Abu Dhabi says no to world's tallest building

ABU DHABI // A proposal for a 224-storey building in Abu Dhabi has been turned down, according to a group of architects, designers and businessmen promoting the building. Fayez Barakat, the owner of the Barakat Gallery of antiquities in Emirates Palace, said he presented plans for the so-called Al Imlaq, or The Giant, to Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed, a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, to be considered for construction on an island near Saadiyat Island.

After reviewing it, Sheikh Ahmed's staff decided it was not feasible because it would affect air traffic, Mr Barakat said. "One of the ideas for the building was to outdo the Burj Dubai," he said. "It would be very tall." An initial failure to find a home for the building in the capital is not stopping the group from pursuing other locations. It is now intending to pitch the concept to developers in Saudi Arabia, Mr Barakat said.

The tower would have risen 62 storeys taller than the Burj Dubai, making it the tallest building in the world. It has been designed by Tommy Landau, a Californian architect, and the blueprints call for advanced solar panels, a museum, a university and a centre devoted to astronomy on the roof. Mr Landau told the Los Angeles Times this week that the project would cost US$3.5 billion (Dh12.85bn) and contain 11 million square feet of space. A large clock would be hung on the building at the same height as the Empire State Building - about halfway up - to impress upon people its extraordinary height.

While Abu Dhabi has not announced any project that would break a world record for height, it has quietly considered such projects in the past. A draft masterplan for Mina Zayed created for Aldar Properties shows a massive building called Crystal Palace that would be several times higher than most buildings in the capital. The plan has since been discarded, according to Aldar. At present, the tallest building in Abu Dhabi is the Sky Tower on Reem Island at more than 300 metres, but the record will not last long. The Landmark Tower on the Corniche will top out at about 324 metres and the Central Market Residential Tower nearby should peak at 382 metres.

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