Planned Tower in Dubai May Become the World's Tallest

Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest skyscraper in the world, looming 2717 feet above the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city. However, the BBC reports that a new tower might soon eclipse the Burj Khalifa—a $1 billion structure that’s slated for completion by the Dubai Expo trade fair in 2020.

Dubai-based developer Emaar Properties recently revealed their plans for the lofty building, which will reportedly only be “a notch” taller than Burj Khalifa. The final height will be revealed upon the tower’s completion, when Emaar Properties wants to present it as a "gift to the city," Al Jazeera reports.

Designed by Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava Valls, the skyscraper’s long, slender design is reminiscent of a minaret. The tower is expected to include restaurants, a hotel, and observation decks along with rotating balconies and elevated landscaping inspired by the hanging gardens of Babylon, according to The Guardian. Developers say the building will stand in a yet-to-be built residential and retail district near the city’s creek.

While the new tower will garner lots of attention, it won't necessarily make the Guinness Book of World Records. As the Associated Press reports, since the tower’s spire will be supported by a matrix of cables, it may not count as a “taller” building than the Burj Khalifa, even if it’s technically higher. According to the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, at least 50 percent of a structure's height must contain usable floor area for it to rank as one of the world’s tallest buildings.

News of the brand new Dubai skyscraper comes just a few short months after developers in Saudi Arabia announced that their record-breaking building—the in-progress 3280-foot Jeddah Tower—secured funding for its last phase of construction. Like Dubai’s tower, it’s expected to be finished by 2020.

Learn more about Dubai's new tower in the video above.

Banner image courtesy of YouTube.

[h/t BBC]