By Carlo Alcos www.reuters.com
Because this is exactly what the world needs right now. According to the UK Metro, a tower is scheduled to be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia called the Kingdom Tower.
And according to current plans it will measure up to be one mile tall. That’s 5280 feet. Currently, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 2716.5 feet, less than half the height of the proposed Kingdom Tower.
It will cost around £12 billion ($US 20 billion) to build. But really, do these sorts of projects ever run within the estimated budget? On the other hand, when you’re talking billions of dollars, what’s a few million here and there. It’s not as if that could be used anywhere else. Sigh.
The Kingdom Tower will be twice the size of this tower, the Burj Khalifa .
The Kingdom Holding Company — owned by the Saudi royal family — will be financing the project. The tower will be home to hotels, offices, luxury apartments, and a shopping center. The announcement is not being celebrated by everyone in the construction industry. Rory Olcayto, deputy editor of The Architects’ Journal, had this to say:
The race to build the highest skyscraper is quite futile – where do you stop? These buildings are missing the point and are a symbol of an old-fashioned way of thinking. It’s much better to look at something like the 3D China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing rather than a thrusting phallic tower.
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, an American company, will be overseeing the design and development of the Kingdom Tower.
