World's tallest skyscraper that was set to dwarf Burj Khalifa before being left as an abandoned hole to FINALLY be built

The Sun

10-06-2025

A VAST tower in Dubai that was once planned to be the world's new tallest building could soon finally be built.
The Dubai Creek Tower was once envisaged as a colossus that would even dwarf that city's famous Burj Khalifa.
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Its original design would have seen it stand at a staggering 4,300ft tall - far higher than the Burj Khalifa (2,722ft).
Announced in 2016 along with an eyewatering $1 billion investment, the massive observation tower was designed to echo the look of Islamic minarets.
It was planned to be completed by 2020 - knocking the Burj Khalifa off its top spot as world's tallest structure.
But the already delayed project ground to a halt during the COVID pandemic, leaving its future uncertain.
The construction site has sat abandoned for some time now, leaving a simple foundation pit where the world's new tallest tower was meant to stand.
But after years of waiting, developer Emaar Properties is now set to breathe new life into the project.
The company is shelling out $3.81 billion to develop the Dubai Creek Tower and its neighbouring mall, Zawya has reported.
If completed as originally planned, the observation tower would boast a sky garden and 20 occupied floors with lavish hotels and restaurants.
However, there's a chance it might not challenge the Burj Khalifa's long-held title after all.
The Dubai Creek Tower has undergone redesigns while work was on halt, according to the Economic Times.
While no official blueprints have been made public yet, it is believed the redesign will see the tower's proposed height substantially reduced.
Despite the promise of new life for the project, it is still unclear exactly when the Dubai Creek Tower will be completed.
Dubai is nevertheless home to many of the world's tallest buildings.
The Burj Khalifa was completed in 2009, beating Taiwan's Taipei 101 to the title of world's tallest building.
It is now one of the most recognisable buildings in the world as Dubai's profile as a futuristic megacity continues to grow.
Dubai's megaprojects
Dubai has grown rapidly from humble roots into a vast futuristic city boasting some of the world's tallest buildings
Here are some of the most ambitious projects the city has seen:
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is now one of the world's most famous buildings, having been the planet's tallest structure since the late 2000s.
More than 15 years later, it still holds that title.
Standing at more than half a mile tall, it has more than 150 floors.
Dubai Reefs
Not content to only take the title of world's tallest building, Dubai also plans to host the world's largest artificial reef.
The planned project would cover 200 square kilometres and feature more than 1 billion corals.
It is intended to be both a major marine research hub and an ecotourism attraction.
Ciel Dubai Marina
Dubai also plans to have the world's tallest stand-alone hotel.
This massive tower would feature a more than 1,000 rooms spread across 82 floors.
Dubai Creek Tower
Even successfully completing the world's tallest building wasn't enough to stop Dubai trying to break its own records.
The Dubai Creek Tower would have been the world's tallest structure if completed as planned, dwarfing the Burj Khalifa.
While it's unclear if it will still take the new record, it's another example of the scale of ambition shown by the city.
The Dubai Creek Tower is not the only challenger to the Burj Khalifa to have hit setbacks in development.
Saudi Arabia hopes to build the first kilometre high skyscraper with the long-delayed Jeddah Tower.
Construction on this gargantuan structure ground to a halt after key figures connected to it were arrested in 2017 - with COVID only pushing it back further.
It is now planned to be completed by the end of the decade.
But Saudi Arabia is in a race to complete the first kilometre-high tower.
Egypt is currently building a new capital city outside of Cairo, with a tower of the same size planned as its centrepiece.
The staggeringly tall Oblisco Capitale is planned to sit right in the middle of the new city's central business district.
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