The construction of the future tallest skyscraper in the world is entering a crucial phase. Saudi Arabia’s JEC Tower in Jeddah is fast approaching its 100th floor, bringing it even closer to its planned completion date of 2028.
Back in November last year, it was noted that the building reached 69 floors. Engineering company Thornton Tomasetti confirmed at the end of December that the building has exceeded 80 floors, while local sources claim that the 84th floor has already been reached. If this pace continues, the JEC Tower could surpass the 100-story mark in the coming weeks, joining a very small group of about 25 buildings worldwide that have ever reached that height.
More than one kilometer high in the heart of Jeddah
Despite the impressive progress, there is still a lot of work to be done before reaching the ultimate goal. Architecture studio Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill said the building would have at least 157 floors and exceed a height of one kilometer in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. The exact final height has not yet been officially announced, but it is certain that the building will significantly surpass the current record holder, Burj Khalifa, and be almost twice as tall as the tallest skyscraper in the USA, One World Trade Center.
The interior of the tower will include the highest observation point in the world, a luxury hotel, business premises and luxurious residential units. The two-story elevators will transport passengers at a speed of 10 meters per second, which is already close to experiencing an adrenaline rush, although the elevators in Shanghai Tower are still significantly faster.
Formerly known as Kingdom Tower and Jeddah Tower, JEC Tower represents the central pillar of the new urban development. The project is led by Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud and has been under construction for more than a decade. Work was previously suspended around the 60th floor and paused for several years, the reason being cited on several occasions as the political turmoil and purges carried out by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
This megatall skyscraper is just one of a series of large infrastructure projects that Saudi Arabia is currently implementing, with the aim of transforming the country into a global tourist destination. Among them, futuristic projects such as The Line and Mukaab stand out, which, together with the JEC Tower, should symbolize a new phase of the kingdom’s urban and economic development, reports NewAtlas.