The Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia has achieved a significant construction milestone. Upon completion, it will be the world’s tallest building. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and constructed by Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), the tower has reached 454 meters (around 1,489 feet) with 113 floors. Ian Norman Miller, senior executive project director at SBG, shared this progress via LinkedIn.
The Jeddah Tower’s current height has surpassed the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, which at 452 meters was the tallest building in the world in 1998. The Petronas Towers lost this title to Taipei 101 in Taiwan. Architect Bob Forest, a partner at AS+GG, expressed his appreciation for reaching this milestone, especially under extreme summer heat in Jeddah.
Upon completion, the Jeddah Tower will rise over 1,000 meters, surpassing Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building at 2,717 feet. Smith, while at SOM architectural firm before founding AS+GG, designed the Burj Khalifa. The Jeddah Tower joins a series of record-breaking skyscrapers, including the proposed Bevel tower in the U.S. and Tianjin 117 Tower in China.
Miller reflected on the achievement, stating, “454 METERS. LEVEL 113. Thirty years ago, my father helped build the World’s Tallest Building. Today, Jeddah Tower…surpassed it.” He shared his pride in the construction of Petronas Towers and the current success with his team at SBG.
Forest recalled working in Hong Kong during the completion of the Petronas Towers, marking Asia’s emergence in the skyscraper record world. The Petronas Towers represented an era and milestone for him as a young architect.
Forest highlights ongoing engineering challenges, such as developing structural systems for record heights. Weather conditions, specifically wind speeds, play a crucial role in construction pace. High winds can temporarily stop construction. Predictive climate modeling helps anticipate potential delays, but real-time assessments are necessary.
The construction team has excelled in productivity and speed, gaining efficiencies through learning and testing strategies. With these efforts, the Jeddah Tower is on schedule for completion in August 2028.
Forest outlines future milestones for the Jeddah Tower. The next will be reaching the 500-meter mark, which signifies approximately half the total height. This achievement will demonstrate significant engineering progress but also emphasizes the remaining distance to completion.
Surpassing Taipei 101 will be another milestone, leaving only one building left to surpass, according to the Skyscraper Museum. Each milestone brings the Jeddah Tower closer to its ultimate goal of exceeding 1 kilometer in height. Continuous dedication and commitment remain essential to achieving this vision.
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