Dubai Rises to the Sky: Burj Dubai Is Now the Tallest Building in the World

The tallest building in the world is taking the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, closer to the sky, as it has just overthrown the former champion, the 1,671 ft (449 m) tall Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan.

Building the world's tallest buildings seems to have become a fierce competition in the last decades. Owning it is a matter of great pride, not only for the builders - which gain a lot of fame and also a lot of money - but also for the hosting country, which will benefit from having one of the most important tourist attractions in the world.

While still under construction, the Burj Dubai - whose name might sound familiar, since the tallest and most luxurious hotel in the world is called Burj al-Arab - is already a supertall skyscraper, as last week it reached 1,680 feet (512 meters), to become the new heavyweight champion of the world.

Built by the state-owned development company Emaar Properties, one of the main builders in rapidly developing Dubai, the tower is expected to reach a whopping 2,275 feet (693 meters) upon completion.

It will have more than 160 inhabited floors with 56 elevators and will incorporate some unique features, like luxury apartments, Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani's first hotel, a large observation platform on the 124th floor, all that in addition to spas, swimming pools, exclusive presidential suits and luxury shops.

"It's a symbol of Dubai as a city of the world," said Greg Sang, the project director for Emaar Properties. They have every reason to praise their new world wonder, as it will be an engineering masterpiece. Mohammed Ali Alabbar, chairman of Emaar is also generous with words, saying that "It's a human achievement without equal."

Indeed, the $1 billion skyscraper is the proof that when money is not a problem, the human ingenuity can produce spectacular results, limited only by our imagination.