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Across Dubai myriad construction projects are underway in the lead up to World Expo 2020. But it turns out there’s always room for one more. State-owned investment firm Dubai Holding has released details of a huge post-expo construction mega-project, which will include a 1,804 feet (550-meter) high tower – taller than One World Trade Center in New York.
The tower, called Burj Jumeira, is situated in the Al Sufouh area of Dubai close to the Burj Al Arab. Plans show it will be surrounded by a mixed-use, residential and commercial zone dubbed “Downtown Jumeria” (not to be confused with Downtown Dubai, the location surrounding the Burj Khalifa to the north).
Rather than wait until post-expo to start building, construction is set to begin immediately, according to a company press release, with the first phase to be completed in 2023.
Burj Jumeira’s design is said to be inspired by desert dunes and oases according to Dubai Holding, and will feature a platform at 1,476 feet (450 meters) with sky lounge and restaurant. An observation deck will also afford 360-degree views across the city.
Perhaps the tower’s most distinctive feature is its base, designed in the outline of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s thumbprint. There’s plans for an amphitheater within the thumbprint for cultural events, as well as a water fountain.
If some of its features sound similar to the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building at 2,716 feet (828 meters) high – the Burj Jumeria will also be covered in a digital display capable of lighting up the tower.
When it breaks ground it will join 13 other “supertall” – 300 meter (984 feet) or more – structures under construction in Dubai according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
Five miles east of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Creek Tower is mid-construction. In a 2016 interview, Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar indicated to CNN’s Erin Burnett that The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour (now known as Dubai Creek Tower) would be 100 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa. However, developer Emaar and architects Santiago Calatrava are currently unable to confirm the planned height, saying the detail has not been officially released, but it will be taller than the Burj Khalifa.
Around the Santiago Calatrava-designed tower will be multiple new residential towers along with Dubai Square Mall, a $2 billion tech-driven mega-mall the size of 100 soccer fields.
Meydan One, southeast of the Burj Khalifa, is also in construction and is projected to include a mall, the world’s longest indoor ski slope and a 2,335-foot (711 meter) high residential tower called Dubai One Tower. Last December developer Meydan told local news the mall was still on track for a 2020 launch.
Dubai Holding chairman His Excellency Abdulla Ahmed Al Habbai said Burj Jumeria and Downtown Jumeira would “enhance Dubai’s tourism offering by adding another icon to the Emirate’s portfolio of unique attractions.”