Higher than a bird, almost as high as some planes. It’s Super Tower. And it’s coming to Bangkok.
A Thai property developer has announced plans to build a skyscraper in the capital that will be among the 10 tallest building in the world when it is completed in 2019.
The 125-floor tower will rise 615 meters (2,018 feet) and include a luxury hotel, offices and an observation deck with panoramic views of the Thai capital, developer Grand Canal Land Public Company Ltd. (G Land) said in a statement.
An artist’s impression shows the 615m Super Tower planned for central Bangkok.
According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which maintains a database of the tallest skyscrapers, the Bangkok “Super Tower” will be the world’s ninth tallest if it is built on schedule. It would be the second tallest if built today.
It will also dwarf the tallest building currently in Thailand, the Baiyok II tower, which tops out at 328.4 metres on its 85th floor. The second-tallest structure, to be completed in 2016, is Mahanakhon condominium at 314 metres.
The developer intends the tower as the center of a new 90,000sqm business, shopping and residential district in Bangkok costing 100 billion baht (US$3.1 billion).
The ambitious plans, which were announced last month, are a vote of confidence in the Thai economy, which has lost much of its dynamism and struggled to grow during several years of political strife.
“I am confident that the Thai economy is roaring ahead,” said Yotin Boondicharern, chairman of G Land. “We have launched the Super Tower project in response to the government policy to develop Thailand further and establish the country as the economic leader in the region. The Super Tower will be completed in 2019, boasting the huge potential to attract both domestic and foreign investors. The project will be the pride of all Thais since it will become not just an economic hub of the ASEAN Community but also a definitely world-class attraction.”
The tallest building in the world is currently Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which has 163 floors and is 828 meters (2,717 feet) high.
