Saudi Arabia's ambitious Jeddah Tower has crossed a major construction milestone, rising past 80 floors as it aims to dethrone Dubai's Burj Khalifa and become the planet's tallest structure. According to a Newsweek report, this megatall skyscraper, envisioned as a vertical city, is steadily climbing towards its goal of exceeding 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in height.
A Monumental Leap in Construction Progress
After facing delays, construction on the Jeddah Tower regained momentum in the 2024-2025 period. Significant progress was made in 2025, with the structure surpassing the 80-floor mark in December. The project, which initially began in 2009 and stalled in 2018 due to political shifts affecting contractors, is now on a robust path towards completion by 2028.
Robert Forest, a partner at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), the firm behind the design, confirmed the heightened activity. He told Newsweek in August that construction has ramped up and the on-site atmosphere is strong, with the entire team focused on delivering this iconic landmark for the Kingdom.
Engineering a Vertical Metropolis
The Jeddah Tower is not just about breaking height records; it's designed as a self-contained urban hub. Encompassing a massive 57 million square feet, the tower will integrate a wide array of facilities across its planned 130+ floors. The mixed-use design includes luxury hotels at its lower and mid-levels, elite apartments with views of the Red Sea, corporate office spaces at higher levels, and dedicated hospitality and retail districts.
To manage the unprecedented scale, the tower will be serviced by 59 high-speed elevators, including some of the world's fastest, and 12 escalators. A major attraction will be the world's highest observation deck, offering breathtaking panoramic views.
The engineering challenges of building a kilometer-tall structure are immense. The design, led by the same architects responsible for the 828-meter Burj Khalifa, incorporates an aerodynamic tapered shape to minimize wind resistance. It features a reinforced steel and concrete core for strength, an energy-efficient facade, and advanced climate control systems to handle extreme wind pressure and heat at altitude. Smart technology will oversee safety and energy consumption throughout the building.
Anchor of Vision 2030 and the Future Skyline
The Jeddah Tower is the centerpiece of the Jeddah Economic City project, a strategic initiative to transform Jeddah into a global tourism and commercial hub. It is a physical manifestation of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, the national plan to diversify the economy away from petroleum dependence. The project is backed by prominent Saudi investors.
Thorson Tomasetti, the company providing structural design services for the tower, stated that upon completion, the Jeddah Tower will become "the first human-made structure to reach a full kilometer." This will redefine global architectural limits, surpassing the current record held by the Burj Khalifa by nearly 200 meters.
The race for the skies in Saudi Arabia continues beyond Jeddah. The Newsweek report also highlights other planned supertall structures, including a Trump Tower in Jeddah and the proposed $5 billion Rise Tower in Riyadh, which is expected to aim for an astonishing 2 kilometers in height.
