5 days ago
Construction Soars Up on World's Tallest Building: 'Unprecedented Heights'
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The world's tallest building—the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia—is expected to be completed by August 2028, with construction having been "ramped up," the architectural firm behind it told Newsweek.
Designed by American architect Adrian Smith, who cofounded the Chicago-based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), the Jeddah Tower will reach "unprecedented heights," its developers describe. Soaring at over 3,280 feet high, upon completion it will surpass the current world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which was also designed by Smith.
Located in the northern part of Obhur, a bay located just north of the city of Jeddah, the new skyscraper will be at least 568 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa and form the centerpiece of the $20 billion Jeddah Economic City development, formerly known as the Kingdom City.
A view of the Jeddah Tower under construction in July 2025 (left); a rendering of the exterior of the tower (right).
A view of the Jeddah Tower under construction in July 2025 (left); a rendering of the exterior of the tower (right).
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture AS+GG,
Sharing an image of the tower under construction captured by architect Robert Forest, a partner at AS+GG, during a site visit in July, a spokesperson for the firm told Newsweek, "The construction schedule reflects August of 2028 completion," adding that "the tower has been constructed to Core Level 69, which will be reached this week."
"The wings follow about five to 10 floors behind," the firm said, adding that "50 percent of the concrete has been placed."
The mixed-use building will feature a luxury hotel, office space, apartments and condominiums, as well as a sky terrace at its 157th level, which will be the world's highest observatory.
Forest told Newsweek: "Construction activities have ramped up, and the atmosphere on site is robust. The entire team is committed and focused on realizing this iconic structure for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
A rendering of showing the tip of the Jeddah Tower.
A rendering of showing the tip of the Jeddah Tower.
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture AS+GG,
The design of the tower was inspired by a "vision to establish a striking form while keeping the structure simple," architect Gordon Gill, a partner at AS+GG, told Newsweek.
"As it developed, the overall ethos of 'new growth' for KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] was defined by the symbolic palm fronds. Today, the building is very consistent with the palm-frond concept."
Its exterior design "evokes a bundle of leaves shooting up from the ground—a burst of new life," while the tower's sleek, streamlined form references "the folded fronds of young desert plant growth," the firm describes on its website.
The building's "high-performance exterior wall system" aims to minimize energy consumption by reducing thermal loads. The tower's three sides will have a series of notches that create pockets of shadow to shield parts of the building from the sun and provide outdoor terraces with views of Jeddah and the Red Sea, the firm adds.
Renderings of the base of the Jeddah Tower (left) and its observation desk (right).
Renderings of the base of the Jeddah Tower (left) and its observation desk (right).
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture AS+GG,
The tower will also feature "one of the world's most-sophisticated elevator systems," consisting of 59 elevators, including 54 single-deck and five double-deck elevators, along with 12 escalators. "Elevators serving the observatory will travel at a rate of 10 meters [33 feet] per second in both directions," the firm says.
Construction of this new supertall skyscraper, which refers to buildings that are 300 meters (around 984 feet) or higher, first began around 2013 before it was plagued by delays and halted for years due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction officially began again in January this year.
Gill said: "No changes have occurred since the restart. The masterplan is proceeding, and the development of a new bridge over the creek will link the project directly to the Jeddah city core."
While the firm told Newsweek that the estimated current total cost of the Jeddah Tower is "confidential," the tower is expected to cost $1.2 billion to construct, according to the firm's website.
A view of the base of the Jeddah Tower, located in the northern part of Obhur, a bay located just north of the city of Jeddah.
A view of the base of the Jeddah Tower, located in the northern part of Obhur, a bay located just north of the city of Jeddah.
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture AS+GG,
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