The world’s new tallest tower moves forward in Dubai

When you’re aiming for a project to be the first, biggest, or best of its kind in the world, having an international team on the job can really help.

With headquarters in Australia and South Africa, Aurecon has been named as engineer and architect of record for Spanish-born designer Santiago Calatrava’s Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour, which aims to overtake the nearby Burj Khalifa as the tallest structure in the world. The new $1 billion tower is planned to be 100 meters taller than the current title holder.Aurecon and Calatrava will partner on the technical aspects of the building project for the new tower, which will be the centerpiece of Emaar Properties’ Dubai Creek Harbour. It’s a new development project that seeks to blend the area’s key waterways with high-end mixed use buildings, all in an open site adjacent to an existing wildlife refuge. The development will be home to several residential towers, boasting stellar views of the 1500-acre Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary as well as Dubai Creek itself.

Emaar Properties promises the completed tower will stand 928 meters high, dwarfing the 829.8-meter Burj Khalifa that opened in 2010. The new Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour will be composed of a central concrete column supported by a network of steel cable stays, engineered to protect the skyscraper against the elements, including high winds.

“The Calatrava team were looking to work directly with experts who have had hands-on project experience on other super-tall and similar mega-projects,” said Adrian Jones, Aure­con’s project director. “The tower will test the craftsmanship of Aurecon as we play our part in making a mark on the built fabric of mankind.”

The world’s new tallest tower is expected to be complete by 2020, just in time for Dubai’s Expo 2020 which begins in October of that year.