Dubai says starts building world's tallest tower

DUBAI: Dubai said on Monday it had started building what would be the world’s tallest tower, another record for the city that is already home to the highest skyscraper – the Burj Khalifa.

The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour – a joint venture between Emaar Properties and Dubai Holding, the investment vehicle of the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum – will be completed in 2020, Dubai’s government said.

Its statement did not say how high the tower would be nor how much it might cost.

Guinness World Records defines a tower as a structure in which less than 50 percent of the total height is useable floor space. The world’s tallest tower is the Tokyo Sky Tree, a 634-metre-high broadcasting, restaurant and observation tower.

Dubai, a major tourism and entertainment center, is continually laying plans for new attractions. Its new tower, part of a plush new residential area next to a waterfront, will feature several garden-themed observation decks, it said.

The Burj Khalifa is 829.8 meters (2,722 feet) high.