embankment. As one of the unique features of this development, the canal promenade will connect Sheikh Zayed Road to Emirates Road through a myriad of urban experiences and spectacular views to the Tower
• Internal public space: while every block will be identifiable by a unique common internal open space, a series of distinctive neighbourhoods are planned. Weaving through the precinct blocks will be a chain of interlinked open and public spaces. Residents and visitors will be able to stroll through connected paths, plazas and courtyards stretching over 1800m, while experiencing the uniqueness of every community block
• An eight hectare canal district along the bank of the canal will incorporate a network of waterways. This district will also allow for the most desired vantage points towards the tower. Onlookers will be able to see the uniqueness of an over a kilometre high tower with a bustling marine harbour at its base
• To provide an active connection to the Ibn Battuta district, a ‘living’ bridge is planned over the canal allowing a seamless urban experience. This will be complemented by another iconic pedestrian bridge connections overlooking the Arabian Canal
Nakheel Tower
KEY FACTS
• The Nakheel Tower will be more than a kilometre high
• It will have over 200 floors
• There are approximately 150 lifts
• The design structure of four separate elements allows for structural rigidity while also allowing the wind to pass freely in the spaces between the skybridges reducing the overall wind load
• Total volume of concrete will be 500,000 m3
• All of the reinforcing bars laid end to end could stretch from Dubai to New York (1/4 of the way around the world)
• The tower has 20 kilometres of barrettes – (almost 400 barrettes). Barrettes are a form of pile used to make the foundation. A single foundation barrette has the capacity to support a 50 storey building.
• The building has enough cooling capacity to air-condition over 14,000 modern homes or to service 14 luxury resort Hotels each with 2,000 rooms and all the public areas and amenities
• The building is so tall that it experiences five different microclimatic conditions over its height, each with individual design features
• The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the bottom
• Due to the high speed shuttle lifts one may be able to see the sunset twice from the bottom and again from the top of the building
• The goal is to achieve the highest LEED certification we can for a building this size
• There will be approximately 10,000 car parking spaces in Nakheel Tower
• Nakheel Tower and podium combined will be in excess of 2million m2
• The project will take in excess of 10 years to complete, but completion will be phased, with various stages coming on line much earlier
• The project location is at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Arabian Canal, with Waterfront to the west and Deira to the east
• It will cover an area over 270 hectares
• It includes the world’s only inner city harbour
• It includes a tower that will be more than a kilometre high
• Apart from the Nakheel Tower there will also be another 40 towers ranging in height from 20 floors to 90 floors (250 meters to 350 meters)
• Nakheel Harbour & Tower will be home to more than 55,000 people and a work place for more than 45,000 people
• There will be more than 19,000 residential apartments. These will include a diverse mix of housing – from affordable family homes to exclusive villas and penthouses.
• There is more than 950,000 m2 of commercial and retail space
• There will be more than 3,500 hotel rooms. There will be a super luxury 100 room hotel at the top of Nakheel Tower
• There will be approximately 30,000 workers involved in the development of the Nakheel Harbour & Tower
Open space experiences:
• Nakheel Tower public space: to complement the dramatic height and volume of the tower, an expansive, breath-taking crescent-shaped open space “rings” the tower and extends out into the neighbouring districts
• The (Arabian) Canal Promenade: visitors and residents will have access to over 3.9 km around the tower precinct of meandering canal promenade environment and stretching to over 10 km along the entire embankment. As one of the unique features of this development, the canal promenade will connect Sheikh Zayed Road to Emirates Road through a myriad of urban experiences and spectacular views to the Tower
• Internal public space: while every block will be identifiable by a unique common internal open space, a series of distinctive neighbourhoods are planned. Weaving through the precinct blocks will be a chain of interlinked open and public spaces. Residents and visitors will be able to stroll through connected paths, plazas and courtyards stretching over 1800m, while experiencing the uniqueness of every community block
• An eight hectare canal district along the bank of the canal will incorporate a network of waterways. This district will also allow for the most desired vantage points towards the tower. Onlookers will be able to see the uniqueness of an over a kilometre high tower with a bustling marine harbour at its base
• To provide an active connection to the Ibn Battuta district, a ‘living’ bridge is planned over the canal allowing a seamless urban experience. This will be complemented by another iconic pedestrian bridge connections overlooking the Arabian Canal
Nakheel Tower
KEY FACTS
• The Nakheel Tower will be more than a kilometre high
• It will have over 200 floors
• There are approximately 150 lifts
• The design structure of four separate elements allows for structural rigidity while also allowing the wind to pass freely in the spaces between the skybridges reducing the overall wind load
• Total volume of concrete will be 500,000 m3
• All of the reinforcing bars laid end to end could stretch from Dubai to New York (1/4 of the way around the world)
• The tower has 20 kilometres of barrettes – (almost 400 barrettes). Barrettes are a form of pile used to make the foundation. A single foundation barrette has the capacity to support a 50 storey building.
• The building has enough cooling capacity to air-condition over 14,000 modern homes or to service 14 luxury resort Hotels each with 2,000 rooms and all the public areas and amenities
• The building is so tall that it experiences five different microclimatic conditions over its height, each with individual design features
• The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the bottom
• Due to the high speed shuttle lifts one may be able to see the sunset twice from the bottom and again from the top of the building
• The goal is to achieve the highest LEED certification we can for a building this size
• There will be approximately 10,000 car parking spaces in Nakheel Tower
• Nakheel Tower and podium combined will be in excess of 2million m2
Friday, October 10, 2008
ISLAMIC INGENUITY INSPIRES DUBAI’S CAPITAL NAKHEEL HARBOUR & TOWER
Includes tower more than a kilometre high and the world’s first inner city harbour
Dubai, UAE, 05 October 2008: Inspired by Islamic design and geometry, master developer Nakheel announced today that it is building Dubai’s capital, Nakheel Harbour & Tower. The new community was launched at a VIP event attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.
At the core of the Nakheel Harbour & Tower development is a tower more than a kilometre high and the world’s only inner city harbour. The development will cover an area of more than 270 hectares and become home to more than 55,000 people, a workplace for 45,000 more and attract millions of visitors each year.
“There is nothing like it in Dubai”, His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World, said at the launch. “Nakheel Harbour & Tower is located in the heart of ‘new Dubai’, where we have focused on creating a true community, a location for living, working, relaxing and entertaining, for art and culture. All of this is concentrated in one area.”
In line with Nakheel’s role in shaping Dubai’s future and creating some of the world’s most iconic developments, Nakheel Harbour & Tower incorporates elements from great Islamic cities of the past - the gardens of Alhambra in Spain, the harbour of Alexandria in Egypt, the promenade of Tangier in Morocco and the bridges of Isfahan in Iran.
“With Islamic influences governing its design, Nakheel Tower has been able to reach its height of more than a kilometre. This inspired approach has enabled us to achieve a number of amazing feats of engineering, for example the Tower will be the world’s tallest concrete structure,” said His Excellency.
Nakheel Tower will have four individual towers within a single structure – a groundbreaking engineering feat. A distinctive crescent-shaped podium encircles the base and complements its remarkable height.
“Nakheel has sought inspiration not just from Islamic design but also from the Islamic principles of inclusion, innovation, diversity, excellence, growth and progress. These are the same principles that have motivated and guided Islamic culture and helped create its great cities throughout history. Now they are shaping the cities of the future,” enthused His Excellency Sultan Bin Sulayem.
Not only has a development of this shape and scale not been attempted before, but it is also a further example of Nakheel’s innovative projects that have changed the way the world looks at Dubai.
The multibillion dollar Nakheel Harbour & Tower development will include 250,000m2 of hotels and hospitality space, 100,000 m2 of retail space and huge expanses of green spaces including canal walks, parks and landscaping. The new development is geographically central to the Emirate of Dubai, at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Arabian Canal; and will also complement Nakheel’s surrounding developments including Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Islands, Discovery Gardens and Ibn Battuta shopping mall.
The Nakheel Harbour & Tower development minimises car use and maximises train, bus and water transportation. A complete transportation hub blends into the harbour area with metro transportation combined with a unique water transport interchange, with Abra & Dhow station links.
Sustainability and safety will be key to the planning and design of Nakheel Harbour & Tower, with the latest standards and technology incorporated in the development.
“The inspiration for the project came from Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for building for tomorrow,” said His Excellency. “He is famously quoted as saying that ‘before evaluating the future, we have to take a quick look at the past. For it is the foundation of tomorrow’.
“It sends another message to the world that Dubai has a vision like no other place on earth.”
-ends-
About Nakheel
Nakheel is one of the world's largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for living, business and tourism.
Nakheel is developing an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai, and now in key markets around the globe, across a range of sectors - residential, commercial, hotels, retail, and leisure. Nakheel's projects are conservatively estimated to be worth US$80 billion. Upon completion Nakheel's waterfront projects will have added more than 1,000km of shoreline to Dubai's coastline.
Nakheel's Dubai portfolio currently includes Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Deira, The World, Waterfront, The Universe, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Furjan, International City, and Dragon Mart.
Nakheel is a key entity within Dubai World. Dubai World is one of the world's largest holding companies and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government across five continents and more than 100 countries.
Dubai, UAE, 05 October 2008: Inspired by Islamic design and geometry, master developer Nakheel announced today that it is building Dubai’s capital, Nakheel Harbour & Tower. The new community was launched at a VIP event attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.
At the core of the Nakheel Harbour & Tower development is a tower more than a kilometre high and the world’s only inner city harbour. The development will cover an area of more than 270 hectares and become home to more than 55,000 people, a workplace for 45,000 more and attract millions of visitors each year.
“There is nothing like it in Dubai”, His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World, said at the launch. “Nakheel Harbour & Tower is located in the heart of ‘new Dubai’, where we have focused on creating a true community, a location for living, working, relaxing and entertaining, for art and culture. All of this is concentrated in one area.”
In line with Nakheel’s role in shaping Dubai’s future and creating some of the world’s most iconic developments, Nakheel Harbour & Tower incorporates elements from great Islamic cities of the past - the gardens of Alhambra in Spain, the harbour of Alexandria in Egypt, the promenade of Tangier in Morocco and the bridges of Isfahan in Iran.
“With Islamic influences governing its design, Nakheel Tower has been able to reach its height of more than a kilometre. This inspired approach has enabled us to achieve a number of amazing feats of engineering, for example the Tower will be the world’s tallest concrete structure,” said His Excellency.
Nakheel Tower will have four individual towers within a single structure – a groundbreaking engineering feat. A distinctive crescent-shaped podium encircles the base and complements its remarkable height.
“Nakheel has sought inspiration not just from Islamic design but also from the Islamic principles of inclusion, innovation, diversity, excellence, growth and progress. These are the same principles that have motivated and guided Islamic culture and helped create its great cities throughout history. Now they are shaping the cities of the future,” enthused His Excellency Sultan Bin Sulayem.
Not only has a development of this shape and scale not been attempted before, but it is also a further example of Nakheel’s innovative projects that have changed the way the world looks at Dubai.
The multibillion dollar Nakheel Harbour & Tower development will include 250,000m2 of hotels and hospitality space, 100,000 m2 of retail space and huge expanses of green spaces including canal walks, parks and landscaping. The new development is geographically central to the Emirate of Dubai, at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Arabian Canal; and will also complement Nakheel’s surrounding developments including Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Islands, Discovery Gardens and Ibn Battuta shopping mall.
The Nakheel Harbour & Tower development minimises car use and maximises train, bus and water transportation. A complete transportation hub blends into the harbour area with metro transportation combined with a unique water transport interchange, with Abra & Dhow station links.
Sustainability and safety will be key to the planning and design of Nakheel Harbour & Tower, with the latest standards and technology incorporated in the development.
“The inspiration for the project came from Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for building for tomorrow,” said His Excellency. “He is famously quoted as saying that ‘before evaluating the future, we have to take a quick look at the past. For it is the foundation of tomorrow’.
“It sends another message to the world that Dubai has a vision like no other place on earth.”
-ends-
About Nakheel
Nakheel is one of the world's largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for living, business and tourism.
Nakheel is developing an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai, and now in key markets around the globe, across a range of sectors - residential, commercial, hotels, retail, and leisure. Nakheel's projects are conservatively estimated to be worth US$80 billion. Upon completion Nakheel's waterfront projects will have added more than 1,000km of shoreline to Dubai's coastline.
Nakheel's Dubai portfolio currently includes Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Deira, The World, Waterfront, The Universe, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Furjan, International City, and Dragon Mart.
Nakheel is a key entity within Dubai World. Dubai World is one of the world's largest holding companies and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government across five continents and more than 100 countries.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Some interesting facts about Al Burj Tall Tower
• The Nakheel Tower will be more than a kilometre high
• It will have over 200 floors
• It will have approximately 150 lifts
• The design structure of four separate elements allows for structural rigidity while also allowing the wind to pass freely in the spaces between the skybridges reducing the overall wind load
• Total volume of concrete will be 500,000 cu m
• All of the reinforcing bars laid end to end could stretch from Dubai to New York (1/4 of the way around the world)
• The tower will have 20 km of barrettes – (almost 400 barrettes). Barrettes are a form of pile used to make the foundation. A single foundation barrette has the capacity to support a 50 storey building.
• The building has enough cooling capacity to air-condition over 14,000 modern homes or to service 14 luxury resort hotels each with 2,000 rooms and all the public areas and amenities
• The building is so tall that it experiences five different microclimatic conditions over its height, each with individual design features
• The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the bottom
• Due to the high speed shuttle lifts one may be able to see the sunset twice from the bottom and again from the top of the building
• The goal is to achieve the highest LEED certification we can for a building this size
• There will be approximately 10,000 car parking spaces in Nakheel Tower
• Nakheel Tower and podium combined will be in excess of 2 million sq m – TradeArabia News Service
• It will have over 200 floors
• It will have approximately 150 lifts
• The design structure of four separate elements allows for structural rigidity while also allowing the wind to pass freely in the spaces between the skybridges reducing the overall wind load
• Total volume of concrete will be 500,000 cu m
• All of the reinforcing bars laid end to end could stretch from Dubai to New York (1/4 of the way around the world)
• The tower will have 20 km of barrettes – (almost 400 barrettes). Barrettes are a form of pile used to make the foundation. A single foundation barrette has the capacity to support a 50 storey building.
• The building has enough cooling capacity to air-condition over 14,000 modern homes or to service 14 luxury resort hotels each with 2,000 rooms and all the public areas and amenities
• The building is so tall that it experiences five different microclimatic conditions over its height, each with individual design features
• The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the bottom
• Due to the high speed shuttle lifts one may be able to see the sunset twice from the bottom and again from the top of the building
• The goal is to achieve the highest LEED certification we can for a building this size
• There will be approximately 10,000 car parking spaces in Nakheel Tower
• Nakheel Tower and podium combined will be in excess of 2 million sq m – TradeArabia News Service
Nakheel to build 1km-high tower in Dubai
Dubai developer Nakheel yesterday announced plans to build a tower that could stand 1km in height, beating the city state's own world record.
The tower forms part of a 140bn dirham (£21.7bn) scheme to build a 270ha new town, called 'New Dubai', which will take a decade to build.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, president of Nakheel's holding company, Dubai World, said that the project would be "one of a kind".
The scheme, in the Jebel Ali area of Dubai, is designed by US architect Woods Bagot and the project team includes engineer WSP.
Nakheel said that instead of a single core, the skyscraper will have four cores, a design choice that is “inspired by Islamic patterns”.
Chris O'Donnell, chief executive of Nakheel, claimed yesterday that the global credit crisis would not affect plans for the tower. He said funds for the scheme would come from a combination of 'pre-sales of land in and around the tower, and then project funding'.
The announcement came a day before the start of the Cityscape 2008 event in Dubai, the Middle East equivalent of MIPIM.
The event expects to attract 60,000 visitors from 150 countries and will include 1,500 exhibitors.
The tower forms part of a 140bn dirham (£21.7bn) scheme to build a 270ha new town, called 'New Dubai', which will take a decade to build.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, president of Nakheel's holding company, Dubai World, said that the project would be "one of a kind".
The scheme, in the Jebel Ali area of Dubai, is designed by US architect Woods Bagot and the project team includes engineer WSP.
Nakheel said that instead of a single core, the skyscraper will have four cores, a design choice that is “inspired by Islamic patterns”.
Chris O'Donnell, chief executive of Nakheel, claimed yesterday that the global credit crisis would not affect plans for the tower. He said funds for the scheme would come from a combination of 'pre-sales of land in and around the tower, and then project funding'.
The announcement came a day before the start of the Cityscape 2008 event in Dubai, the Middle East equivalent of MIPIM.
The event expects to attract 60,000 visitors from 150 countries and will include 1,500 exhibitors.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Nakheel aims for the sky
If the sky’s the limit, Nakheel is coming pretty close. Yesterday it announced plans to build a skyscraper more than a kilometre high, hundreds of metres more than the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, which is just 10 minutes down the road.
The structure, which has been on the drawing board for more than three years, is to be the centrepiece of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower development. It will be built near the Ibn Battuta Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Industry insiders have said that the tower, nicknamed Tall Tower, could reach 1.4 kilometres. That would make it almost double the projected 800 metres of Burj Dubai, and five times higher than the Burj Al Arab, the emirate’s iconic sail-shaped, seven-star hotel.
Nakheel, the Dubai Government’s property developer, declined to say how much the tower would cost or the overall value of the development. Designed by the Australian architects Woods Bagot, it is to include 40 other towers, between 20 and 90 floors each, a canal system and harbour.
“It will truly be a magnificent engineering feat,” said Chris O’Donnell, the chief executive of Nakheel.
Work on the tower’s foundations is already under way and is expected to take three years.
Nakheel will finance the development by pre-selling apartments and the 270 hectares of land surrounding the project, as well as bank loans, it said.
Despite the global credit crunch and a slowdown in financing for construction projects, Mr O’Donnell said Tall Tower would proceed because it was being developed over a decade.
“What’s happening globally is just a normal economic cycle,” he said. “There might be a slowdown but there definitely won’t be a crash as the fundamentals of the Middle East market are just too strong. A building project of this type was always going to take 10 years, and we will monitor the economic climate over that period when determining funding for the project.”
Mr O’Donnell added that the global economic slowdown would result in a more sophisticated investor. “Dubai has matured rapidly and property buyers are becoming increasingly discerning,” he said. “They will choose to buy property that is by the water, close to transport hubs or within an iconic project. In these times there will also be a flight to quality.”
Dubai’s property sector already has a number of world records to its name. The Burj Dubai, which is just under a year away from completion, set the record as the world’s tallest free-standing structure on Sept 12 last year when it surpassed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. Seven months later, it took over the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota to become the tallest man-made structure on earth, while only three weeks ago it was announced that the Burj’s height was more than 688 metres, making it the tallest man-made structure ever built. The Burj will also feature the world’s fastest lift, rising and descending at 18 metres a second. Some 56 lifts will carry roughly 40 people at a time.
Palm Deira, which is also being developed by Nakheel, is destined to be the largest man-made island in the world, five times bigger than The Palm Jebel Ali and more than seven times bigger than the almost-finished Palm Jumeirah. Nakheel has said it will be half the size of Paris when completed.
Standing at the foot of the Burj Dubai in the emirate’s new downtown district is the Dubai Mall, which will surpass all its rivals to become the largest mall – and set a number of other records – when it opens on Oct 30. Providing 1.12 million square metres of floor space, the building will feature 10 to 15 smaller malls with 1,200 shops. The mall will also have the world’s largest aquarium and largest gold souk, with more than 200 retailers, a 79,000sq/m fashion island with 70 outlets dedicated to high-end clothing, a Les Galeries Lafayette department store – the first outside Europe – and an Olympic-sized ice skating rink.
But Nakheel could be outshone this week at Cityscape if Meraas Investment Company, the private equity firm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announces the Dubai City Tower. That structure is rumoured to be 2.41km high, to be built in an area called “Vertical City”.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, kilometre-high towers are planned in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s City of Silk development.
The structure, which has been on the drawing board for more than three years, is to be the centrepiece of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower development. It will be built near the Ibn Battuta Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Industry insiders have said that the tower, nicknamed Tall Tower, could reach 1.4 kilometres. That would make it almost double the projected 800 metres of Burj Dubai, and five times higher than the Burj Al Arab, the emirate’s iconic sail-shaped, seven-star hotel.
Nakheel, the Dubai Government’s property developer, declined to say how much the tower would cost or the overall value of the development. Designed by the Australian architects Woods Bagot, it is to include 40 other towers, between 20 and 90 floors each, a canal system and harbour.
“It will truly be a magnificent engineering feat,” said Chris O’Donnell, the chief executive of Nakheel.
Work on the tower’s foundations is already under way and is expected to take three years.
Nakheel will finance the development by pre-selling apartments and the 270 hectares of land surrounding the project, as well as bank loans, it said.
Despite the global credit crunch and a slowdown in financing for construction projects, Mr O’Donnell said Tall Tower would proceed because it was being developed over a decade.
“What’s happening globally is just a normal economic cycle,” he said. “There might be a slowdown but there definitely won’t be a crash as the fundamentals of the Middle East market are just too strong. A building project of this type was always going to take 10 years, and we will monitor the economic climate over that period when determining funding for the project.”
Mr O’Donnell added that the global economic slowdown would result in a more sophisticated investor. “Dubai has matured rapidly and property buyers are becoming increasingly discerning,” he said. “They will choose to buy property that is by the water, close to transport hubs or within an iconic project. In these times there will also be a flight to quality.”
Dubai’s property sector already has a number of world records to its name. The Burj Dubai, which is just under a year away from completion, set the record as the world’s tallest free-standing structure on Sept 12 last year when it surpassed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. Seven months later, it took over the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota to become the tallest man-made structure on earth, while only three weeks ago it was announced that the Burj’s height was more than 688 metres, making it the tallest man-made structure ever built. The Burj will also feature the world’s fastest lift, rising and descending at 18 metres a second. Some 56 lifts will carry roughly 40 people at a time.
Palm Deira, which is also being developed by Nakheel, is destined to be the largest man-made island in the world, five times bigger than The Palm Jebel Ali and more than seven times bigger than the almost-finished Palm Jumeirah. Nakheel has said it will be half the size of Paris when completed.
Standing at the foot of the Burj Dubai in the emirate’s new downtown district is the Dubai Mall, which will surpass all its rivals to become the largest mall – and set a number of other records – when it opens on Oct 30. Providing 1.12 million square metres of floor space, the building will feature 10 to 15 smaller malls with 1,200 shops. The mall will also have the world’s largest aquarium and largest gold souk, with more than 200 retailers, a 79,000sq/m fashion island with 70 outlets dedicated to high-end clothing, a Les Galeries Lafayette department store – the first outside Europe – and an Olympic-sized ice skating rink.
But Nakheel could be outshone this week at Cityscape if Meraas Investment Company, the private equity firm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announces the Dubai City Tower. That structure is rumoured to be 2.41km high, to be built in an area called “Vertical City”.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, kilometre-high towers are planned in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s City of Silk development.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Dubai aims to top its own world's tallest tower
With record-breaking tower nearly complete, booming Dubai shoots even higher -- a lot higher
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- With its world's tallest building nearing completion, Dubai said Sunday it is embarking on an even more ambitious skyscraper: one that will soar the length of more than 10 American football fields.
That's about two-thirds of a mile or the height of more than three of New York's Chrysler Buildings stacked end-to-end.
Babel had nothing on this place.
"This is unbelievably groundbreaking design," Chief Executive Chris O'Donnell said during a briefing at the company's sales center, not far from the proposed site. "This still takes my breath away."
The tower, which will take more than a decade to complete, will be the centerpiece of a sprawling development state-owned builder Nakheel plans to create in the rapidly growing "New Dubai" section of the city. Foundation work has already begun, O'Donnell said.
The area is located between two of the city's artificial palm-shaped islands, which Nakheel also built. The project will include a manmade inland harbor and 40 additional towers up to 90 floors high.
About 150 elevators will carry residents and workers to the Nakheel Tower's more than 200 floors, the company said. The building will be composed of four separate towers joined at various levels and centered on an open atrium.
"It does show a lot of confidence in this environment" of worldwide credit problems and a souring global economy, said Marios Maratheftis, Standard Chartered Bank's Dubai-based regional head of research.
As part of government-run conglomerate Dubai World, Nakheel has played a major role in creating modern-day Dubai, a city that has blossomed from a tiny Persian Gulf fishing and pearling village into a major business and tourism hub in a matter of decades.
Besides the growing archipelago of man-made islands for which it is best known, Nakheel is responsible for a number of the city's malls, hotels and hundreds of apartment buildings.
The company said the new project is inspired by Islamic design and draws inspiration from sites such as the Alhambra in Spain and the harbor of Alexandria in Egypt.
"There is nothing like it in Dubai," said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Nakheel's chairman.
Perhaps not quite. But Dubai is already home to the world's tallest building, even if it remains unfinished.
That skyscraper, the Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower in Arabic, is being built by Nakheel's chief competitor, Emaar Properties.
Emaar has kept the final height of the silvery steel-and-glass tower a closely guarded secret, saying only that it stood at a "new record height" of 2,257 feet at the start of last month. It's due to be finished next September.
The final height of Nakheel's proposed tower is likewise a secret, as is the price tag. The company would only say it will be more than a kilometer (3,281 feet) tall.
O'Donnell said he was confident that Nakheel could pay for the project despite the financial troubles roiling the world's economy.
He also brushed aside concerns by some analysts that Dubai's property market is becoming overheated and due for a potentially sharp correction.
"In Dubai, demand outstrips supply," he said. "There might be a slowdown, but there definitely won't be a crash."
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- With its world's tallest building nearing completion, Dubai said Sunday it is embarking on an even more ambitious skyscraper: one that will soar the length of more than 10 American football fields.
That's about two-thirds of a mile or the height of more than three of New York's Chrysler Buildings stacked end-to-end.
Babel had nothing on this place.
"This is unbelievably groundbreaking design," Chief Executive Chris O'Donnell said during a briefing at the company's sales center, not far from the proposed site. "This still takes my breath away."
The tower, which will take more than a decade to complete, will be the centerpiece of a sprawling development state-owned builder Nakheel plans to create in the rapidly growing "New Dubai" section of the city. Foundation work has already begun, O'Donnell said.
The area is located between two of the city's artificial palm-shaped islands, which Nakheel also built. The project will include a manmade inland harbor and 40 additional towers up to 90 floors high.
About 150 elevators will carry residents and workers to the Nakheel Tower's more than 200 floors, the company said. The building will be composed of four separate towers joined at various levels and centered on an open atrium.
"It does show a lot of confidence in this environment" of worldwide credit problems and a souring global economy, said Marios Maratheftis, Standard Chartered Bank's Dubai-based regional head of research.
As part of government-run conglomerate Dubai World, Nakheel has played a major role in creating modern-day Dubai, a city that has blossomed from a tiny Persian Gulf fishing and pearling village into a major business and tourism hub in a matter of decades.
Besides the growing archipelago of man-made islands for which it is best known, Nakheel is responsible for a number of the city's malls, hotels and hundreds of apartment buildings.
The company said the new project is inspired by Islamic design and draws inspiration from sites such as the Alhambra in Spain and the harbor of Alexandria in Egypt.
"There is nothing like it in Dubai," said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Nakheel's chairman.
Perhaps not quite. But Dubai is already home to the world's tallest building, even if it remains unfinished.
That skyscraper, the Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower in Arabic, is being built by Nakheel's chief competitor, Emaar Properties.
Emaar has kept the final height of the silvery steel-and-glass tower a closely guarded secret, saying only that it stood at a "new record height" of 2,257 feet at the start of last month. It's due to be finished next September.
The final height of Nakheel's proposed tower is likewise a secret, as is the price tag. The company would only say it will be more than a kilometer (3,281 feet) tall.
O'Donnell said he was confident that Nakheel could pay for the project despite the financial troubles roiling the world's economy.
He also brushed aside concerns by some analysts that Dubai's property market is becoming overheated and due for a potentially sharp correction.
"In Dubai, demand outstrips supply," he said. "There might be a slowdown, but there definitely won't be a crash."
Nakheel announces kilometre high skyscraper
The structure will be the centre-piece of an inner-city harbour set to become the emirate's new, unofficial capital
After more than three years on the drawing board, Nakheel has announced that it is to build a skyscraper that will be more than one kilometre high, the tallest in the world — but only minutes down the road from the current tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai.
The tower will be the centrepiece of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower development, which is planned close to Ibn Battuta shopping mall on the Sheikh Zayed Road.
Industry insiders have said that the tower could reach as high as 1.4 kilometres when finished, making it almost double the height of Emaar Properties’ Burj Dubai, which is expected to reach over 800 metres when completed towards the end of next year.
Nakheel declined to disclose the cost of the tower, which has been designed by Australian architects Woods Bagot, or the overall value of the development, which will include 40 other towers of between 20 and 90 floors, along with a canal system and harbour.
“It will truly be a magnificent engineering feat,” said Chris O’Donnell, the chief executive of Nakheel.
Foundation work on the tower is already under way and is expected to take three years to complete.
Nakheel will finance the development through a combination of pre-sales of apartments, the sale of 270 hectares of land surrounding the project and bank loans.
Despite the global credit crunch and a slowdown in financing for construction projects, Mr O’Donnell said he was confident that the project would be built successfully, owing to the fact it would be developed over 10 years. “What’s happening globally is just a normal economic cycle,” he said.
“There might be a slowdown but there definitely won’t be a crash as the fundamentals of the Middle East market are just too strong. A building project of this type was always going to take 10 years, and we will monitor the economic climate over that period when determining funding for the project.”
Mr O’Donnell added that the current global economic slowdown would result in a more discerning investor.
“Dubai has matured rapidly and property buyers are becoming increasingly discerning. They will choose to buy property that is by the water, close to transport hubs or within an iconic project,” he said
“In these times there will also be a flight to quality.”
But Nakheel could be outshone in the next few days at this week’s Cityscape if Meraas, the private equity firm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announces its tall tower. An advertisement on the Cityscape website yesterday showed a teaser image of the Atrium City Tower, a design by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill that would rise higher than any tower ever built.
Other tall towers planned for the Middle East include a kilometre-high tower in Saudi Arabia, along with another kilometre-high tower in Kuwait’s City of Silk development.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Tall Order: Super Skyscraper Plan
It will be more than 1km high, have 150 lifts and will take over 10 years to construct, say the developers of what could become the world's tallest building.
The Islamic design-inspired Nakheel Tower will be the centre piece of a multi-billion pound inner-city harbour development in Dubai.
Its makers claim it will be so tall that the tower will experience five different microclimatic conditions above its height.
And high speed shuttle lifts will mean people will be able to see the sunset twice - from the bottom and again from the top of the building.
Nakheel - the company that created man-made islands in the shapes of a palm tree and the world - is behind the build.
Its chief executive officer, Christopher O'Donnell, cautiously told a news conference: "From our perspective, we are building a tower that's going to be over 1km in height.
"This is a complete iconic development. It may be the tallest. Someone may build something taller."
But "tallest building" claims are notoriously difficult to make. Debates about what counts as a candidate include whether buildings under construction should be considered and whether roof-top antennas count.
What is certain is that the tower will climb above the current holder of the "world's tallest building" position - the Emirate's own Burj Dubai.
Asked if the firm was worried about embarking on such a development during a global financial crisis, Mr O'Donnell said: "It was always going to be a project that would take 10 years-plus.
"When you go about trying to fund a project like this, you have to take account of the economic cycles."
The company would not comment on how much the tower will cost to build.
Also:
Nakheel is to trump rival Emaar Properties in the contest to build the world's tallest building, with the Dubai-owned developer on Sunday unveiling plans for a tower that will dwarf the Burj Dubai.
Nakheel is poised to build a tower that will be more than one kilometre high, as part of a 140 billion-dirham ($38.12 billion) project that will include the world’s first inner city harbour, company executives said.
Emaar's Burj Dubai, currently the tallest man made structure in the world at over 630 metres, is expected to be up to 900 metres tall upon completion in early 2009. The company has refused to reveal its final height.
The Islamic design-inspired Nakheel Tower will be the centre piece of a multi-billion pound inner-city harbour development in Dubai.
Its makers claim it will be so tall that the tower will experience five different microclimatic conditions above its height.
And high speed shuttle lifts will mean people will be able to see the sunset twice - from the bottom and again from the top of the building.
Nakheel - the company that created man-made islands in the shapes of a palm tree and the world - is behind the build.
Its chief executive officer, Christopher O'Donnell, cautiously told a news conference: "From our perspective, we are building a tower that's going to be over 1km in height.
"This is a complete iconic development. It may be the tallest. Someone may build something taller."
But "tallest building" claims are notoriously difficult to make. Debates about what counts as a candidate include whether buildings under construction should be considered and whether roof-top antennas count.
What is certain is that the tower will climb above the current holder of the "world's tallest building" position - the Emirate's own Burj Dubai.
Asked if the firm was worried about embarking on such a development during a global financial crisis, Mr O'Donnell said: "It was always going to be a project that would take 10 years-plus.
"When you go about trying to fund a project like this, you have to take account of the economic cycles."
The company would not comment on how much the tower will cost to build.
Also:
Nakheel is to trump rival Emaar Properties in the contest to build the world's tallest building, with the Dubai-owned developer on Sunday unveiling plans for a tower that will dwarf the Burj Dubai.
Nakheel is poised to build a tower that will be more than one kilometre high, as part of a 140 billion-dirham ($38.12 billion) project that will include the world’s first inner city harbour, company executives said.
Emaar's Burj Dubai, currently the tallest man made structure in the world at over 630 metres, is expected to be up to 900 metres tall upon completion in early 2009. The company has refused to reveal its final height.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)