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Alabbar keen to build 1km plus tower in Asia

EXCLUSIVE: Emaar chief says location has been identified and preliminary drawings done

Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar is looking at plans to build a 1km plus tower in Asia, Arabian Business can reveal.

In an interview to be published on Sunday in the magazine, Alabbar, the man behind the world’s current tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, said: “Of course I want to. I am looking. I have a wish. I will try.”

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed is currently developing the 1km high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, which is set to take the Burj Khalifa’s crown.

However, Alabbar said his own project would be “a little taller” than the one in Jeddah.

He said: “The answer is yes I want to try. It is quite a task with safety issues and making sure it is done right. It’s typical human progress. We have done fabulous stuff here; we know what the value is.”

A location in Asia has already been identified and preliminary drawings done, Alabbar said.

Asked whether it was likely to happen, Alabbar said: “I would like that, it would be very special.”

Emaar has undergone a resurgence in the past year with its share price rising by more than 80 percent.

The 2012 results showed an 18 percent rise in net profits to $577m from $2.24bn of revenue.

The shopping malls and retail side of the business accounted for $740m in revenue last year – a 27 percent increase on the previous year.

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