Dubai is home to some of the world's most magnificent buildings, towers, and skyscrapers. Numerous buildings here hold world records, making them unique tourist destinations.
While the Burj Khalifa is presently the world's tallest tower, the famous Dubai Creek Tower, which is still under construction, could soon take that title. So, if you want to understand more about the world's next highest building, continue reading below.
Background Information
The Dubai Creek Tower's development began in 2016 under the EMAAR Properties developer. It is also known as the Tower of Dubai Creek Harbour or the Iconic Tower. The previous title was displayed on the foundation stone at the construction site, but the name Dubai Creek Tower gained on subsequently. This name may be found on a giant model of the tower in Dubai Mall.
The Dubai Creek Tower is being developed on the shoreline at Dubai Creek Harbour, near the Ras Al Khor National Wildlife Sanctuary. Dubai Creek holds a central place in the city's culture and history, and it will continue to do so as more buildings and structures are developed in the region.
The Dubai Creek Harbour is intended to be a new area in Dubai, with the Creek Tower as its focal point. This district will occupy 6 square kilometers, which is roughly three times the size of Downtown Dubai. Also, the Dubai Creek Harbour will be located almost 8 kilometers east of the Burj Khalifa.
Height of The Dubai Creek Tower
The actual height of the Dubai Creek Tower is currently unclear and will not be revealed until the Emmar Properties developer announces its formal launch. Withholding this information is intended to prevent competition from other developing ventures.
Nonetheless, the anticipated height of the Dubai Creek Tower is between 928 and 1400 meters, making it the world's tallest structure. According to reports from Emaar Properties' chairman, the tower will be 100 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa, which stands at 928 meters.
Jeddah Tower (left), Dubai Creek Tower (middle), Burj Khalifa (right)
A video aired in Dubai Mall in 2017 showed that if the tower were piled on itself eight times, it would reach approximately 11 kilometers. Based on this information, we can estimate that the tower will reach a height of 1300 meters. The video also claims that 5 Dubai Creek Towers might be equivalent to 8 times the Burj Khalifa, bringing us to around 1345 meters.
If the Dubai Creek skyscraper climbs above 1300 meters, it will surely be the world's tallest building and manmade structure, surpassing Saudi Arabia's Jeddah skyscraper, which is expected to reach a height of 1008 meters.
The Controversy
However, there has been great debate over whether the Dubai Creek Tower will be recognized as the world's highest structure. This is because the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) defines a structure as a building if at least half of its height is habitable. Unfortunately for the Dubai Creek Tower, less than 30% of its height will have usable levels.
The CTBUH requirements are not embraced by everyone, making the topic contentious. Nonetheless, most public media and the Emaar Properties developer would most likely describe to it as the highest skyscraper in the world, despite its unique shape.
The Dubai Creek Tower will primarily be a site for observation decks or sky gardens. About 20 floors will contain hotels, restaurants, and residences. Plus, the antenna situated on the peak is meant for broadcasting.
The Design
The design of the Dubai Creek Tower is a work of the Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava Valls. If you've not heard of him before, you're probably familiar with some of his past projects like the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, the Turning Torso, and The Chicago Spire.
The natural form of the desert lily, which served as the foundation for the Burj Khalifa's footprint shape, inspired the architect's design for the Dubai Creek Tower. The cable arrays that anchor the building on two sides resemble ribbed lily leaves. These cables are laid out on the ground to give the tower the stability it need while standing over 1000 meters tall.
Dubai Creek Tower
Without the cable array, the tower resembles a minaret, a structure based on Islamic design and intended to represent modern Islam. The tower's narrow stem serves as its backbone, while the lengthy oval-shaped section toward the apex resembles a lily bud.
All of these components contribute to the tower's spectacular appearance. Although the project is a skyscraper, the usable levels will serve as observation decks, making it a standout in the real estate market.
Development
The Jeddah Tower, which would be taller than the Burj Khalifa, was scheduled to be completed by 2020. This would have resulted in Dubai losing the world record for tallest building. Since Dubai was hosting the World Expo 2020, they planned to build the tallest tower, which might be as tall as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and higher than the Burj Khalifa. In 2016, Sheikh Mohammed, the Ruler of Dubai, approved a plan to create a major complex, the Dubai Creek Harbour, alongside the tower.
Eiffel Tower
The Dubai Creek Tower replaced the original proposal for the complex's heart, which was a pair of twin buildings. A tower this tall can serve as a major tourist attraction, raising the property's real estate value and making the district a destination for visitors.
Emaar Properties and Dubai Holding are developing Dubai Creek Harbour. Emaar, Dubai's largest real estate developer, built the Burj Khalifa. Several international architecture firms submitted approximately six design suggestions, but the Ruler of Dubai chose one by architect Santiago Calatrava.
By July 2016, critical tests for wind and seismic factors were completed to determine the height of the tower. Later that year, in October, the preparatory work had begun, and about 170,000 cubic meters of soil were removed to make room for the tower's foundation. In May 2017, the foundation work had reached completion, and construction of the project above ground commenced.
The Dubai Creek Tower has a slender core structure, allowing for significantly speedier construction than a traditional skyscraper like the Jeddah Tower. If the project had not been placed on hold, the tower would have been finished by 2020. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, building was halted, postponing completion into 2022 or later.
CSEC, the China State Engineering and development contractors responsible for multiple mega-tall skyscrapers in China, was said to be involved in the development of the Dubai Creek Tower. The expected cost of completing this project is AED 3.67 billion, which is comparable to $1 billion USD.
The Pinnacle Room and Observation Deck
Dubai Creek Tower will contain ten observation decks in an oval-shaped structure near the summit of the tower. Standing on the observation platform provides 360-degree views of the city. The viewing decks are inspired by Babylon's historic Hanging Gardens, thus they will be adorned accordingly.
Aside from the interior decks, smaller rotational platforms that resemble balconies at the deck's edge allow users to enjoy more views from an open-air location. Half of the platform will be indoors, with the other half outside the facade.
Lighting
According to Emaar, the Dubai Creek Tower will be a beautiful landmark both day and night. It will incorporate dynamic illumination and movement lighting, making it a sight to see even in the dark.
Furthermore, Aurecon, an engineering firm, is developing the technology required for the tower to produce a beacon of light from its pinnacle. This may conjure the picture of a flower bud floating over the structure.
Interesting Facts on Dubai Creek Tower and Burj Khalifa
There are several features which we can compare between Dubai Creek Tower and the Burj Khalifa.
1. Height
The Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa stands 829 meters tall, 830 if you include the tip, but the Dubai Creek Tower is expected to reach a staggering 100 meters higher than the Burj Khalifa. So while Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest tower globally, the spot will soon go to Creek Tower.
2. Cost
In terms of cost, the Burj Khalifa took $1.5 billion while the Creek Tower will take about $1B to construct, making the Burj Khalifa is more expensive in construction.
3. Room
The Burj Khalifa has 163 stories, which include 900 residential flats and 304 luxury hotel suites. It also has many restaurants and nightclubs. On the other hand, we cannot confirm the number of floors in the tower.
4. Inspiration
Both buildings were inspired by the lily flower.
