Top 10 tallest buildings in Dubai

Dubai is known to be the home to some of the best skyscrapers from around the world. As of 2018, the city was ranked at the 4th position globally in terms of skyscrapers, with 3 of the world's 5 tallest towers being built in Dubai in 2017. They are known for their great architecture and the aesthetic beauty that they add to the city.

Let's have a look at the top 10 tallest buildings that the city has on offer.

1. Burj Khalifa 828 Metres

Completed in 2009, the iconic building of Burj Khalifa is located in the vibrant community of Downtown Dubai and is currently the tallest in the world. It surpassed the second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower in China by almost 200 metres. The building was built in 5 years and features 163 floors.

The architecture of Burj Khalifa features references of Islamic architecture, while also reflecting the modern global community. Besides being the tallest tower, it also holds records like, the tallest free-standing structure in the world, the highest number of stories in the world, the highest occupied floor in the world, the highest outdoor observation deck in the world, the Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world and the tallest service elevator in the world.

2. Marina 101 426 Metres

The second tallest building in Dubai is Marina 101 which is located in the upscale waterfront community of Dubai Marina. It was completed in 2016 and features 101 floors. The building is the tallest residential tower in the world, surpassing 432 Park Avenue in New York by a single metre.

Embracing a wide range of aesthetic influences, the architects of Marina 101 have added numerous visual elements in order to perforate and diffuse the building’s exterior. The building features a subtly lit crown that can be viewed from a distance during the nights. It consists of 28 elevators ranging from low-speed service elevators to high-speed high-rise elevators.

3. Princess Tower 414 Metres

Nestled in Dubai Marina, Princess Tower is the third tallest tower in Dubai. The building offers stunning views of Dubai's coast and the Dubai Eye. It was the tallest residential building in the world from the year 2012 to 2015 and was overtaken by 432 Park Avenue in New York and eventually by Marina 101.

Aesthetically, Princess Tower is extravagantly adorned with a facade broken up into several discernible sections. The main body of the tower is punctuated by a series of gently bowed balconies that are inserted into the center of each wall and the windows are lined up at the building's corners. At the higher floors, the exterior pattern features glass cladding broken up by crosscut vertical and horizontal panels. 

4. 23 Marina 393 Metres

23 Marina is the fourth tallest tower in Dubai and is located between Dubai Marina and Dubai Media City. Completed in 2012, it is the third tallest residential building in the world. 79% of the building's space was sold out even before its construction began. Featuring 92 floors, 23 Marina was built in six years.

The building sits on a podium, hosting a six-storey entry hall featuring geometric designs on the flooring and slanted glass walls and has a waterfall sculpture behind the concierge desk. On top of the podium is a tower structure that is constructed in an octagonal shape and offers far-reaching views from the apartments.

5. Elite Residence 380 Metres

Elite Residence, located in Dubai Marina is the fifth tallest building in Dubai. At the time of its completion on January 2012, it was the third tallest residential building in the world. Hosting luxury apartments that range from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom penthouses, the building offers panoramic views of Palm Jumeirah and that of the Arabian Gulf.

Comprising four basements, ground floor and 86 floors, Elite Residence features a modern design with an unusual mixture of Victorian Architecture finished in an advanced layout. 

6. The Address The Blvd 368 Metres

One of the tallest buildings of Downtown Dubai, The Address The Blvd is the sixth tallest building in Dubai. It is located next to Burj Khalifa and was completed in 2017. The tower hosts a 196-room hotel operated by The Address Hotels & Resorts, and 530 serviced apartments. They offer stunning views of Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Fountain, and the Arabian Gulf.

The building sits on a multi-level podium, the upper level of which provides separate lobbies for the hotel and serviced apartments. The podium base creates a protective wall that separates the tower from the boulevard and the raised highway to the north, which reduces noise disturbance. The building also features projected vertical fins that act as blades cutting through the top of the building, that creates a visual link between the two main facades. The facade of the building used a high-performance unitised system that provides superior solar and thermal performance.

7. Almas Tower 363 Metres

Located in the waterfront community of Jumeirah Lake Towers, Almas Tower is a multi-tower high-rise development. It is the seventh tallest tower in Dubai and was completed in 2008. The building is also known as 'Diamond Tower', the architecture of which draws inspiration from the unique shape of diamonds. 

Almas Tower hosts the Dubai Diamond Exchange and the two-storey podium that houses the diamond exchange is one of the building’s most architecturally striking features. It features eight triangles inspired by the facets of a cut diamond extending out from the core. The building features two separate yet overlapping conformations that are attached into a single core. This offbeat design appears as two diagonally offset ellipses converging along their east-west faces.

8. Gevora Hotel 356 Metres

Gevora Hotel is located on Sheikh Zayed Road is the eighth tallest building in Dubai and was completed in 2017. It features 528 deluxe rooms and suites, 5  dining restaurants, leisure facilities with a pool deck and a fully equipped health club.

The facade of the building features a simple, classic design comprising of many windows on every floor, allowing a generous amount of sunlight into the building. The corners of the building feature gold-colored facade elements, that taper into at the top. A caisson foundation system was employed during the construction, which helped stabilise the structure of the building.

9. Jw Marriott Marquis Dubai 355 Metres

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel comprises of 2 towers of the same height and are the 9th tallest buildings in Dubai. Completed in 2012, it is located in Business Bay on Sheikh Zayed Road. The 5-star luxury hotel is built over 66 floors and hosts rooms and suites that provide views of the water or of the Dubai skyline.

The design of the towers is inspired by the date tree, a symbol of Arab culture. Its architecture is an example of Expressionist architecture, in which the structure resembles a distorted shape. The towers are oriented for minimal peak thermal load and wind pressure and feature vertical fins that act as shading devices.

10. Emirates Tower One 354.6 Metres

Emirates Tower is the tenth tallest tower in Dubai and was completed in the year 2000. Located on Sheikh Zayed Road, it is a 54-floor office building.

The tower features three large core walls, which support the load that are transferred at the four levels by large steel trusses, which are connected to the cores with the aid of post-tensioning and shear stud connection. A curved wall that rises almost the whole height of one face of the triangular building offers a view of the city. The building is surrounded by clad in silver aluminum panels, silver and copper reflective glass.