TORONTO — The ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon, whose existence has long been debated, is being reimagined and brought to life by a developer in Dubai.

Emaar Properties, the government-backed company who developed the 2,717-foot-high Burj Khalifa (currently the world’s tallest building), has announced its latest venture: a Dubai skyscraper that will surpass the Khalifa in height and whose upper decks will be designed to resemble the mystical Hanging Gardens.

Called simply ‘The Tower,’ the building is scheduled for completion by 2018 and will be a centerpiece of the vast Dubai Creek Harbour project and the city’s 2020 World Expo, writes Forbes.com. At a total cost of US$1 billion, The Tower will boast at least 20 mixed-use floors, a boutique hotel, restaurants, 360-degree views and rotating balconies that literally extend outside the building. The VIP observation garden decks will recreate the Hanging Gardens, which are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and considered one of the supreme engineering marvels of its time (circa 600 BC).

In addition, The Tower will integrate sustainability features, including green corridors and an environment-friendly tram service that connects pedestrians to various access points and Dubai Creek Harbour. It will feature a super-slim profile with a floating oval-shaped bud, which will act as a light beacon at night.

Its final height has yet to be confirmed, but in order to beat its sibling Burj Khalifa, it would have to be taller than 829 metres. To gain the title of World’s Tallest Skyscraper, The Tower would also have to surpass Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower (under construction at 1,008 metres), Iraq’s proposed tower ‘The Bride’ (1,152 metres tall); ‘The Mile’, a proposed vertical park and observation deck in New York; and Tokyo’s proposed Sky Mile Tower (1,699 metres), scheduled for completion in 2045.