Dubai plans to build 1km-high tower

Developers in Dubai are planning to build the world's tallest tower in spite of the world's financial crisis.

The tower, at the centre of the Nakheel harbour complex, is to be "over 1km" high with more then 200 floors. It will be higher than its rival, the Burj Dubai tower, which is still under construction and due to rise to 818 metres.

The building will be another first for the tiny Gulf state of Dubai, which is the most cosmopolitan member of the United Arab Emirates.

"At more than 1km high this is an unbelievably ground-breaking design," boasted Chris O'Donnell, the Australian head of the Nakheel company.

The complex will provide homes and offices for 100,000 people. The tower will be so tall that it will have five different micro-climates. The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building could be as much as 10 degrees cooler than at the bottom. High-speed lifts will allow people to see the sunset twice - from the bottom and again from the top of the building.

Dubai, once a sleepy fishing port, is already home to some of the biggest and busiest shopping malls on the planet, as well as indoor ski slopes in a desert country where the temperature is regularly over 40C.

Nakheel is famous for its Palm Jumeira island and is building two other luxury housing developments that will extend Dubai's 70km coast-line to 100km. Last month the massive $1.5bn Atlantis Hotel opened on Jumeira with rooms costing up to $25,000 a night.

Nakheel stressed that the tower design will include Islamic elements inspired by famous buildings from across the Muslim world.

This may be a gesture to Arabs and Muslims who are uncomfortable about the arrival of expatriates in the most globalised of Middle Eastern cities, where over 80% of the 1.3 million population are foreigners.

Lesson Plan

Ask the class: What is the world's tallest building? STudents discuss in pairs. Class feedback - currently it is the 700 metre Burj Dubai tower, which is still being built. Explain that developers are planning a new tallest tower. Ask students to guess how tall it will be and where it will be. Check vocabulary: developer, development, tower. - 8 mins

Give out the article. Students look at the headline to check ideas. Write the following sentences and explain unknown words. Students read article and put yes (Y) or no (N) for each sentence. Feedback. Would they like to visit the tower one day? - 12 mins

The new tower will ...

1. - be in the Nakheel harbour complex in Dubai.
2. - have just over 200 floors.
3. - be just under 1km high.
4. - provide homes and shops for 100,000 people.
5. - have five micro-climates.
6. - have high speed lifts so you can see the sunset twice.
7. - be in a country that often has temperatures over 35C
8. - include Islamic elements in its design.
9. - be in a country where half of the population are foreigners.

Look at the superlative phrase: "the world's tallest tower". Ask students to find four more superlatives in the text - the most cosmopolitan (para 3), the biggest/busiest (6), the most globalised (9). In pairs the students look at these examples and try to remember the rules for superlatives (including spelling). - 10 mins

Establish as a class:

• short adjectives: add -est eg tallest.
• short adjectives ending in vowel followed by consonant: double the consonant and add -est eg biggest.
• adjectives ending in -y: cut -y and add -iest eg busiest
• longer adjectives: put most in front eg most cosmopolitan

Put students into small groups. Explain that they work for an advertising agency and need to develop a poster advert for Dubai with the theme "City of superlatives" (a common name for Dubai). Alternatively, students could do the campaign about another country. Write up the following adjectives: amazing, beautiful, big, breathtaking, busy, cosmopolitan, exciting, fast, good, incredible, interesting, large, long, luxurious, modern, wide. Explain how the advert might start: Fly to Dubai and see some of the world's most amazing buildings ... Students write up/design posters for homework. See the Dubai tourist web site for further information. - 25 mins