Jeddah Tower: The Shining Skyscraper of Saudi Arabia’s Skyline
Jeddah Tower, also known as the Kingdom Tower, is a skyscraper under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is set to become the tallest building in the world upon completion, surpassing the current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The Jeddah Tower was designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, and its height is planned to reach 1 kilometer (3,281 feet). The tower will have 167 floors, and it is being built at a cost of $1.5 billion. It is part of a larger development known as the Jeddah Economic City, which will include residential, commercial, and entertainment facilities.
The construction of the Jeddah Tower began in 2013 and has faced numerous delays, including financial challenges and design changes. As of May 2023, the Jeddah tower progress is still under construction,
Unfortunately, the Jeddah tower completion date is unknown! Once completed, it is expected to become a major tourist attraction and a symbol of Saudi Arabia‘s ambition and economic growth.
The tallest building in the world will be in Jaddah
Supertall building experts Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill are to complete the design for a stunning new tower to anchor the proposed $20bn Kingdom City master planning project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The firm carefully quashed internet rumors that they were working on a ‘mile-high’ tower, yet did not deny involvement in the Jeddah Tower scheme. This morning His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, nephew of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and chairman of Kingdom Holding Company officially announced AS+GG as design architects of the project to awaiting media.
Reassuringly elegant for a tower of such epic proportions – the completed Jeddah Tower will soar at over 1000m (at least 173m taller than the Burj Khalifa which currently holds the title of the world’s tallest building) with a total construction area of 530,000 sq m – the structure is being touted as a new marker of Jeddah’s importance as a gateway to the city of Mecca and has been directly inspired by the folded fronds of a young desert plant. Adrian Smith details: “With its slender, subtly asymmetrical massing, the Kingdom tower evokes a bundle of leaves shooting up from the ground – a burst of new life that heralds more growth all around it.”
Smith’s partner Gordon Gill continues: “The way the fronds sprout upward from the ground as a single form, then start separating from each other at the top, is an analogy of the new growth fused with technology.” The graceful needle is also designed to symbolize the city of Jeddah as an economic power and cultural leader, with a focus on the ‘strength and creative vision of its people’.
Aside from the initial ‘wow factor’ of the building’s statistics, AS+GG has been applauded for its sensitive design aesthetic. Talal Al Maiman, Executive Director, of Development and Domestic Investments, a Board member of Kingdom Holding Company, and a board member of JEC commented: “Prince Alwaleed, Mr. Bakhsh, Mr. Sharbatly, and I was impressed by the boldness and simplicity of the AS+GG design. The Jeddah Tower height is remarkable, obviously, but the building’s iconic status will not depend solely on that aspect. Its form is brilliantly sculpted, making it quite simply one of the most beautiful buildings in the world of any height.”
Encased in the new spire’s glimmering façade will be a Four Seasons hotel, Four Seasons serviced apartments, Class A office space, luxury condominiums, and the world’s highest observatory. 59 elevators using the world’s most high-tech systems will be installed to provide ease of access, with 54 single-deck and 5 double-deck systems. The residential aspect has influenced the three-petal footprint of the design with tapering wings introducing an aerodynamic shape to reduce structural loading due to wind vortex shedding. All three sides of the Kingdom Tower sport a series of notches that form specifically engineered areas of shadow designed to fall on the outdoor terraces facing the city and the Red Sea.
AS+GG is leading an interdisciplinary design team that also includes building services engineering consultants Environmental Systems Design, Inc. (ESD) and structural engineering consultants Thornton Tomasetti. The developer of Kingdom City, Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), selected the AS+GG scheme after a lengthy competition process in which SOM, Pickard Chilton, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Pelli Clarke Pelli, and Foster + Partners also participated.
For more Images about the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, click on for larger image:
