Introduction: The Building That Will Rewrite Architectural History from Jeddah
Since the dawn of history, humanity has tried to touch the sky: from the pyramids of Giza, to the Eiffel Tower, to the Burj Khalifa. Today, on the Red Sea shores north of Jeddah, a project is rising that will surpass them all and break a barrier no one has dared approach: the first building in human history to exceed a full kilometer in height.
It is Jeddah Tower, the project of Jeddah Economic Company, led by Kingdom Holding Company under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. A project that began as a legendary dream, went through years of challenges and suspension that made some doubt it would ever be completed, and has now returned — growing at the pace of a floor every few days, heading toward its date with history in 2028.
In this article we take you on a complete tour from A to Z: How tall is it exactly and how much does it cost? Who designed it, and how do you build foundations for a building this tall? What's inside it — hotel, apartments, offices, observatory? Why did construction stop for seven full years? Where has it reached today, and when will it open its doors? Buckle up — the journey is worth it.
First: The Project Card — The Essential Numbers at a Glance
Before the details, these are the core facts that summarize the project:
The Key Numbers
Planned height: at least 1,008 meters — about 180 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa (828 meters). Floors: 167 occupied floors within 252 total levels, with the highest occupied floor at 638 meters. Total floor area: 243,866 square meters. Tower construction cost: around 4.6 billion riyals (approximately 1.2 billion dollars), with the completion contract signed with Saudi Binladin Group valued at 7.2 billion riyals. Owner and developer: Jeddah Economic Company, whose leading shareholder is Kingdom Holding Company (around 33.35%). Expected completion: 2028.
The Anticipated World Records
Upon completion, the tower will break several world records at once: the world's tallest building, the first building to exceed one kilometer, the world's highest observation deck, the highest occupied floor, and the longest elevator travel distance in a building.
Second: The Dream — From the "Mile-High Tower" to the Kilometer Tower
The story of Jeddah Tower begins with an ambition that resembles its owner's character:
The First Idea Was Even Bigger
When Prince Alwaleed bin Talal launched the idea, the initial ambition was to build the "Mile-High Tower" at 1,600 meters! But geological studies of the site's soil near the sea showed that height was impractical, so the design was revised to just over one kilometer — a figure more than enough to enter history through its widest gate.
The Announcement and the Launch
The project was officially announced in 2011 as "Kingdom Tower" before becoming known as Jeddah Tower. The first construction contract was signed with Saudi Binladin Group, actual construction began in April 2013, the foundations were completed in December of the same year, and the tower began its climb above ground in September 2014.
Third: The Location — The Heart of a Complete Economic City Worth 75 Billion Riyals
Jeddah Tower is not a solitary building in a desert, but the crown jewel of a far larger project:
Where Exactly Is It?
The tower is located in the Obhur area north of Jeddah, about 20 kilometers from the city center, close to the Red Sea coast, in a strategic position between King Abdulaziz International Airport and the northern coastal destinations. The tower and its immediate surroundings occupy a plot of about 50 hectares.
Jeddah Economic City
The tower is the centerpiece of "Jeddah Economic City," extending over 5.2 square kilometers with an estimated total cost of around 75 billion riyals (20 billion dollars). The city includes a 23-hectare waterfront district hosting a large shopping mall, retail and entertainment areas, residential and hotel units, and green spaces — a complete city living around the world's tallest building, in a model similar to what the Burj Khalifa did for Downtown Dubai.
Fourth: Design and Engineering — Genius Touching the Sky
Who Designed the Tower?
Behind the design stands the famous American architect Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture — the same designer of the Burj Khalifa during his time at SOM. In other words, the man who designed the current world's tallest building is the one designing the building that will break its record. He is joined by a heavyweight global team: Thornton Tomasetti for structural engineering, Langan for geotechnical engineering, with Saudi Binladin Group executing the construction.
The Philosophy of the Form
The tower takes a sleek needle-like form inspired by a bundle of young plant leaves sprouting from the ground — a symbol of growth and ambition. Structurally, it uses the "buttressed core" system with three wings that taper gradually with height, a refined evolution of the system proven in the Burj Khalifa, as the tapering three-winged form provides exceptional wind stability and disrupts wind vortices around the tower.
Foundations Carrying a Million Tons Over Coastal Soil
The hardest challenge was below, not above: the site's soil contains porous coral rock and weak layers near the sea. The solution was 270 reinforced concrete piles with diameters between 1.5 and 1.8 meters plunging to depths of up to 105 meters underground, topped by a concrete raft up to 5 meters thick. The foundations alone consumed more than 56,000 cubic meters of concrete and about 8,000 tons of reinforcement steel, with a cathodic protection system resisting groundwater salinity.
And How Does It Resist Wind at One Kilometer High?
The tower is equipped with two massive tuned mass dampers (the first weighing 870 tons and the second 260 tons) in its upper levels, whose task is to absorb wind-induced vibrations and reduce the movement of the top by about 30% — keeping those on the upper floors comfortable even in the strongest storms.
Fifth: What's Inside the Tower? (A Complete Vertical City)
The tower is designed to be a semi-self-sufficient "vertical city." Here is the detailed distribution of its components:
The Four Seasons Hotel and Serviced Apartments
The tower hosts a luxury Four Seasons hotel with 182 rooms and suites occupying floors 20 to 26, topped by 97 Four Seasons serviced residence units on floors 27 to 37, offering world-class hospitality at unprecedented heights.
Residential Apartments and Offices
The tower includes 278 luxury residential apartments distributed across four groups in the upper floors — set to be among the highest homes on the face of the earth — plus Class A office space on floors 7 to 13.
The World's Highest Observatory and the Sky Terrace
At the levels between 630 and 638 meters sits the world's highest observation deck, along with the famous circular open-air "Sky Terrace," 30 meters in diameter, projecting from the tower's facade. Originally designed as a helipad before being converted into a panoramic terrace, it will become Saudi Arabia's most iconic photo spot, with views stretching from the Red Sea to Jeddah's entire horizon.
The Elevators: A Journey to the Sky in 66 Seconds
The elevator system alone is an engineering marvel by KONE: 57 elevators (50 single-deck and 7 double-deck), running on revolutionary UltraRope technology with lightweight carbon-fiber cables enabling travel distances impossible with steel cables, at speeds of up to 10 meters per second. The observatory shuttles take you from the ground to over 630 meters in about 66 seconds. The total length of the elevator shafts is around 8 kilometers, with 3 sky lobbies for transfers and 8 escalators.
Parking and Services
The tower and its surroundings are served by underground parking for about 3,000 to 4,700 cars, plus an integrated services system including entertainment and retail facilities inside the tower and in the adjacent waterfront. A 2.2 billion riyal contract was signed to supply 156,000 cubic meters of water daily to the economic city for 25 years.
Sixth: Engineering Numbers Beyond Imagination
To grasp the enormity of what is being built, consider these figures:
Building Materials
Upon completion, the tower will consume around 500,000 cubic meters of concrete and about 80,000 tons of steel. Concrete is pumped to world-record heights using special ultra-high-pressure pumps, often at night to avoid daytime heat that affects concrete quality.
The Challenges of Height
At one kilometer high, everything becomes a challenge: temperature and pressure differences between base and summit, material expansion and contraction, and even designing glass facades (around 120,000 square meters of glazing) that withstand Jeddah's sun, sea salinity, and winds. Every detail of the tower underwent wind tunnel testing and precise simulation before execution.
Seventh: Why Did the Project Stop for 7 Years? (The Story Everyone Asks About)
By 2018, construction had reached floor 63 (about a third of the project) and then stopped completely. What happened?
The First Storm: The Contractor Crisis
In late 2017, the Kingdom witnessed the famous anti-corruption campaign, which reached major figures in the business world — including leaders of Saudi Binladin Group, the project's main contractor, and even briefly included Prince Alwaleed bin Talal himself before his situation was settled. Binladin Group then entered a deep restructuring phase that affected its operational capacity, and work faltered in January 2018.
Then the Blows Kept Coming
Financing challenges followed, along with the reprioritization of the Kingdom's mega projects, and then the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 froze the entire global construction sector. The suspension stretched beyond seven years, the half-finished tower became a giant question mark in Jeddah's sky, and the world asked: is the dream dead?
The Answer: No
In September 2023, Jeddah Economic Company issued a new tender to complete construction, and on January 20, 2025, Kingdom Holding Company officially announced the resumption of works and concrete pouring, under a new contract with Saudi Binladin Group worth 7.2 billion riyals (of which about 1.1 billion had been previously paid) with a 42-month execution period. The dream returned stronger than before.
Eighth: Where Has Construction Reached Today? And When Does It Finish?
A Stunning Pace
Since the resumption, the tower has been growing at an impressive pace: a new floor roughly every 4 to 5 days. Construction reached floor 66 in April 2025, passed floor 80 in early 2026, and in April 2026 achieved a major symbolic milestone by passing floor 100 — already among the tallest buildings in the world while still incomplete. And the best is yet to come: every new floor from here brings it closer to a title no building in history has held.
The Completion Date
According to Kingdom Holding Company's statements, the tower is expected to be completed in 2028, with contractual schedules pointing to around mid-year. Jeddah will then transform from a city the world passes through on its way to the Two Holy Mosques, into a destination the world travels to — to record the moment of standing atop the tallest building humanity has ever built.
Ninth: What Does Jeddah Tower Mean for Saudi Arabia and the Real Estate Market?
An Icon of Vision 2030
The tower is more than a building — it is a message: Saudi Arabia can achieve what others could not. It is a massive tourism and economic engine integrating with the Vision's projects, creating thousands of jobs during and after construction, and placing Jeddah on the global tourism map alongside its status as the gateway to the Two Holy Mosques.
Its Impact on Jeddah's Real Estate
Historically, iconic projects raise property values around them (the Burj Khalifa's effect on Downtown Dubai is the clearest example). As construction advances, interest is growing in land and projects in north Jeddah, Obhur, and the areas surrounding Jeddah Economic City. The smart investor is watching this area now — before the tower is completed and the picture, along with the prices, is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall exactly is Jeddah Tower?
The announced final height is at least 1,008 meters, possibly slightly more. What is certain is that it will be the first building in history to exceed one kilometer, about 180 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa.
Who owns Jeddah Tower?
Jeddah Economic Company is the owner and developer, with Kingdom Holding Company (around 33.35%) chaired by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal as its leading shareholder, alongside Abrar Holding, Saudi Binladin Group, and other partners.
How much does the project cost?
The tower itself costs around 4.6 billion riyals (1.2 billion dollars), the current completion contract is worth 7.2 billion riyals, and the estimated cost of the entire Jeddah Economic City is around 75 billion riyals.
Why did construction stop for all those years?
Due to an accumulated series of events: the contractor crisis after the 2017 anti-corruption campaign and Saudi Binladin Group's restructuring, then financing challenges, then the COVID-19 pandemic. Work officially resumed in January 2025.
What will the tower contain inside?
A Four Seasons hotel with 182 rooms, 97 serviced residences, 278 luxury apartments, Class A offices, the world's highest observatory with the 30-meter Sky Terrace, 57 carbon-fiber-technology elevators, and parking for thousands of cars.
When will Jeddah Tower be completed?
Completion is expected in 2028 according to Kingdom Holding Company's announcements, with construction having passed floor 100 in April 2026 at a pace of one floor every 4 to 5 days.
Is the tower's design safe against wind and earthquakes?
Yes — it was designed by a global team led by Adrian Smith, the Burj Khalifa's designer, using the three-winged buttressed core system, foundations of 270 piles up to 105 meters deep, two tuned mass dampers weighing over 1,100 tons combined that reduce the top's movement by about 30%, and it underwent extensive wind tunnel testing.
Conclusion
Jeddah Tower is not just a skyscraper — it is a Saudi epic through and through: a dream launched by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to be the tallest in history, designed by the Burj Khalifa's own architect to surpass his earlier masterpiece. The project withstood seven years of suspension and crises, and today stands past its 100th floor on its way to 1,008 meters and its date with history in 2028 — carrying within it a Four Seasons hotel, the most luxurious residences, and the world's highest observatory, surrounded by a complete economic city on the shores of the Red Sea.
For us in the real estate market, the tower is both a lesson and an opportunity: a lesson that great projects pass through storms but do not die when the vision is true, and an opportunity for everyone watching the map of north Jeddah today before the picture is complete. Follow Raghdan for every update on the tower and its impact on the market, first-hand.
Share this article with everyone interested in real estate and architecture — soon the whole world will ask: how was history's first one-kilometer building built? And you will know the complete answer.
