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NEWS
'A signal to the world': New details emerge about Calatrava's US$1bn Dubai tower
POSTED 11 Apr 2016 . BY Kim Megson
Santiago Calatrava has said The Tower will be 'a combination of geometry, mathematics and a deep sense of understanding of architecture in a most classical way' Credit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
Santiago Calatrava’s futuristic tower design for Dubai will ‘be a notch taller’ than the Burj Khalifa, according to its developer Emaar Properties.

The real estate giant hosted an event in the city on Sunday (10 April) to officially unveil the project, now named as ‘The Tower’, two months after Calatrava was named as the winner of an international design project for the commission.

According to reports in Dubai, the structure will be built at a cost of US$1bn (€878.7m, £705.8m), exceed 828m (2,700ft) in height and form a spire supported by an intricate network of cables.

The Tower will serve as an observation deck with rotating balconies and elevated landscaping inspired by the mythical hanging gardens of Babylon. According to Calatrava, the design is inspired by Islamic architecture fused with modern, sustainable design.

It will be located in Emaar’s Dubai Creek Harbour development, a planned 6sq km mini-metropolis with 22 hotels, a retail precinct, a yacht club, cultural amenities, educational facilities, thousands of new homes and “the tallest twin towers in the world.” Calatrava’s building is visualised as the Creek’s centrepiece, and is scheduled to open by the time Dubai hosts the World Expo in 2020.

Emaar chair Mohamed Alabbar said: “The Tower in Dubai Creek Harbour is our tribute to the positivity, energy and optimism that Dubai and the UAE celebrate, led by a leadership committed to all-around progress,” adding in a promotional video that the project is “a tower and a monument that adds value to the world with absolute elegance, technology, engineering beauty day and night.”

Calatrava said: “The project is inspired by the idea of welcoming people and sending a signal to the whole world. It is our ambition to create infrastructures that facilitate the everyday life of the people, who will use The Tower as the centre of a new city.

“It will be a combination of geometry, mathematics and a deep sense of understanding of architecture in a most classical way. It will use the most advanced technologies, using technology as a vehicle to beauty and art.”

The Tower is the latest high-profile, big budget project won by Calatrava, whose World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York and Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro have both recently opened.

The Tower will be 'a notch' taller than the world's highest building, the Burj Khalifa Credit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
The Tower is the latest high-profile, big budget project to be designed by Calatrava Credit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
The project has been described as a monument for Dubai and 'a signal to the world' Credit: Emaar Properties
Advanced technology will be used to realise the structure, which is supported by a network of cables Credit: Emaar Properties
According to Calatrava, The Tower is inspired by Islamic architecture fused with modern, sustainable design Credit: Emaar Properties
The Tower will be the crentrepiece of Emaar’s Dubai Creek Harbour development, a planned 6sq km mini-metropolis Credit: Emaar Properties
An elevated garden will evoke the Hanging Gardens of babylon Credit: Emaar Properties
The building is expected to open in 2020 to coincide with Dubai's hosting of the World Expo Credit: Emaar Properties
Emaar, who previously built the Burj Khalifa, are determined to put Dubai on the map for its ambitious projects Credit: Emaar Properties
RELATED STORIES
  Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center Hub to open this week


Santiago Calatrava’s centrepiece of the sprawling new transit facility at the World Trade Center complex in New York will open on Thursday (March 3).
  'As great as the Burj Khalifa': Santiago Calatrava wins contract for futuristic Dubai tower


Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has beaten competition from five unnamed international rivals to design a landmark cultural tower in Dubai.
  Santiago Calatrava's Museum of Tomorrow ready for Rio opening


Rio de Janeiro’s hotly-anticipated Museau do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) – designed by prize-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava – will be officially opened tomorrow (17 December) by the city’s mayor.
  'True artist' Calatrava awarded European Prize for Architecture in New York


Europe’s most prestigious architecture prize will today (17 November) be awarded to the Spanish designer Santiago Calatrava Valls.
MORE NEWS
Rainer Maelzer joins Therme Group as chief entertainment officer
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Movie Park Germany reveals new Paramount attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK. 
Efteling expands family offer with new Hooghmoed drop tower
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COMPANY PROFILES
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
IDEATTACK

IDEATTACK is a full-service planning and design company with headquarters in Los Angeles. [more...]
QubicaAMF UK

QubicaAMF is the largest and most innovative bowling equipment provider with 600 employees worldwi [more...]
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
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FEATURED SUPPLIER

Iconic Liverpool attraction opens door to new operators
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its next phase. [more...]
CATALOGUE GALLERY
 

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09-11 Jun 2026

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NEWS
'A signal to the world': New details emerge about Calatrava's US$1bn Dubai tower
POSTED 11 Apr 2016 . BY Kim Megson
Santiago Calatrava has said The Tower will be 'a combination of geometry, mathematics and a deep sense of understanding of architecture in a most classical way' Credit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
Santiago Calatrava’s futuristic tower design for Dubai will ‘be a notch taller’ than the Burj Khalifa, according to its developer Emaar Properties.

The real estate giant hosted an event in the city on Sunday (10 April) to officially unveil the project, now named as ‘The Tower’, two months after Calatrava was named as the winner of an international design project for the commission.

According to reports in Dubai, the structure will be built at a cost of US$1bn (€878.7m, £705.8m), exceed 828m (2,700ft) in height and form a spire supported by an intricate network of cables.

The Tower will serve as an observation deck with rotating balconies and elevated landscaping inspired by the mythical hanging gardens of Babylon. According to Calatrava, the design is inspired by Islamic architecture fused with modern, sustainable design.

It will be located in Emaar’s Dubai Creek Harbour development, a planned 6sq km mini-metropolis with 22 hotels, a retail precinct, a yacht club, cultural amenities, educational facilities, thousands of new homes and “the tallest twin towers in the world.” Calatrava’s building is visualised as the Creek’s centrepiece, and is scheduled to open by the time Dubai hosts the World Expo in 2020.

Emaar chair Mohamed Alabbar said: “The Tower in Dubai Creek Harbour is our tribute to the positivity, energy and optimism that Dubai and the UAE celebrate, led by a leadership committed to all-around progress,” adding in a promotional video that the project is “a tower and a monument that adds value to the world with absolute elegance, technology, engineering beauty day and night.”

Calatrava said: “The project is inspired by the idea of welcoming people and sending a signal to the whole world. It is our ambition to create infrastructures that facilitate the everyday life of the people, who will use The Tower as the centre of a new city.

“It will be a combination of geometry, mathematics and a deep sense of understanding of architecture in a most classical way. It will use the most advanced technologies, using technology as a vehicle to beauty and art.”

The Tower is the latest high-profile, big budget project won by Calatrava, whose World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York and Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro have both recently opened.

The Tower will be 'a notch' taller than the world's highest building, the Burj Khalifa Credit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
The Tower is the latest high-profile, big budget project to be designed by Calatrava Credit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
The project has been described as a monument for Dubai and 'a signal to the world' Credit: Emaar Properties
Advanced technology will be used to realise the structure, which is supported by a network of cables Credit: Emaar Properties
According to Calatrava, The Tower is inspired by Islamic architecture fused with modern, sustainable design Credit: Emaar Properties
The Tower will be the crentrepiece of Emaar’s Dubai Creek Harbour development, a planned 6sq km mini-metropolis Credit: Emaar Properties
An elevated garden will evoke the Hanging Gardens of babylon Credit: Emaar Properties
The building is expected to open in 2020 to coincide with Dubai's hosting of the World Expo Credit: Emaar Properties
Emaar, who previously built the Burj Khalifa, are determined to put Dubai on the map for its ambitious projects Credit: Emaar Properties
RELATED STORIES
Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center Hub to open this week


Santiago Calatrava’s centrepiece of the sprawling new transit facility at the World Trade Center complex in New York will open on Thursday (March 3).
'As great as the Burj Khalifa': Santiago Calatrava wins contract for futuristic Dubai tower


Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has beaten competition from five unnamed international rivals to design a landmark cultural tower in Dubai.
Santiago Calatrava's Museum of Tomorrow ready for Rio opening


Rio de Janeiro’s hotly-anticipated Museau do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) – designed by prize-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava – will be officially opened tomorrow (17 December) by the city’s mayor.
'True artist' Calatrava awarded European Prize for Architecture in New York


Europe’s most prestigious architecture prize will today (17 November) be awarded to the Spanish designer Santiago Calatrava Valls.
MORE NEWS
Rainer Maelzer joins Therme Group as chief entertainment officer
Rainer Maelzer, an experiential entertainment innovator, has been appointed chief entertainment officer by Therme Group.
Movie Park Germany reveals new Paramount attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK. 
Efteling expands family offer with new Hooghmoed drop tower
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford– Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx- Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
+ More news   
 
COMPANY PROFILES
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
IDEATTACK

IDEATTACK is a full-service planning and design company with headquarters in Los Angeles. [more...]
QubicaAMF UK

QubicaAMF is the largest and most innovative bowling equipment provider with 600 employees worldwi [more...]
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
+ More profiles  
FEATURED SUPPLIER

Iconic Liverpool attraction opens door to new operators
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its next phase. [more...]
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

09-11 Jun 2026

World Sauna Forum 2026

Savutuvan Apaja, Haapaniemi, Finland
23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
LEISURE MEDIA WEBSITES
LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
ATTRACTIONS MANAGEMENT NEWS
ATTRACTIONS HANDBOOK
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS