Dubai approaches contractors for world's tallest commercial tower

28 April 2015

The Burj 2020 will be at least 541 metres tall

  • DMCC approaches contractors to build the Burj 2020
  • The tower will be at least 541 metres tall
  • The skyscraper will be the centrepiece of the Burj 2020 development

The Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre (DMCC) has approached contractors to discuss building the world’s tallest commercial tower.

Leading local and international firms have been approached for the project, which is understood to still be in the design stage.

The Burj 2020 tower is planned to be taller than the 541-metre One World Trade Centre tower in New York, which is currently the world’s tallest commercial tower.

There are three other towers that have been completed or topped out that are taller than One World Trade Centre. They are the 601m Makkah Clock Royal Tower in Saudi Arabia, the 632m Shanghai Tower in China and the 828m Burj Khalifa in Dubai.  All these towers will be usurped by The Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia, which will be the world’s tallest tower at 1,008m, when it is completed in December 2018.

Dubai’s 10 tallest towers
RankTowerHeight (metres)Completed
1Burj Khalifa8282010
2Princess Tower4132012
323 Marina3932012
4Elite Residence3802012
5Almas3632009
6JW Marriott Marquis 23552014
6JW Marriott Marquis 13552012
6Emirates Office Tower3552000
9Torch3372011
10Rose Tower3332007
Source: Emporis

The Burj 2020 has been designed as a steel frame structure meaning that it can be built more quickly than a traditional concrete structure.

The tower will also offer large floor open floors that property consultants say will be attractive to large multinational tenants that find it difficult to find large volumes of good quality office space in one building due to many office buildings having multiple owners and landlords.

According to sources close to the project the tower will be surrounded by five or six other towers that will make up the Burj 2020 district in the Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) area. It is understood that these towers could be up to 350m tall.

US-based Turner Construction International was appointed as the project manager for the development in 2014. DMCC named the tower Burj 2020 in December 2013, following Dubai’s Expo 2020 win in late 2013.

DMCC is developing another tower in the JLT area. In 2013 Canada’s Brookfield Multiplex was selected as the design and build contractor for One JLT tower.

The involves the design and build of a 12-storey commercial building with a ground floor, two levels of podium parking and a basement. The contractor is also responsible for fitting out five levels of Grade A office space.

There are currently 65 mixed-use commercial and residential towers and over 220 retail outlets in operation within Dubai’s most popular community Jumeirah Lakes Towers. The tallest, which was developed by DMCC, is the Almas tower. The 363m tower was built by a joint venture of Japan’s Taisei Corporation and Lebanon’s Arabian Construction Company (ACC). It opened in 2009.

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