Burj Dubai

Still under construction at press time but already the world’s tallest building, Burj Dubai dominates the skyline with its thin silver steel structure that can be seen for miles. The final height remains a secret, but the project’s construction manager, Greg Sang, says it will be greater than 700m (2,297 ft.); many predict it will be more than 800m (2,625 ft.). In designing the building, lead architect Adrian Smith, of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, drew inspiration from traditional Islamic architecture, which uses stepped ascending spirals. The building will rise from a flower-shaped base the flower is the hymenocallis, a white lily cultivated in the surrounding desert. At a projected cost of $4 billion, Burj Dubai will house one of the first Armani Hotels: 700 luxury apartments that, according to the developer, sold out within 8 hours of release; an outdoor swimming pool on the 78th floor; an indoor-outdoor observation deck on the 124th floor; and the world’s fastest elevator. Corporate offices and retail outlets will fill most of the remaining floors, and the tower will be the centerpiece of the surrounding “Downtown Dubai” project.