Guests take photos of the construction site of the one billion U.S. dollars project, "the Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour", in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Oct. 10, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Li Zhen)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice President, Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, broke ground on Monday for the construction of the one billion U.S. dollars project, "the Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour."
The tower, when completed by 2020, will become the world's tallest building, topping the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa, also located in Dubai.
The tower, designed by Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava, will be developed by Dubai's Emaar Properties, the largest real estate developer in the Middle East, who also developed Burj Khalifa in 2010.
The exact height of the tower remains unknown, but Emaar Chairman, Mohammed Alabbar, indicated during his tower concept presentation that the structure would be "a notch higher than Burj Khalifa."
Local media reports leaked unconfirmed information pointing to a difference of 100 meters in height.
Mohammed Al-Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said during the ceremony that the project represents "a new phase" in developing Sheikh Mohammed's vision to position the Gulf Arab state as a "new icon of humanity."
