Harsh reality of what happened to skyscraper set to overtake Burj Khalifa as tallest building in the world
It's been touted as the tallest building in the world which will dwarf any other skyscraper in it's wake - but the Jeddah Tower is still yet to turn up, even though construction on it began 11 years ago.
However, we're still holding out hope for the structure in Saudi Arabia - which is set to overtake the Burj Khalifa by standing at a whopping 3,281ft tall - as it's designers reckon it will be done and dusted within the next four to five years.
The Jeddah Tower, which was initially named the Kingdom Tower, promises to be a cut above the rest...even though its creation has strayed quite far away from the initial time schedule.
The tower’s construction has been more than a long-time coming, as plans to build it were first announced back in 2008 by billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed Bin Tala of Saudi Arabia.
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It's been quite the rollercoaster ride for Saudi Arabia over the last decade or so though, as the whole construction process has been very sluggish - work started in 2013, but it took over a year just to lay the massive foundation for it.
Above-ground construction then started in September the following year and the vision kind of started coming to life - that was until, building work was paused in 2018.
The contractors who were handling the mammoth job were facing legal troubles in wake of Saudi Arabia's political crisis in 2017, which resulted in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's anti-corruption 'purge'.
Workers then picked there tools back up later in 2018, with the aim of completing the huge project by 2020.
Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic Company, told CNN at the time: "As of 2020, we'll start seeing things: you'll see the tower, you'll see the shopping mall, you'll see many other projects."
But as you have probably guessed, more delays came along to disrupt progress on the Jeddah Tower.
Labour issues then started cropping up with contractors, which meant they had no chance of completing it within the two year timeframe - and then, low and behold, a global pandemic comes along in what was seen as the final nail in the coffin.
As Covid created more hold-ups, it wasn't until September 2023 that construction resumed, Dezeen reported.
Now, the people behind the Jeddah Tower are just asking for another small extension - and reckon that we might see the world's new tallest building before this decade is done with.
The developers, the Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), told Architectural Digest in May this year: "Jeddah Tower construction has restarted...the tower is expected to be completed within four to five years."
The firm said that they were weighing up proposals from several contractors and were in the process of assessing bids.
"We’re targeting to select a contractor within two to three months," it added.
Before everything grounded to a halt, about a third of the Jeddah Tower had been built - but they've still got a very long way to go, seen as though it's going to be 3,281ft tall.
The duo behind the ambitious design, architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, said they were inspired by the nation when thinking up a structure, explaining that the Tower 'is rooted in the symbolism of Saudi Arabia while looking toward the future by being technologically expressive'.
"Its slender, subtly asymmetrical massing evokes the new growth of palm fronds shooting upward from the land—a symbol of new life heralding future growth for the kingdom," they told Architectural Digest.
When the Jeddah Tower finally does grace us with it's presence, it is expected to be very similar to it's rival the Burj Khalifa and will also boast offices, residential spaces, a hotel, an observation deck and a shopping centre.
If you're not scared of heights, you can also check out the 98-foot-diameter outdoor balcony, which was originally intended to be a helipad.
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Olivia Burke