Construction Progress
The Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia will become the world’s tallest building upon completion, marking a significant milestone this week. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) and built by Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), the skyscraper reached a height of 454 meters (around 1,489 feet) at 113 floors. Ian Norman Miller, a senior executive project director at SBG, shared this development on Wednesday through LinkedIn.
The tower’s current height surpasses Malaysia’s Petronas Towers, once the world’s tallest at 452 meters (around 1,483 feet) in 1998. Later, Taiwan’s Taipei 101 tower claimed the title. Architect Bob Forest, partner at AS+GG, expressed the significance of this achievement, and the challenges faced due to Jeddah’s extreme summer temperatures.
Record-Breaking Ambitions
Once completed, the Jeddah Tower will exceed a height of 1,000 meters (around 3,281 feet), surpassing the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the tallest at 2,717 feet. The Burj Khalifa was also a project of Smith at SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) before co-founding AS+GG.
The latest milestone comes alongside other ambitious projects like Bevel, a proposed tower set to be the tallest mass timber office building in the United States. The Tianjin 117 Tower in China, near completion after 18 years, will feature the tallest elevator in a building.
A Landmark Achievement
“454 METERS. LEVEL 113. Thirty years ago, my father helped build the World’s Tallest Building. Today, Jeddah Tower – being built by Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) – surpassed it.”— Ian Norman Miller
Miller recalled his father’s involvement in constructing the Petronas Towers, expressing personal pride as the Jeddah Tower now exceeds its height. Bob Forest from AS+GG reminisced about the Petronas Towers as a major achievement of his era and his ambitions to be part of a similar historic project.
Challenges and Progress
The journey to completion by 2028 continues amidst engineering hurdles like developing an efficient structural system. Forest highlighted weather conditions influencing construction pace. High winds require suspension of work, as concrete pouring may halt unexpectedly due to adverse weather.
Forest commended the construction team’s productivity and efficiency improvements despite obstacles. He emphasized their dedication to meeting the planned completion date of August 2028.
Future Milestones
Two major upcoming milestones will advance Jeddah Tower further. Reaching 500 meters (around 1,640 feet) will signify approximately halfway completion. The building’s full height remains undisclosed until finished. Surpassing Taipei 101 soon after will mark the encroachment on the remaining ‘world’s tallest building’ title.
Forest remarked that each milestone is noteworthy, emphasizing the ongoing effort towards final completion.