Dubai's Al Habto Group announced Thursday that it broke ground on the Habto Tower, which is expected to be the world's largest residential building.

According to Khaleej Times and other local media, the luxury project has a built-up area of 3,517,313 sq ft and is located within the Al Habtoor City development on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

The 81-story luxury tower will house 1,701 units and will be completed in 36 months.

The value of the project was not disclosed, but the company announced in December 2022 that it planned to build the world's largest residential tower in Dubai at a construction cost of 4.5 billion UAE dirhams ($1.2 billion). A statement issued by the company at the time said the project was part of a wider plan to build three large residential projects in Dubai at a total cost of 9.5 billion dirhams ($2.6 billion).

According to media reports, the housing project will pioneer new construction methods and aims to achieve LEED Platinum certification for green buildings.

The company is in the final stages of selecting a prime contractor for the project and the company received bids from the United Arab Emirates, China, India and Europe, the report added.