30-07-2025
Jeddah Tower to be taller than Dubai's Burj Khalifa once completed
This article was first published in January 2025
Construction on a massive one-kilometre-tall tower to rival Dubai's Burj Khalifa has officially resumed.
The Jeddah Tower, currently officially called the Jeddah Economic Company Tower, in Saudi Arabia, is set to be taller than the Burj Khalifa once complete.
The iconic symbol of Dubai stands at 828 metres, while the Saudi Arabian project is slated to be a minimum of 1,000 metres.
Jeddah's plans for a massive world-record-breaking tower have been in the pipeline for more than a decade but building has been stop-start.
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal announced the resumption of work with a post on social media last year, saying 'we're back' along with an artist's rendering of the completed tower.
And on Monday January 20, the Kingdom Holding Company officially revealed that work was finally back up and running on the building.
Concrete pouring has begun on the 1km tall tower which will feature luxury residential units, commercial spaces, a Four Seasons hotel and an observation deck offering views of Jeddah and the Red Sea.
تم رسمياً استئناف أعمال بناء برج جدة وصب الخرسانة في الرمز العالمي للطموح والتقدم، بحضور صاحب السمو الملكي الأمير الوليد بن طلال رئيس مجلس إدارة شركة المملكة القابضة، المهندس/ طلال بن إبراهيم الميمان الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة المملكة القابضة، الشيخ يسلم بن لادن 'مجموعة بن لادن'،…
— شركة المملكة القابضة (@Kingdom_KHC) January 20, 2025
The Jeddah Tower is set to be even taller than Burj Khalifa when complete (Credit: Jeddah Economic Company Tower)
Currently, 63 storeys of the planned 157-storey tower have been built so far with Dhs1 billion of the construction works already paid for.
It is anticipated Jeddah Tower will be over 1,000 metres – or more than one kilometre in height. The main structure of the tower is expected to exceed 1.5 kilometres.
Jeddah Economic Company will fund the remaining Dhs6 billion through internal funding and banking facilities.
A statement by the company said: 'The tower will be part of the first phase of 1.3 million square meters of the total area of Jeddah Economic Company City, which is approximately 5.3 million square meters.
'The infrastructure development for the entire first phase, spanning 1.3 million square meters, has been executed, containing essential amenities such as electricity, water, sewage, flood drainage, and high-speed internet connectivity.'
Construction is expected to take around 42 months with a completion date in the first half of 2028 so the Burj Khalifa has a while longer to enjoy being the top dog.
The Saudi project has been designed by Adrian Smith, the same American architect behind Burj Khalifa.
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