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8 Unbelievable Facts About Jeddah Tower: The 1KM Megatall Skyscraper Rising Again In 2025

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The Jeddah Tower, formerly known as the Kingdom Tower, is no longer a dream of the past; it is a reality rapidly taking shape, with construction officially restarting and accelerating in 2025. After a seven-year hiatus that stalled the world’s most ambitious megatall skyscraper project, the structure is soaring skyward once again from its foundations on the Red Sea coast. As of late December 2025, the tower has progressed significantly, reaching between the 69th and 80th floors, with ambitious plans to hit the 100th floor before the end of the year. This resurgence marks a monumental step for Saudi Arabia, positioning the project to finally dethrone the UAE's Burj Khalifa and become the first building in history to reach a height of one kilometer, with an expected completion as early as 2028.

This colossal undertaking, a centerpiece of the ambitious Jeddah Economic City development, is a direct testament to Saudi Arabia's commitment to its transformative Vision 2030. The tower's restart follows a fresh round of financing and a 7.2-billion-riyal deal signed by its primary developer, Kingdom Holding Company. The sheer scale and complexity of the Jeddah Tower project—set to exceed 1,000 meters—requires cutting-edge engineering and logistics, making its current, rapid progress a global architectural spectacle.

The Phoenix Project: A Timeline of the World's Tallest Tower

The history of the Jeddah Tower is a dramatic saga of ambition, financial hurdles, and geopolitical shifts. Originally conceived as the Kingdom Tower, the project has always been designed to be a landmark of unprecedented scale, located on the northern side of Jeddah.

  • 2013: Construction officially begins on the tower, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), the same firm behind the Burj Khalifa.
  • 2018: Construction halts after the developer, Kingdom Holding Company, led by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, faces challenges related to a major anti-corruption crackdown. At the time of the stall, the tower had reached approximately 63 floors.
  • 2023: Development work on the project officially resumes, signaling the end of the long hiatus.
  • January 2025: Construction officially restarts on the main structure. Concrete pouring and rapid vertical progress begin, following a fresh round of financing and a significant contract signed with the Saudi Binladin Group.
  • December 2025: The tower's core rises past the 75th floor, with some reports citing progress up to the 80th floor. The pace of construction is rapid, with a goal of reaching the 100th floor by year-end.
  • 2028 (Projected): The estimated completion date for the megatall skyscraper. Upon completion, the Jeddah Tower will officially become the world's tallest building, standing at least 180 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa.

The project's revival under the Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) is a clear signal of renewed confidence in the kingdom's economic future.

Engineering Miracles: How Jeddah Tower Will Defy Gravity

Building a structure to a height of one kilometer presents unprecedented engineering challenges, especially in a coastal city like Jeddah, which is prone to high winds and a unique soil composition. The Jeddah Tower's design is a masterclass in architectural engineering, specifically tailored to overcome these obstacles.

The 'Y-Shaped' Aerodynamic Design

The core of the tower's stability is its distinctive three-sided, or 'Y-shaped' triangular footprint. This innovative design is crucial for managing the intense wind loads at extreme altitudes. The tapered silhouette and the three wings of the tower are strategically designed to "confuse the wind." By constantly changing the shape presented to the wind, the design prevents the formation of organized vortex shedding—a phenomenon that causes swaying and structural fatigue in supertall buildings. This makes the tower significantly more stable and durable.

World-Record Features and Mixed-Use Space

The Jeddah Tower is planned as a mixed-use development, encompassing over 530,000 square meters of built area. The 167+ floors will house a Four Seasons luxury hotel, office space, serviced apartments, and luxury condominiums.

  • World's Highest Observation Deck: One of the tower's most anticipated features is its enormous Sky Terrace, which will serve as the world's highest observation deck, offering unparalleled views of the Red Sea and the Jeddah Economic City.
  • Tallest Service Elevator: To facilitate access to the upper reaches, the tower will feature the world's tallest service elevator. The vertical transportation system is a major logistical challenge, requiring high-speed, pressurized elevators to handle the immense height.
  • High-Strength Materials: Construction relies on massive amounts of high-strength reinforced concrete and steel, poured over foundation piles that run deep into the earth to support the megatall structure.

Vision 2030's Cornerstone: Economic Impact and Global Ambition

The construction of the Jeddah Tower is far more than an architectural achievement; it is a powerful symbol of Saudi Arabia's national transformation agenda, Vision 2030. Led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, this initiative aims to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil, fostering new sectors like tourism, real estate, and technology.

Centrepiece of Jeddah Economic City

The tower is the anchor of the massive Jeddah Economic City (JEC) project, a planned 5.2 million square meter development. The JEC is designed to be a self-sustaining urban hub, creating thousands of new jobs and attracting foreign investment. By establishing a modern, global business and residential district, the project aims to transform Jeddah into a major international gateway and a key economic player on the global stage.

Redefining Architectural Horizons

The successful completion of the Jeddah Tower will be a profound statement to the world. It will not only secure the title of the world's tallest building but also demonstrate Saudi Arabia's capacity for executing complex, large-scale megaprojects. This architectural feat is a crucial component of the kingdom's efforts to redefine its architectural horizons and project an image of modernity and progress. The tower, along with other mega-projects like NEOM, underscores the government's commitment to realizing the ambitious goals of Vision 2030, marking a new era of unprecedented development in the Red Sea region.

The Jeddah Tower's ascent in 2025 has reignited global interest in supertall construction. From its foundation piles to the planned 1-kilometer pinnacle, every stage of this project is being watched as a benchmark for future megatall skyscrapers. The expected 2028 completion date will mark a historic moment, not just for Saudi Arabia, but for the entire world of architecture and engineering, proving that the sky is indeed, no longer the limit.

8 Unbelievable Facts About Jeddah Tower: The 1KM Megatall Skyscraper Rising Again in 2025
saudi jeddah tower
saudi jeddah tower

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