Last year, the construction of the Jeddah Tower, which when completed will reach a height of 1 kilometer, resumed after being abandoned since 2018 due to a power struggle between the princes of Saudi Arabia.
Now the Kingdom Holding Company announced the new name, final height and also when this tower will be completed. The new name to be used is Jeddah Economic Company Tower (JEC Tower) with a final height of 1007 meters when completed by 2028.
Construction will be carried out by the Saudi firm Binladin Group with a cost of SAR 7.2 billion (~RM 8.2 billion). It easily claims the height of the world's tallest building Burj Khalifa at 828 meters. An interesting fact here is that the JEC Tower and the Burj Khalifa were both designed by the architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.
In total JEC Tower will have 157 floors and be equipped with 59 elevators. There is an observation platform that will also be the highest in the world. The tower will house shopping malls, offices, hotels and exclusive residences for the elite.
Originally, the Kingdom Holding Company wanted this building to reach a height of 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) but the plan was canceled because Jeddah's terrain could not support the weight of a building this high. JEC Tower's status as the tallest building in the world is not expected to last long because another skyscraper exceeding 1 kilometer will be built in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia is now the country with the largest number of mega projects in the world. Under the leadership of MBS, the project to build the world's longest building, the fastest roller coaster, the world's largest cube and a modern resort took place simultaneously. This is to change the image of this oil producing country into a modern tourist destination.