Dubai and Saudi Arabia towers in time war to be world’s tallest
(CNN)The race to the top has just gotten tighter, with two rising mega-towers in the Middle East battling to become the world’s tallest.
Construction has now begun on The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbor, a vast waterfront development, with completion scheduled for ahead of the Dubai’s Expo 2020 trade fair, which kicks off in October that year.
Piercing through a canopy of clouds, The Tower, at 3,045ft (928m), aims to take the title of world’s tallest tower, which the 2,723ft-tall (830m) Burj Khalifa, also in Dubai, has held since 2010.
But it’s got competition. The Jeddah Tower, in Saudi Arabia, is also slated to finish in 2020.
When completed, this gleaming vertical will be 236ft (72m) taller than Dubai’s creation.
That means if The Tower in Dubai wants the world title, even for a short time, it has to open its doors before the Jeddah Tower.
Ready, steady, go!
Both of these towers are feats in modern engineering.
The Tower, in Dubai, is being constructed by Emaar, the real estate giant also behind the Burj Khalifa, and will anchor the Dubai Creek development, serving — developers hope — as a magnet for tourists.
Designed by Swiss-Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava Valls, it will feature The Pinnacle Room — an observation point offering 360-degree views of the emirate — and public vertical gardens, while 18 to 20 floors have been reserved for homes, restaurants, shops and a boutique hotel.
If construction runs to schedule, this $1billion tower will have been thrown up in just three years.
The Jeddah Tower, in Saudi Arabia, will have taken a little longer.
Construction on this graceful arrow to the sky began on April 1, 2013, and was originally slated for completion in 2018, but its opening date has already been pushed back twice. Constructing it will require about 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel, according to the Saudi Gazette.
“Extensive studies were undertaken in preparation for the ground breaking, and the learning that we have gained from the experience will add to the knowledge base of mankind,” he said in a statement.
Developers have installed multiple damper and shock absorption systems throughout the building, to ensure its stability.
They also completed a series of wind tunnel, climate and seismic tests analyzing 12 scenarios across varying heights to check the behavior of the building under stressful conditions.
“We need to have a balanced and careful look at skyscrapers,” says Chen. “But they do serve to again push technologies, and push what’s possible.
“We can certainly learn from that experimentation.”
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