World Architecture News
'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.
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