Dubai made another world record last week with the opening of the Cayan Tower, the tallest twisted edifice built at the soaring cost of $272 million.

The tower stands 310 metres and rises 75 floors. It is twisted at 90 degrees from top to bottom. The landmark is located at Dubai Marina, a man-made canal that overlooks the Gulf.

Construction started in 2006, but the completion was delayed because of technical problems and financial as well when the global economic crisis hit nations in 2008. However, residents of the oil-rich Middle Eastern region have recovered faster than their western counterparts since 80 per cent of the twisted tower's residential units have been sold, said Cayan Real Estate Investment and Development Company, the developer.

The designers are from Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the same Chicago-based company that created the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world also located in Dubai. The Burj stands at 828 metres tall, made of 160 floors and broke engineering and architectural records when it opened in January 2010.

Dubai is also the location of the 413.4-metre Princess Tower, the tallest residential building in the world. It opened in May 2012. In the same year, the world's tallest hotel, the 355-metre tall twin tower JW Marriott Marquis Dubai also opened for business.