The Detroit Lakes Tribune reports the tower for Fargo-based KVLY-TV is the tallest man-made structure in the world, but its official title is in jeopardy.
Burj Dubai, a high-rise structure under construction in Dubai, has unofficially surpassed the height of KVLY-TV’s mast. The official Web site for the Burj Dubai project reports that the building has reached 2,064 feet, surpassing the KVLY mast by a foot. Burj Dubai has also surpassed the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan.
The KVLY mast, located three miles west of Blanchard, ND., became the world’s tallest man-made structure when it was completed on Aug. 13, 1963.
In 1974, its height was surpassed by 57 feet by a Polish radio mast. However, the Polish mast collapsed in 1991 and the KVLY tower regained its title.
The final height of Burj Dubai will not be released until the project is completed in September of 2009, but the skyscraper will reach higher than originally planned, The Economic Times in India reported.
According to its criteria, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat will not officially recognize the Burj Dubai as the tallest structure in the world until its construction is complete.
According to KVLY’s website:
– At 2,063 feet, KVLY-TV’s tower is taller than the combined height of the Great Pyramid Khufu in Egypt, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Washington Monument.
– The steel tower and its guy anchors take up 160 acres of land.
– The tower contains 2 million feet of steel, guy wire strands and elevator cable.
– The total weight of steel in the tower is 864,500 pounds.
– The total length of the tower’s guy wires reaches 7.6 miles. Guy wires are tension cables that help stabilize the tower.
