By Michael Fahy www.thenational.ae The Tower Dubai Facebook
The architect behind a new US$1 billion Dubai tower that will stand higher than Burj Khalifa says it will represent a nation like The Eiffel Tower.
The Paris landmark was built for the 1889 Paris Expo.
Now Dubai’s Emaar Properties is aiming to emulate that architectural impact as preparations get under way for Dubai’s own Expo 2020.
Emaar Properties will attempt to deliver the new Dubai Creek tower and a linked “mega-retail district” at the same time so that they are both open by the time Dubai’s Expo 2020 event begins.
More project details were revealed by the Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar and Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava in Dubai on Sunday.
“There’s no doubt that the Eiffel Tower has inspired over 100 years,” said Mr Calatrava. “It represents a city, a whole nation. It still today is a monument. I feel so proud to be part of a team that aims to obtain a similar achievement.”
Mr Calatrava’s design was chosen by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in February following an international competition between five of the world’s top practices.
Mr Alabbar said that the UAE had only 44 years of history compared to the 500 or-so years that Paris had, but believed that this as-yet-unnamed tower could serve as a similar landmark in the future.
Although the overall height of the tower, which will cost about $1bn to construct, was not revealed Mr Alabbar said it would probably “be a notch taller” than Burj Khalifa – currently the world’s tallest tower but due to be surpassed by the proposed 1km-high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah in 2018. More info
