Saudi Arabia rebuilds the world's tallest building

After years of delays, construction on the Jeddah Tower, the world's tallest skyscraper, resumed in early May in Saudi Arabia.

Formerly known as Kingdom Tower , once completed, the skyscraper will be 1,000 m high, becoming the first structure in history to reach a height of one kilometer. It is part of an ambitious economic development program worth nearly $20 billion near the Red Sea and is among several megaprojects taking place in Saudi Arabia, Newsweek reported.

Jeddah Tower according to design (left) and 1/3 completed frame (right). (Photo: Mashable).

Jeddah Tower costs $1.2 billion, designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture , including a complex of luxury hotels, offices, short-term rentals and apartments. On May 9, the architectural firm confirmed to Newsweek that the construction process had resumed. The tower's current name comes from its location in Jeddah, a major port city along the Red Sea and also the second most populous city in Saudi Arabia.

Started in 2013, the construction process was halted in 2018 when the main contractor, Binladin Group, was disqualified after the arrest of the company's chairman, Bakr bin Laden, Osama bin Laden's half-brother, in an anti-war campaign. corruption of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The project continues to be delayed by Covid-19.

When construction paused six years ago, about one-third of the project was complete, according to Architectural Digest. The unfinished skeleton of the building has stood tall in Jeddah ever since. When completed, the Jeddah Tower will be 152 m higher than the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, the current record holder for the tallest building in the world. It is also twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York, USA and 7 times taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The building will have the world's largest observation deck and a high-end elevator system including 59 elevators transporting visitors at a speed of 10 m/s. The tower's unique three-wing shape optimizes residential space and views from windows while the gradually beveled design from base to top significantly reduces wind resistance at high altitudes.

The architectural firm expects the project to be completed within the next 4-5 years and the new contractor will be announced in a few weeks. The project is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to diversify the domestic economy away from oil and strengthen sectors such as healthcare, education and tourism.