18 March 2019
NEW YORK, March 18 — For 130 years the Eiffel Tower has been the prime spot to look over the rooftops of Paris.
But at 324m high, it’s been a long time since the Iron Lady was the tallest building in the world.
While the construction of the hypothetical 3,218m-high Ultima Tower in San Francisco represents the craziest of dreams, other projects are underway to make a reality of one of mankind’s ambitions — to get closer to the sky and push back the limits of impossible.
Shimao Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Centre
China
Owned by the Shimao Group, this building, which is expected to be 700m high, will aspire to be second-tallest tower in the world.
Whether it is successful or not depends on how quickly its rivals are built. In any case, it will be the tallest tower in China.
The giant glass construction will be over double the height of the Eiffel Tower.
It will be home to offices, apartments and a hotel. A swimming pool will be built at the very top and will be attached to a night club.
This megatall skyscraper is designed to be a tourist attraction with a sound and light show in the evening. It will be surrounded by landscaped promenades, and it will aim to optimise solar gain and facilitate natural ventilation.
The tower is expected to be opened in 2024.
Merdeka PNB118
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur is preparing to welcome a new skyscraper that could make its visitors a little dizzy. Merdeka means freedom or independence, and its name is no accident.
To emphasise the point, the building will be located in Merdeka Park.
This 118-floor tower will be shaped like a diamond. At 644m high, the Merdeka PNB118 will be the tallest tower in Malaysia. It will be taller than the Petronas Twin Towers.
Visitors will be able to see for themselves when the observation deck opens. The project is expected to be completed in 2024.
Dubai Creek Tower
United Arab Emirates
Dubai is set to push the limits of impossible with the construction of a tower that is over 1,000m high. Dubai Creek Tower will be much higher than Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world at the moment, standing at 830m.
The project’s completion is planned to coincide with Dubai Expo 2020.
Its shape will echo that of a minaret and it will be located in a brand-new neighbourhood of the UAE’s capital. It has already been nicknamed “The Tower,” and will be easy to find at night when it projects a powerful beam of light into the sky.
This record-breaking building will provide various vantage points from which to view Dubai at 360°.
Apartments, hotels and restaurants will be located from the foot of the tower up to the 20th floor.
Jeddah Tower
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s famous Makkah Clock Tower which indicates daily prayer times is 601m high, but the new Jeddah Tower will be a much taller 1,001m.
At Jeddah on the banks of the Red Sea the workers dream of completing the project which has suffered delays for several years.
The tower is expected to be the first skyscraper over one kilometre in height.
Construction work has fallen significantly behind schedule because of financing problems. It will have 167 floors and 59 elevators which are expected to be the fastest in the world. It will only take 66.5 seconds to zoom up 634m.
The project is the work of the American architect Adrian Smith, who designed the tallest tower in the world at the moment — the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. —
Source: AFP-Relaxnews