Reach for the sky: Completion of world’s first 1-km skyscraper in sight

We now have a completion date for what will be the world’s tallest skyscraper – and it’s coming sooner than you might think. The amazing structure is expected to be finished by 2028 and will rise to a mind-boggling height of 1,007 m (3,303 ft) in Saudi Arabia.

Originally known as the Kingdom Tower and the Mile-High Tower (the latter dropped once it was discovered the ground couldn’t support a mile-high structure), the skyscraper was then renamed the Jeddah Tower but has now received yet another new name, the Jeddah Economic Company Tower – or JEC Tower.

It’s designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, with the former having notable form for being the creative force behind the current world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which reaches a height of 828 m (2,716 ft). To put all these numbers into perspective, the JEC Tower will be over three times the height of the Eiffel Tower, over twice the height of the Empire State Building, and almost twice the height of the USA’s tallest skyscraper, the One World Trade Center.

We should note that Foster + Partners’ rumored mile-high skyscraper would be even taller still, but since there’s no confirmation yet that it’s actually going ahead, the JEC Tower’s status as world’s tallest building will be assured for some time.

The JEC Tower’s triangular form, which is inspired by the folded leaves of a desert plant, has been conceived to withstand the punishing winds at such heights and features notches on three sides to shield the building from the Sun. Anchoring all this is a massive concrete foundation system supported by 270 bored piles that reach depths of up to 105 m (344 ft).

The skyscraper’s vast interior will include 59 elevators and 157 floors. It will boast the world’s highest observatory, as well as a luxury hotel, lots of office space, and plush residences.

Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture

It has been a long time coming. Work began on the JEC Tower over a decade ago but was stalled at around 60 floors for several years, with reports naming purges by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the subsequent arrest of Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, a billionaire businessman and investor, who leads the project, as the cause for the delay. Then last year there were reports that work had begun, but now it’s official.

Talal Al Saud recently posted a short video of the project to X (formerly Twitter) with the accompanying words “We’re back” and his company Kingdom Holding Company has announced work is underway in earnest following a contract with the Saudi Binladin Group to build it for SAR 7.2 billion (roughly US$1.9 billion).

Source: Kingdom Holding Company