10 December 04
The construction of what will be the world's tallest building is
set to begin in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building contract
was awarded to a consortium led by the South Korean Samsung
Corporation.
The Burj Dubai tower will stand 800 metres tall - just 5 metres shy
of half a mile - once completed in 2008. That will be nearly 300
metres taller than the tallest floored building in the world today,
the Taipei Tower in Taiwan.
The new towerÂ’s unique, three-sided design will ascend in a series
of stages, around a supportive central core and boast a total of
160 floors, accessible via a series of double-decker elevators. Its
shape will be integral to its impressive size. The design is
intended to reduce the impact of wind and to reduce the need for a
stronger core - allowing for more space - as it ascends.
Source http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996781