Against the context of global financial doom, Dubai has announced a new multibillion dollar project to build the world's tallest tower.The tower, at the centre of the Nakheel port and harbour complex, is to be "over one kilometre" high and have more than 200 floors, beating its nearest rival, the existing Burj Dubai tower, still under construction and due to rise to a mere 818 metres.
Tall Vision
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai World, the parent company of developer Nakheel said: "It sends another message to the world that Dubai has a vision like no other place on Earth."
What sort of vision is this—a pioneering design that is doing what has never been done before? Chris O'Donnell, Nakheel's Australian CEO thinks it is. He said: "At more than a kilometre high this is an unbelievably groundbreaking design. We are pushing the boundaries of sustainable design."
Excessive Features
The complex will provide homes and offices for 100,000 people. If all the reinforcing bars were laid end to end they would stretch from Dubai to New York - one quarter of the way round the world.
The tower will be so tall that it will have five different micro-climates.
The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building could be as much as 10 degrees cooler than at the bottom. High-speed lifts will allow people to see the sunset twice - from the bottom and again from the top of the building.
Nakheel has emphasized that the design includes Islamic elements inspired by the Alhambra in Spain, the harbour of Alexandria in Egypt, the promenade of Tangier in Morocco, and the bridges of Isfahan in Iran.
This is an effort to portray a design that is home grown and expressive of the Islamic culture.
Not All Cheers
The message that Dubai has a vision is not new, even if the circumstances are changing for the worse.
"We have been bombarded with the tallest, the best, the largest, for the past few years," sighed Prof Abdelkhaleq Abdullah of Emirates University. "The novelty has gone.
In an earlier posting I have written about the UAE’s Erection Complex.
Details
• The tower will be more than 1km high
• It will have more than 200 floors and 150 lifts
• Approximately 30,000 workers involved in construction
• 10,000 parking spaces
• There will be another 40 towers ranging in height from 20 floors to 90 floors (250m-350m)
• The complex will have more than 19,000 residential apartments
• There will also be more than 3,500 hotel rooms and a super luxury 100-room hotel will be located at the top of Nakheel tower
Check this link to see the video of the project.
What do you think about building projects like this which aim to be the tallest in the world?
Dr Geoff Pound
Image: See how the new building will tower over others, many of which have been the tallest in the world at some stage.
