Dubai, April 7 (IANS) Burj Dubai, the skyscraper being developed here by the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Emaar Properties, has surpassed the height of the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota in the US to become the world’s tallest manmade structure. Burj Dubai is now 629 metres (2,063.6 ft) high while KVLY-TV, which held the record for the world’s tallest supported structure since 1963, has a height of 628.8 metres (2,063 ft), according to an Emaar statement issued here Monday.

“Emaar’s Burj Dubai has accomplished another milestone in its development, placing the city of Dubai and Burj Dubai once again in the global spotlight,” Emaar chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar said in the statement.

“With over 160 storeys now, the most number of liveable floors in any building in the world, Burj Dubai is already pushing the frontiers in architecture, construction and engineering excellence.”

Burj Dubai is already unofficially the world’s tallest building and tallest freestanding structure, and at 160 storeys, is taller than Taipei 101 (508 metres; 1,667 ft) in Taiwan and the CN Tower (553.33 metres; 1,815.5 ft) in Toronto, Canada.

The building will be officially recognised as the world’s tallest structure only when the construction is fully completed.

Then the skyscraper will be the tallest building in the world in all four categories recognised by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which ranks buildings on the basis of spire height, the highest occupied floor, roof height and pinnacle height.

The KVLY-TV in Blanchard, North Dakota, is a television transmitting mast, which was completed in 1963.

Burj Dubai also towers over KXJB-TV, which at 628 metres (2,060 ft) was the second tallest artificial structure in the world, and the KXTV/KOVR Tower, a guyed communication tower in Walnut Grove, California, that rises to 624.5 metres (2,049 ft).

“The significance of Burj Dubai surpassing the height of the KVLY-TV mast is that it demonstrates the pioneering achievement of mankind in creating urban environments that defy conventions,” Alabar said.

“With over 5,000 professionals and skilled workers from around the world working on site, Burj Dubai’s new feat is another celebration of teamwork.”

When completed, the towering structure will have used 330,000 cubic metres of concrete, 39,000 tonnes of steel rebar and 142,000 sq m of glass.

Emaar is partnering with South Korean construction major Samsung Corporation and New York-based project manager Turner Construction in the building’s construction, which was designed by internationally acclaimed architect Adrian Smith and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago.

Burj Dubai is the centrepiece of Emaar’s flagship mega-project, the 73-billion dirham ($20 billion) downtown Burj Dubai, billed as the world’s most prestigious square kilometre.

The super-tall structure, the final height of which is being held as a closely held secret, will feature residences, commercial space and retail space and hospitality elements including the world’s first Armani Hotel and Armani Residences.