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Construction of the Tallest Building in the World Resumes After 7 Years of Scandals. The Tower, Which Will Be 1 Km High, Faced Paralysis Due to Corruption and the Pandemic, but Now Has a Date to Be Completed.
Have you heard of a building that reaches beyond the sky? It Seems Like a Sci-Fi Scene, but this is the reality in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
An ambitious project for a 1-kilometer tall skyscraper, which has been surrounded by controversies, is back underway.
After seven years of interruptions and scandals, the massive construction will finally be completed. But what led to its suspension, and why is this generating so much buzz?
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The Jeddah Tower, also known as Kingdom Tower, is on track to become the tallest building in the world, surpassing the famous Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The project, started in 2013, promises to revolutionize the landscape of Jeddah, creating a true vertical city.
However, construction faced immense challenges, such as the imprisonment of key figures involved in the project and the COVID-19 pandemic, which further delayed the works.
Now, with a new deadline, the expectation is that the tower will be completed in 2028.
Corruption and Arrests Marked the Hiatus of the Work
In 2017, a major anti-corruption campaign led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman resulted in the arrest of several executives linked to the construction.
Among those detained were presidents of the main contractor and a conglomerate that financed the project.
The arrests created a paralysis that was only worsened in 2018 when the works were officially halted.
The resumption of the works was recently announced during a ceremony at the site and was attended by Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the main supporters of the project and president of Kingdom Holding Company.
Alwaleed was one of the figures detained during the anti-corruption campaign, and his participation in the event is seen as a sign of recovery for the project.
The work is already underway, according to satellite images, and more than a third of the tower has already been erected.
A New Contract and Renewed Expectations
The Saudi Binladen Group, which was also affected by the corruption scandal, has been re-contracted to complete the skyscraper under a new contract valued at 7.2 billion Saudi rials (approximately 1.9 billion dollars).
So far, 63 of the planned 157 floors have been built. With an imposing structure and advanced technologies, the tower will feature 59 elevators and will accommodate commercial, residential, and entertainment spaces, in addition to the tallest observation deck in the world.
The original project, which includes a hotel and a shopping center, was designed by the renowned American architect Adrian Smith.
The shape of the tower, described as “three petals,” was conceived to tackle the technical challenges of constructing at such extreme heights.
The architecture firm responsible for the design, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, has not provided recent statements regarding possible alterations to the project during the suspension period.
Jeddah Economic City: A New Horizon for Saudi Arabia
The Jeddah Tower is just a part of a larger development: the Jeddah Economic City, an area of 57 million square meters valued at 20 billion dollars.
The goal of this ambitious project is to transform the city of Jeddah into a global business hub, attracting tourists and investors to the region.
According to the former development director of the JEC, Hisham Jomah, the tower represents a shift in the city’s mindset, which was previously seen only as a passage to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca.
The resumption of construction promises new challenges, but also immense opportunities.
The tower will not only be the tallest building in the world but also a symbol of modernization and economic growth in Saudi Arabia.
With a projected completion date in 2028, the Jeddah Tower promises to be a historical landmark for the country.
Tallest Building in the World: What Is Still to Come?
As the completion of the project approaches, the question remains: what will be the real impacts of this megastructure on the Saudi economy and society?
Will the tower bring the expected development for Jeddah, or will it be just a monument of empty grandeur?
The fact is that the eyes of the world are on this project and its potential to transform the city into one of the most influential commercial centers in the Middle East.
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