The Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia has reached a significant construction milestone, enhancing its global recognition. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and constructed by Saudi Binladin Group, the structure now stands at a height of 454 meters, reaching up to 113 floors.

According to Saudi Binladin Group’s senior executive project director Ian Norman Miller, this achievement was shared on LinkedIn. The tower’s current height surpasses Malaysia’s Petronas Towers, which stood at 452 meters in 1998 before Taiwan’s Taipei 101 took the title later.

Architect Bob Forest from AS+GG expressed his thoughts in Newsweek, acknowledging the significance of surpassing a previous record holder and the effort it takes to reach this milestone. He emphasized the challenges posed by Jeddah’s hot temperatures at the end of summer.

Once completed, the Jeddah Tower will exceed 1,000 meters in height, surpassing the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the world’s tallest building at 2,717 feet. Adrian Smith, who designed the Burj Khalifa under Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, co-founded AS+GG to bring the Jeddah Tower to life.

The milestone for Jeddah Tower follows other groundbreaking skyscrapers, like Bevel, planned as the tallest mass timber office building in the U.S. China’s Tianjin 117 Tower, known as the tallest empty skyscraper, is nearing completion after 18 years, featuring the world’s tallest elevator.

Miller reflected in his LinkedIn post: 454 METERS. LEVEL 113. Thirty years ago, my father helped build the World’s Tallest Building. Today, Jeddah Tower – constructed by Saudi Binladin Group – surpassed it. He recalled his pride when his father led the concrete construction of the Petronas Towers.

Forest also recalled working in Hong Kong, appreciating the significance of the Petronas Towers as a young architect. He shared that achieving such milestones offers hope for future groundbreaking projects.

On Track for Completion in 2028

Forest highlights ongoing challenges, including developing a structural system for record-breaking heights and managing weather impacts on construction. High winds can halt progress despite predictions, requiring daily assessments.

Forest praised the construction team for their increased productivity, efficiency, and pace. With strategic logistics, the team aims to meet the completion date of August 2028.

Upcoming Major Benchmarks

Two significant heights remain for the tower: reaching 500 meters, marking about half its eventual height, and surpassing Taipei 101. Forest noted that reaching 500 meters is crucial for engineering, with the goal of surpassing all world’s tallest record holders still ahead.

Each milestone holds importance for the project’s ultimate goal of completion and requires sustained dedication from the entire team to achieve this towering ambition.