On August 6, 2026, Jeddah welcomed another crucial development. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, CEO of Saudi Arabia Holdings, confirmed that the project has reached the 107th floor and the building height has exceeded 430 meters. This super landmark with a design height of over 1000 meters is expected to be fully completed by 2028, surpassing the 828 meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai and becoming the world's tallest building.

Breakthrough in kilometer sprint technology

The Jeddah Tower was designed by Adrian Smith Gordon Gill, the architectural firm that designed the Burj Khalifa. It is planned to have no less than 157 floors and a building area of 530000 square meters. The engineering team stated that this is the first building in human history to be designed with a height of 1 kilometer. In response to the construction difficulties at the kilometer level, Sany Heavy Industry has developed a new generation of ultra-high pressure towing pumps, with a maximum pumping pressure of 60 megapascals, which is the highest level in the world. The conveying pipe draws on the technology of artillery barrels, with an anti explosion pressure of 138 megapascals and a wear-resistant life of over 100000 cubic meters. The project has poured over 300000 cubic meters of concrete, with nearly 6400 workers participating and a total of over 16 million safe working hours.

The three major Chinese enterprises each play a key role

Jinggong International, a subsidiary of Jinggong Steel Structure, has won the bid for the main steel structure project of over 120 floors, undertaking the supply and installation of key sections of the upper part of the building. This is a major breakthrough for Chinese steel structure enterprises in the global super high-rise field. Jianghe Group's Jianghe Curtain Wall won the bid for the curtain wall project, with a contract amount of 1.052 billion Saudi riyals, approximately 2.012 billion yuan. Sany Heavy Industry's ultra-high pressure trailer pump has been delivered to the site, ensuring that the concrete kilometer pumping does not require pipe replacement. Hunan Xianggang provides high-end construction steel. From the upper steel structure skeleton to the glass curtain wall, from ultra-high pressure pumping to high-end steel, China Construction is deeply involved in this key link of the kilometer landmark. Keywords: Middle East News Network, Infrastructure

Super engineering restart accelerates redemption

The construction of Jeddah Tower has not been smooth sailing. The project started in 2013 and was suspended in 2018 due to the arrest of major shareholders in the anti-corruption storm. At that time, it was only built to over 60 floors and was suspended for nearly 6 years. In October 2024, the developer signed a new construction contract worth 7.2 billion Saudi riyals with the Saudi Bin Laden Group, with a construction period of 42 months, and the project was officially restarted. After resuming work, the construction speed increases by one floor every 3 to 4 days. Against the backdrop of numerous mega projects facing adjustments in Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision, Jeddah Tower, with its completed foundation and core tube foundation, coupled with the brand value of the world's tallest building, has become a highly representative mega landmark. The countdown to completion in 2028 has begun, and the story of China's construction power in the high-end market of the Middle East has just turned a new page.Editor/Gao Xue