The first, to be called Burj Dubai, will be 500-600-metres high and will be built over a 14-million-square-feet area. The tower will house a huge shopping mall at the basement, a five-star hotel, retail outlets and residential and commercial units.

The project will also call for the construction of aquatic features, pedestrian boulevards, car parks and related facilities. The construction period will be 36-42 months. The complex will be located near the second interchange on Sheikh Zayed highway.

The project will be carried out in several specialist packages. Australia's Denton Corker Marshall has prepared a design for the proposed tower. The client is the local property developer Emaar Properties.

Two more high-rises are planned for construction in Dubai. The more advanced is a proposed 750-metre building, for which six international design firms have submitted bids. They are the UK's WS Atkins Internationaland Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, BBG, PEFand DMJM International- all of the US.

The facility will be located near the fifth interchange on Sheikh Zayed highway.

The client is Dubai Palm Developers, which also plans the construction of a 550-metre tower on Palm Jumeirah island.