Fresh Funding Allows Kingdom Tower to Resume Rise

by TODD STOLARSKI | Dec. 5, 2015

Developers behind the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have secured new funding to finish the structure slated to be the world’s tallest building upon completion in 2018.

On Nov. 28, Kingdom Holding, the real estate company controlled by Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, announced that 8.4 billion Saudi riyal ($2.23-bil.) had been procured to take the long-delayed project all the way from its 26 already-built floors to the planned 252. When completed, Jeddah’s “vertical city” would overtake the Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world’s tallest building. But not for long, if the recently proposed “Bride” tower rises in Iraq. Designed by AMBS Architects, it aims to be 473 ft taller.

The ambitious Kingdom Tower project is a collaboration from design firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, structural engineer Thorton Tomasetti and construction manager, Saudi Binladin Group.

To read the full announcement from Kingdom Holding, click here.

To contact the author, write to todd.stolarski@builtworlds.com, or follow him on Twitter @toddstolarski.