Burj Azizi

725 meters tall, with only the Burj Khalifa standing above it

At 725 meters and more than 131 floors, Burj Azizi would become the world's second tallest tower. It would overtake Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka 118 (679 m) and be surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa (828 m), located a few kilometers away. Azizi Developments is building it in Trade Center 1, along Sheikh Zayed Road, between the historic World Trade Center and the entrance to Downtown. Handover is scheduled for December 31, 2031, a long timeline even by Dubai construction standards. The program combines a seven star rated hotel, an aparthotel, standard apartments, penthouses, a seven level mall and a separate automated parking building.

Eight claimed records between 310 and 648 meters

The marketing largely rests on a list of altitude records. Azizi points to the world's highest cinema and supermarket at 310 meters, a spa at 416 meters, a hotel lobby at 498 meters and the highest occupied hotel room at 534 meters. Dubai's highest restaurant would sit at 554 meters, a nightclub at 577 meters and the observation deck at 648 meters. These publicly accessible amenities serve a clear purpose: turning the tower into a tourist destination rather than just a residential address. For an owner, that means heavy visitor traffic through the building, offset by separate circulation routes.

Three residential tiers for three different uses

The vertical layout follows a precise logic. From the 14th to the 53rd floor, the aparthotel offers one and two bedroom units, with 18 units per floor plate, pointing to compact layouts and high density. From the 54th to the 69th floor sit one to three bedroom apartments meant for full time residence or standard rental. From the 72nd floor up, the offering shifts to three, four and five bedroom penthouses, plus "royal penthouses." The marketing also describes one to three bedroom "Holiday Homes" built for short term rental, featuring Italian marble tubs and double vanities.

Six lobbies, a vertical mall and 15 parking levels

To manage such different user groups, the tower has six separate lobbies: hotel, residences, penthouses, ballroom, mall and nightclub, and observation deck. The "Luxury Mall" spans seven floors, with atriums, pools and indoor gardens. Azizi advertises invite only brands there. Parking sits in a separate 15 level building, fully automated, freeing up the tower's base. On the residents' side, amenities include an infinity pool, a gym, a sauna, a hammam, a jacuzzi, a yoga area, a chess room and an indoor children's play area.

Who buys a two bedroom unit on floor 30 of a record breaking tower

The core of the offering, the 40 floors of aparthotel, clearly targets rental investors rather than end users. The value of these units depends on hotel management and on the address's appeal to business travelers, since the Dubai World Trade Center hosts trade shows and conferences year round. DXB airport is about 15 minutes away and the Dubai Mall 8 minutes. Palm Jumeirah takes 20 minutes and JBR 23. The upper penthouses target a different buyer, high net worth individuals seeking a symbolic address rather than yield. Freehold status allows foreign buyers to own these units outright.

A volume developer facing an unprecedented build

Azizi Developments built its name on large scale, mid priced projects such as Riviera in Meydan or Azizi Venice in Dubai South. Burj Azizi shifts both scale and technical ambition. No previous project from the group came close to this height, and towers above 600 meters commonly face schedule slippage worldwide. The end 2031 date leaves about six years of construction, which fits the building's complexity but leaves little margin. In the same area, DarGlobal's Trump tower (79 floors) and SOL Luxe (63 floors) target the same high end buyers. Burj Azizi stands apart mainly through its height and the large share of its floor area devoted to hospitality and retail.