Alwaleed Picks Burj Khalifa Architect Adrian Smith to Design Kingdom Tower
Oct 22, 2010 3:01 PM GMT+0800


* World's tallest tower part of $20 bln project in Jeddah

* Plans another project in Riyadh valued at $6.67 billion

Originally Posted by Infernal_Elf (Post 5026530) is it just me or is emaar going on an all crazy hey lets build 800m pluss tower all over. very intresting really considering that the goverement of Dubai have the biggest stock share in it. as for the design i just cant w8 will be very intresting to see what they change it into and choosing Emaar and the same architect as the Burj Khalifah was probably a very smart move considering that there are very many problems, that they must face in such a project that you wont face in towers in the 300-400 range. and Emaar definitely got the experience now.

Originally Posted by Troubadour (Post 5026857) This thing is really going to screw up the scale of the "Under Construction" diagrams. :D

Originally Posted by kiwi4life (Post 5029128) hows this going to have an effect on Dubai, does anyone think that people there will get a little upset over this? i hope they dont.

Emaar Sign Agreement For 1000m Tower
22-10-2010



Despite an economic slowdown in much of the world and falling oil prices design work has continued on the Smith and Gill penned Kingdom Tower in Jeddah.

The scheme will be the landmark building for a new urban quarter called Kingdom City that's being developed via a subsidiary of Kingdom Holding, Jeddah Al Eqtisadiah. The company has signed a development agreement with Emaar, the construction company that has built much of Dubai, to continue the development of the scheme and reunite the team that constructed the Burj Khalifa, formerly the Burj Dubai, in Dubai.

The intentions are to create what will be the tallest building in the world, although as of yet no one has much idea of just how tall it will be. Heights mentioned have gone all the way from 1,001 metres upwards.

One possible answer to these could be the same approach as taken to be Burj Khalifa that grew and grew in height as it was constructed with the public having an idea of how tall it would be precisely until the spire was finally erected.

This isn't the first time that the world's tallest building has been shrouded in mystery - the Chrysler Building was erected under similar circumstances with the developer mindful that if the height was publicized before completion someone else may have wanted to beat them to the title.

The vague plans that have so far surfaced, which are no doubt at an early stage, show a needle shaped building above it rising to a pinprick at 1001 metres.

Within the scheme could be something similar to the plan the architects previously did at Skidmore Owings and Merrill. That contained office space, a hotel, serviced apartments, and three groups of residential apartments plus penthouses up to 694.4 metres with a function room at the height of 781.5 metres.

Smith and Gill have long seen supertall buildings as more than just standard skyscrapers full of accommodation. Here the plans could include some clever power generation by harnessing the speeds at the top of the tower to provide it with power, something that would have dramatic results if you have 300 metres of space to install a vertical wind farm in.

At the same time, the height of the building guarantees that the air temperature at the top of it is significantly lower than at ground level, and this too can be exploited and recycled around the structure to reduce the need for air conditioning.

Of course, much of this is theoretical and subject to change as the project gets fleshed out but if Kingdom City does go ahead, the models have always shown the megatall building at its very heart that will finally push mankind above 1 kilometre.

Originally Posted by GulfArabia (Post 5029308) i don't think they will, the Arabian Gulf Countries "GCC" see them selfs as one, we are proud of what dubai is doing, and they fell the same when we or others do, even if we built this tower Dubai remains better in many things :tup:

Originally Posted by Pandemonious (Post 5029531) How did the KAEC work out again?

Originally Posted by Pandemonious (Post 5029531) Despite the dates on these articles this news is hardly new. I predict it doesnt get built anytime soon.. If at all. How did the KAEC work out again?

'Mile-High Tower' in Jeddah to go ahead says official source



Plans are still in motion for the world's tallest man-made structure - the Kingdom Tower -an anonymous source told Gulf News yesterday. The UAE newspaper claims its unnamed official source said: "The Kingdom Tower in Jeddah is one of the many huge real estate projects Kingdom Holding plans to develop. Jeddah Al Eqtisadiah, a subsidiary of Kingdom Holding, has signed an agreement with the Emaar Group of the UAE to develop a city and the huge tower in Jeddah."

If the skyscraper was to be seen through to completion it would eclipse the Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building at an incredible 1.6km high. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture was entrusted with the design of the tower in March this year, with Smith drawing on his experience designing the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The Kingdom Tower is part of a massive project for Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), which intends to generate an extensive development on an area of over 23million sq m in northern Jeddah. Offering a mix of commercial, residential, retail and educational facilities, the project will also include a new infrastructure network including a bridge across Obhur Creek.

Reports suggested that the project was put on hold due to the global economic crisis, a claim that KHC was quick to refute. An estimated cost on the KHC website is placed in excess of SR55bn, however external reports have seen this figure rise to an estimated SR100bn.


picture used:
http://static.worldarchitecturenews....ngdomtower.jpg

Originally Posted by SD_Phil (Post 5032772) ^Is there a link to the article or a date? That article lists the height at one mile not kilometer...?