Progress at new Dubai Creek Tower

Vice President pays visit to see how project is doing

DUBAI // Once complete, The Tower at Dubai Creek will dominate the city skyline and become the centrepiece for an area twice the size of Downtown – so it was due a visit by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to check on the progress. He was given a tour of the building site by senior officials from Emaar Properties and Dubai Holding, and briefed on the latest milestones in the construction project that will cover a six-kilometre-square plot near Ras Al Khor National Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Tower is expected to be about 100 metres taller than the Burj Khalifa.

Foundation work is complete and work has begun on the anchorages for the stay cables, an integral part of The Tower’s design and structural support. “The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour is our tribute to the nation,” said Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties.

“It is a new architectural marvel that will enhance our civic pride, and contribute to the economy by promoting the tourism sector. The spectacular tower will also frame a new skyline that adds to the cityscape set by Burj Khalifa.”

In October last year , Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid marked the ground- breaking of the project, with the foundation work accomplished in record time. More than 145 barrette piles were laid to depths of more than 72 metres to secure the super-tall structure.

The 928m building will have observation decks offering a 360-degree panoramic view of the city and a recreation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

But it will not be the highest building once finished, in about 2021, as the 1,000m-plus Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is due for completion in 2019.

The Tower will have two kilometres of creekside waterfront with 679 million square metres of residential space. There will be 851,000 sq m of commercial property, 22 hotels with 4,400 rooms and 11.16 million sq m of retail, compared with Dubai Mall’s 1.1 million sq m footprint.

The Tower, a 10-minute drive from Dubai Airport, is expected to offer a boost to the economic value of Dubai Creek Harbour, and become the jewel in Dubai’s tourism crown. As part of the development, Emaar also unveiled residential projects including Creek Gate, Harbour Gate, The Cove, Dubai Creek Residences, Creekside 18, Harbour Views, and Creek Horizon. “The Tower at Dubai Creek stands for the positivity and hope that Dubai celebrates,” said Abdullah Al Habbai, chairman of Dubai Holding.

Structure will frame a new skyline