Jeddah Tower located in Jeddah Economic city is expected to redefine the future of Saudi Arabia’s skyline. The tower is a masterclass in verticality and minimalism, designed as a slender, aerodynamic needle aimed at shattering the world height record by soaring past 1,000 meters. Its purpose is singular: to push the limits of traditional engineering and reach for the clouds.

In contrast, The Mukaab in Riyadh abandons the race for height in favor of immense volume and immersive technology. Rather than a spire, it is a massive hollow cube that is large enough to hold twenty Empire State Buildings. It is designed to house a “gateway to another world” using giant internal holograms and VR. While the Jeddah Tower is a landmark of physical altitude, The Mukaab is a landmark of digital depth and urban density. However, the Mukaab project has recently faced a setback as Saudi Arabia reached a decision to suspend its construction works.

January 27, 2025

Kingdom Holding Company made an announcement on Monday on resuming the Jeddah Tower Construction works with pouring of concrete at the project site as revealed on the company’s X platform. This was done in the presence of the company’s chairman, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and the CEO Engineer Talal Al-Maiman. Furthermore, also present were representatives from several real estate and architectural companies.

According to Kingdom Holding Company, the Jeddah Tower will have a height that exceeds 1,000 meters. This building will become the tallest in the world surpassing the Burj Khalifa in UAE, Dubai.

With matters regarding the revival of this ambitious project ,in 2024, Kingdom Holding Co. made an announcement revealing that its associate Jeddah Economic Company has sealed the deal with Saudi Binladin Group to resume the construction of the Jeddah Tower is back in full motion after years of hiatus.

Jeddah Tower Factsheet

Location: Jeddah Economic City

Height: At least 1 kilometer

Architect: Adrian Smith

Contractor/Developer: Saudi Binladin Group

Cost: $26 Billion

Duration: Three and a half years

Start date: April 1, 2013

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The Jeddah Tower is poised to redefine the skyline of Jeddah and position the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a global hub of both architectural excellence and economic opportunities. This is in line with the Kingdom’s goals which seek to diversify the economy and also promote a sustainable urban development.

When was Jeddah Tower Construction Halted?

The construction works on the Jeddah Tower were paused in the year 2018. This ambitious project to construct the world’s tallest building was in limbo until 2023 when the development works resumed.

Other challenges that slowed down the Jeddah Tower Construction works were the Saudi Arabia political intrigue and also the several Covid-19 shutdowns experienced during the pandemic period.

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