Scheme by Santiago Calatrava Valls comes with hotel and viewing decks

Designs for a new Dubai tower that is set to be taller than the Burj Kalifah, have been released by the scheme’s developers.

Emaar Properties and Dubai Holding said the structure, created by Spanish architect Sanitago Calatrava Valls and destined for the Dubai Creek development, would feature a boutique hotel for visitors; fully-glazed rotating balconies that “extended outward”; and “VIP Observation garden decks” that would “recreate the splendour of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon”.

The architect said a total of 10 observation decks were planned for the structure.

Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, the developers gave few technical details for the structure, stating only that the tower’s slender stem would be “engineered to its most efficient diameter” and linked to the ground by “sturdy cables”.

Local media reported that Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar said at a press conference that the tower would be “a notch taller” than Burj Khalifa, which is 828m tall. The SOM-designed tower has 162 storeys and is currently the world’s tallest building.

Emaar and Dubai Holding suggested the Tower at Dubai Creek would be open in time for Dubai’s 2020 Expo.

A statement from Calatrava said his practice’s proposals, which were hand-picked by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum after a competitive international design pitch, made a clear reference to the classic art from the past and the culture of the Emirates.

“In my whole career, I have perceived technology as a vehicle to beauty and to art,” he said. “This project envisages an artistic achievement in itself, inspired by the idea of welcoming people, not only from Dubai and the UAE, but from the entire world. It is a symbol of an abiding belief in progress.”

Calatrava’s work includes the World Trade Centre Transportation Hub in New York; Calgary Peace Bridge; the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens; and the Turning Torso Tower in Malmö.

 

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