By Allan Jacob www.khaleejtimes.com
So what if you can’t beat the feat, just plan a look-a-like of the world’s tallest building. A few days after its first anniversary, the Burj Khalifa, is inspiring a similar structure in China.
The People’s Daily, in a report on Thursday, said the proposed $1.3 billion tower (the Burj cost an estimated $1.5 billion to build) would come up in Mentougou district of the capital and would house a seven-star hotel.
While not naming the developer, it said the project would be jointly developed with Saudi Arabia. The report quoted Wang Hongzhong, a senior official of the Mentougou district, as saying the design and planning of the seven-star hotel was ready. “It has been designed as a stream-lined building like the Khalifa Tower in Dubai,’’ the report quoted him as saying.
The official did not mention the completion date of the venture, but said the hotel would be world-class and would bear the hallmark of luxury.
According to the report, the hotel would be located at the end of Chang An avenue, a road near Tiananmen Square.
China has been on a skyscraper construction spree as other countries put such plans in the cooler during the downturn.
The 600-metre Canton Tower, which was completed in late September, ahead of the Asian Games, has been the latest to join the race for the heights.
Shanghai also plans to complete a 121-floor tall building by 2014, which is set to overtake the Canton Tower .
But, for the moment, the Burj Khalifa towers over the wannabes and the rest at over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) with more than 160 storeys. It sure looks good to stay that way for a long time.
