Dubai developer Emaar Properties is planning to build a new tower that will surpass the Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest building.
The government-backed company has not announced the height of the proposed tower, saying only that it would be “a notch” taller than the Burj Khalifa’s 2,717ft (828m).
The $1 billion project is scheduled to be completed for the Dubai Expo trade fair in 2020.
The new tower is expected to have residential units, a rooftop courtyard and a hotel.
It is designed by Spanish-Swiss neo-futuristic architect Santiago Calatrava Valls and will be supported by a matrix of cables.
The structure’s design means that it is unlikely to be widely recognized as a taller “building” than the Burj Khalifa even if it surpasses it in height, Associated Press reported.
Emaar-built Burj Khalifa is expected to be overtaken by the 0.6 mile-high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah as the world’s tallest building in 2020.
The construction will be the center piece of the redevelopment of the Dubai Creek, the heart of old Dubai. It will also have observation decks and restaurants.
Emaar Properties’ announcement from comes as developers continue to launch new projects amid what experts are saying is a softening real estate sector.
