- Title: Dubai begins building world's tallest tower
- Date: 11th October 2016
- Summary: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (OCTOBER 10, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF DUBAI RULER, SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM, ARRIVING AT DUBAI CREEK HARBOUR CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY OF "THE TOWER" UAE OFFICIALS AND GUESTS AT GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY VARIOUS OF CRANES AND CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AT SITE OF THE FUTURE DUBAI TOWER STEEL STRUCTURE REPRESENTING THE FIRST PIECE OF THE DUBAI TOWER BEING LOWERED INTO THE GROUND SHEIKH MOHAMMED UNVEILING PLAQUE VARIOUS OF PLAQUE, READING (English/Arabic): "THE TOWER AT DUBAI CREEK HARBOUR. ON THIS DAY, MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM, VICE PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND RULER OF DUBAI, MARKED THE HISTORIC, GROUND-BREAKING OF THE TOWER AT DUBAI CREEK HARBOUR."
- Embargoed: 26th October 2016 11:22
- Keywords: Dubai Emirates The Tower construction
- Location: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
- City: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
- Country: United Arab Emirates
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA00153K6251
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dubai officially began the construction on what will be the world's next tallest tower, surpassing the city's current record-breaking tallest building, Burj Khalifa, the developers said on Monday (October 10).
The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour - a joint venture between Emaar Properties and Dubai Holding, the investment vehicle of the Emirate's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum - will be completed in 2020, Dubai's government said.
Its statement did not say how high the tower would be nor how much it might cost, though previous statements by the developers said the project will cost around $1 billion.
Sheikh Mohammed attended the ground-breaking ceremony on Monday (October 10) where cranes dropped a cage of steel into the ground, the first piece of the foundation of the future tower.
Guinness World Records defines a tower as a structure in which less than 50 percent of the total height is useable floor space. The world's tallest tower is the Tokyo Sky Tree, a 634-metre-high broadcasting, restaurant and observation tower.
A statement from Emaar however said the newest Dubai tower "will eclipse even Burj Khalifa as the tallest building in the world."
The Burj Khalifa is 829.8 metres (2,722 feet) high.
Dubai, a major tourism and entertainment centre, is continually laying plans for new attractions. Its new tower, part of a plush new residential area next to a waterfront, will feature several garden-themed observation decks, it said.
It will also boast 360 degree views of the city and its skyline, including a clear view of the current world record breaker, Burj Khalifa.
Supported by a matrix of cables, the futuristic tower will anchor the redevelopment of the Dubai Creek, the heart of old Dubai where traditional dhow boats continue to ferry goods.
The tower, designed by Spanish-Swiss neo-futuristic architect Santiago Calatrava Valls, is slated to have a rooftop courtyard and a link to a retail plaza.
The building is expected to be completed for the Dubai Expo trade fair in 2020, the same year that the kilometre-high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah is due to overtake the Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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