Burj Dubai, the world's tallest man-made structure, will rise above the ground when Samsung Corporation formally begins to build the tower on April 15, officials said.

"A 3.7-metre-thick rough slab covering an area of 80,000 square feet forms the base of the Burj Dubai structure. Its foundation has been completed in a record 12 months' time, at a cost of Dh54 million," said Robert Booth, Emaar Properties' executive director.

The foundation of Burj Dubai, which will be the tallest building in the world upon completion in 2008.

He said 60 per cent of the Dh73 billion Burj Dubai and Old Town's contracts have been awarded.

Emaar last year selected Samsung to build the tower for $900 million (Dh3.285 billion). The project is set for completion in 2008.

The tower's 192 piles stretch to depths of more than 50 metres and are bound together by the rough slab, encompassing the tower's entire footprint.

Robert Booth, executive director of Emaar Properties, points to the foundation of Burj Dubai.

Nearly 18,000 cubic metres of concrete was poured for the tower piles and 15,000 cubic metres of concrete was used for the podium piles.

The slab, in addition, is made up of 12,300 cubic metres of concrete. The total concrete poured into the foundation exceeds 45,000 cubic metres, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes.

Burj Dubai will house a hotel, furnished apartments and over 600 unfurnished apartments which will take up the space between ground level and the 112th level. "From the 112th level onwards, the tower will host the executive offices of the world's top global corporations," Booth said.

The tower's height has been a well-kept secret, due to the competition around the world. The construction plan is being structured in a way that the developers can change the height of the tower at any given time, to a certain extent.