The tallest structure on Earth as of April 2007 is the KVLY-TV mast, but the Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates will be the tallest ever built. Moored balloons are the tallest non-self-supporting structures. The Burj Dubai will have between 160 and 216 floors and will be designed by Giorgio Armani.
The largest of the tallest structures on Earth, as of April 2007, is the KVLY-TV mast, a 628.8 m (2,063 ft) tower located in Blanchard, South Dakota near the city of Fargo. It is a thin metal frame supported by tie rods. The Warsaw Radio Mast in Gąbin-Konstantynów, Poland near Warsaw was the tallest structure on earth at 646.4 m (2,120 ft), but collapsed catastrophically on August 8, 1991. There are dozens of other radio masts and television towers over 2,000 feet (610 m) in height.
There is some dispute as to whether these towers truly qualify as the tallest structures. The reason is that these taller structures are not self-supporting, but require cables to stay upright. If we were to truly include all non-self-supporting structures, moored balloons would be the clear winners, with some of the longest extending up to 25,000 feet (~5 miles) in the atmosphere. Moored balloons are high-altitude balloons held in place by a tether that extends to the ground. For example, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) contracted with Lockheed Martin to launch a dozen tethered balloons, or aerostats, to create the Tethered Aerostat Radar System, a series of balloon radars designed to detect the violation of low-flying aircraft the southern border of the United States.
The tallest structure of any type ever built is currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower is called Burj Dubai, which is Arabic for “Dubai Tower”. The Burj Dubai’s final height has been kept under wraps, but its developers have said the tower will be at least 705 meters (2,313 feet) tall. More recently, a contractor company building the tower said it will be “over 940 feet” or at least 3,084 feet tall. Whatever its final height, it is almost certain to break all previous height records, reigning as the world’s tallest new structure if completed. It will have between 160 and 216 floors.
The interiors of the Burj Dubai will be designed by Giorgio Armani. The lower 37 floors will be occupied by the Armani Hotel, the first of its kind. Floors 45 to 108 will have 700 apartments, which sold out in eight hours by the millions a pop. Offices and corporate suites will fill the remaining floors. The tower’s unique lotus and tiered design will give several floors large outdoor spaces, which will be used for swimming pools, bars, etc. There will be an observation deck on the 124th floor. The Burj Dubai will truly be king among the tallest structures in the world.
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