What do Philadelphia City Hall, the Empire State Building and the Burj Khalifa have in common? They have all held the title of tallest skyscraper in the world. And ultimately, the Jeddah Tower, a neo-futuristic skyscraper planned for Saudi Arabia, will join these iconic structures.
Designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the structure will reach 3,281 feet tall when completed within the next four to five years, nearly 11 times the height of the Statue of Liberty. “The design of the Jeddah Tower is rooted in the symbolism of Saudi Arabia while being forward-looking by being technologically expressive,” Smith and Gill said in a joint statement to ANNOUNCEMENT. “Its slender, subtly asymmetrical mass evokes the new growth of palm leaves sprouting from the earth, a symbol of new life heralding the future growth of the kingdom.”
Here, ANNOUNCEMENT covers everything you need to know about the future world record holder.
Where will the Jeddah Tower be located?
Jeddah Tower will be located in the city from which it takes its name, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A port area, the city borders the Red Sea and is the second most populous in the Middle Eastern country. Once completed, the skyscraper will join other architectural wonders of Jeddah, such as the Penang Floating Mosque and Al Balad, the city’s historic center home to coral houses.
What will the Jeddah Tower look like?
The building is designed in a neo-futurist style, an avant-garde aesthetic often supported by the use of world-class technology and a rethinking of the form and function of the developments. Renderings show a singular, slender tower, which subtly tapers towards its top. As Smith and Gill explain, the shape is inspired by new palm fronds, which are abundant in Saudi Arabia.
While the design is meant to honor its Saudi origins, it also represents the pinnacle of ultra-high design and technological evolution that has allowed such a monumental design to become a reality. “The geometry of the tower, starting at the base as a single tripod then gradually separating at the spire, is linked to the wind performance characteristics of the tower – an analogy of new growth merged with technology “, add the two men.
When will the Jeddah Tower be completed?
Construction of the Jeddah Tower began in 2013, but was halted in 2018. Its contractor, the Binladin Group, was removed from the project following the 2017–2019 Saudi purge when its president, Bakr bin Laden, half -brother of Osama bin Laden, was arrested. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused further delays; but in September 2023 Dézeen indicated that construction had resumed.
