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5 months ago
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A KILOMETRE-high skyscraper on the Saudi Arabian coast is closer to becoming the world’s tallest building by the end of the decade.
The Jeddah Tower has long been promised as the next Burj Khalifa – the world’s current tallest building in Dubai.
Courtesy of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
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Adrian Smith / Gordon Gill Architecture
ReutersThe jaw-droppingly enormous tower would stand at one kilometre high when done, making it three times taller than London’s Shard.
But the project, which began construction more than a decade ago, froze in 2018 following anti-corruption purges in the Saudi government.
Key figures connected to the project were arrested in late 2017, while the Covid pandemic also saw additional delays.
However, after five years in limbo, the project has now resumed development – with construction starting again last autumn.
News outlet Architectural Digest reported that the giant tower, designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, could be completed in the next four to five years.
Smith and Gill told Architectural Digest: “The design for Jeddah Tower is rooted in the symbolism of Saudi Arabia while looking toward the future by being technologically expressive.”
When finished, the futuristic skyscraper is set to be the first building ever made to be more than a kilometre tall.
The current record for world’s tallest building has been held for many years by Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa, which stands at just under 830 metres high.
The Jeddah Tower would dwarf all over developments in the Saudi port city of Jeddah – which has been floated as among the cities that could host 2034 World Cup matches.
Handout
Reuters
AFP or licensorsBut for many years now, its semi-complete skeleton has loomed large over the construction site.
When construction ground to a halt in 2018, construction of the building was reported to be about a third complete.
Developer Jeddah Economic Company’s website homepage now features a visualisation of the tower with the words ‘It’s Happening’.
If completed as planned, the tower would join the small club of buildings to have held the top spot as the world’s tallest.
Other skyscrapers to have held that title over the years include Chicago’s Willis Tower, Taipei 101 in Taiwan and, of course, the current tallest building the Burj Khalifa.
The Jeddah Tower is expected to be mixed-use, including residential, commercial, and office space facilities.
If completed under the suggested timelines, it could take the crown as the world’s tallest building by 2030.
The tower is supposed to be the crown jewel in a new waterfront developmentSaudi Arabia's mega projects
The Jeddah Tower is one of the many vast projects proposed in Saudi Arabia. These include:
- The Line: This 170 kilometre ‘landscraper’ aims to be a flagship part of Saudi Arabia’s Neom project in the country’s north west. The project was reported by Bloomberg to have been ‘scaled back’ in its medium term ambitions.
- Neom: This futuristic megacity project comes amid a big drive to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy. It has faced controversy along the way, including from tribes in the area who have reportedly faced eviction to make way for the project.
- Jeddah Tower: Aiming to be the world’s tallest building, construction halted on this megatall skyscraper in 2018 following anti-corruption purges. It took around half a decade before construction resumed.
- The Clock Towers: Located in Islam’s holiest city of Mecca, the Clock Towers stand among the world’s top ten tallest buildings. However, its construction spared international outcry when a more than 200-year-old Ottoman fort was demolished in 2002 to make way for it.
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