Dubai is building the world’s second tallest building, the Burj Azizi; how tall will it be?

MEXICO CITY (apro).- The “Burj Azizi” will be the second tallest skyscraper in the world, behind only the Burj Khalifa. Its construction began in January of this year in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is expected to be completed in 2028.

Developer Azizi Developments had not disclosed the height of the building as it was awaiting clearance from the General Civil Aviation Authority, but on September 4 it was finally announced that the skyscraper will be 725 meters tall.

The new skyscraper will be added to the Dubai skyline 103m below the Burj Khalifa. In addition, the Azizi will be 46m above the Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world currently located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to the project rendering, the Burj Azizi will be a slim building with a glass exterior set back several times from Sheikh Zayed Road, which runs parallel to the Persian Gulf coast.

According to the developer, the building “will feature luxurious and elegant apartments and penthouses, a 7-star hotel, a vertical shopping mall spread over several floors, exceptional food and beverage outlets, luxurious fine dining restaurants and an observation deck to take in the stunning views of Dubai.”

But not everything is glamorous in urban development in the member countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. Around 10,000 migrant workers from East Asia die every year in that region, according to a 2022 report by NGOs from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Nepal and FairSquare Projects of the United Kingdom.

The NGOs noted in their report, “Vital Signs: Migrant Deaths in the Gulf,” that according to a 2014 Human Rights Watch investigation into the construction of Saadiyat Island in the UAE, construction workers worked six and a half days a week and were on site for 76.5 hours a week.

The report noted that low-paid migrant workers in the Gulf are exposed to health and life-threatening risks, including: heat, which can cause heat stress that damages organs; humidity; air pollution; overwork; abusive working conditions; poor occupational health and safety practices; long working hours; psychosocial stress and hypertension.