# KSA : Kingdom Tower (Mile-High Tower)



## Bubblegum Crisis

> *Worlds tallest tower in Jeddah to be ready in 63 months*
> 
> *Author: ARAB NEWS
> Monday 16 April 2012
> 
> JEDDAH:* Jeddah's Kingdom Tower, set to become the worlds tallest building, will be completed in 63 months, according to Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) Chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
> 
> His remarks came as the Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) yesterday announced a capital increase from SR7.3 billion to SR8.8 billion for the mega project that includes the 1,000m high Kingdom Tower.
> 
> Prince Alwaleed, who initiated and has been the driving force behind the decision to build the tower, announced an investment of SR1.5 billion from the Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) for a 16.63 percent stake in Jeddah Economic Company, owner of the Jeddah mega project.
> 
> The Kingdom Tower will be the centerpiece and the first construction phase of Kingdom City Jeddah  new urban development of more than 5.3 million sq m of land in the north of Jeddah, overlooking the Red Sea and Obhur Creek.
> 
> The contract for construction of the tower was signed with SBG for SR4.6 billion ($1.2 billion) and the overall estimated cost of the entire Kingdom City Jeddah project is anticipated to be SR75 billion ($20 billion).
> 
> The Jeddah Economic Company was set up in 2009 to develop the Kingdom City. Its partners are Kingdom Holding Company (a stake of 33.35 percent), Saudi Binladin Group with (16.63 percent stake), Abraar International Holding Company represented by Samaual Bakhsh (33.35 percent stake) and prominent Jeddah businessman Abdulrahman Hassan Sharbatly (16.67 percent stake).
> 
> The final license to construct the tower was formally received from the Jeddah municipality on Feb. 19.
> 
> "The vision of constructing the tallest tower in the world in Jeddah belongs to Prince Alwaleed, who was closely involved in the selection of the scheme currently under design," said Talal Al-Maiman, executive director, development and domestic investments, a board member of Kingdom Holding Company and a board member of Jeddah Economic Company.
> 
> "We were impressed by the boldness and simplicity of the AS+GG design. Kingdom Tower's height is remarkable, obviously, but the building's iconic status will not depend solely on that aspect. Its form is brilliantly sculpted, making it quite simply the most beautiful building in the world of any height," said Al-Maiman in a press release from KHC.
> 
> "The decision of the partners to build the world's tallest building further demonstrates their belief in investing in this nation."
> 
> With a total construction area of over 500,000 square meters, the Kingdom Tower will be a mixed-use building featuring a Four Seasons Hotel, Four Seasons serviced apartments, first class office space, luxury condominiums and an observatory that will be higher than the world's current highest observation deck.
> 
> "We intend Kingdom Tower to become both an economic engine and a proud symbol of the Kingdom's economic and cultural stature in the world community," said Al-Maiman.
> 
> "Kingdom Tower will be a landmark structure that will greatly increase the value of other properties around it in Kingdom City and indeed throughout North Jeddah."
> 
> A joint statement from Sharbatly and Bakhsh said: "We are confident that upon completion, Kingdom Tower will become one of the world's great tourist destinations as well as one of the most attractive places to live and work in the region. In the meantime, we believe this project will create thousands of jobs, spurring the local economy."
> 
> In addition to its status as an architectural landmark and economic symbol, Kingdom Tower will enjoy great cultural significance.
> 
> "We envision Kingdom Tower as a new iconic marker of Jeddah's historic importance as the traditional gateway to the holy city of Makkah," said Al-Maiman said. He noted that the southeast leg of Kingdom Tower's tripedal base is on a direct line with the Kaaba in Makkah, Islam's holiest site.
> 
> An interdisciplinary team led by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), based in Chicago, created the design of the Kingdom Tower.
> 
> The team also included building services engineering consultants, Environmental Systems Design and structural engineering consultants, Thornton Tomasetti, engineer of three of the world's top 10 tallest buildings.
> 
> Jeddah Economic Company selected the AS+GG scheme after a lengthy competition process in which SOM, Pickard Chilton, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Pelli Clarke Pelli and Foster + Partners also participated.



















































Skeleton of Kingdom Tower (concrete and steel) ^^

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## Bubblegum Crisis

> *Tallest tower 'needs guts to do' says Alwaleed*
> *
> By Anil Bhoyrul
> Wednesday, 3 August 2011 7:44 AM*
> 
> Building the world&#8217;s tallest tower &#8211; with a height over 1km &#8211; needs &#8220;strength and guts to do&#8221;, Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Prince Alwaleed said Tuesday.
> 
> Speaking to Arabian Business just hours after signing a $1.2bn deal to construct Kingdom Tower, the prince said: &#8220;These are the kind of projects l like to do &#8211; they are transformational and have an impact. These big projects need vision, strength and guts to do.&#8221;
> 
> He added: &#8220;It is about testing yourself, always pushing yourself to the limit, not sitting back and accepting the status quo.&#8221;
> 
> Once completed, Kingdom Tower will easily surpass Dubai&#8217;s Burj Khalifa, which is currently the world&#8217;s tallest building with a height of 828m.
> 
> Binladin Group, one of the kingdom&#8217;s biggest contractors, has won the contract for the tower. Foundation drawings for the structure are complete and piling work for the tower currently being tendered.
> 
> Asked whether he was concerned the project was being undertaken amid global economic uncertainty, Prince Alwaleed said: &#8220;Why this project now? And in the period when much of the world is still coming out of recession, people say &#8216;why now?&#8217; Because we have confidence in our Saudi economy, and our market. I believe in the future strength of the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia and its leadership.&#8221;
> 
> With a total construction area of more than 500,000 sq m, Kingdom Tower will be a mixed-use building featuring a Four Seasons hotel, Four Seasons serviced apartments, office space, luxury condominiums and an observatory expected to take the title of the world&#8217;s highest observation deck.
> 
> The complex will contain 59 elevators, including 54 single-deck and five double-deck elevators, along with 12 escalators. Elevators serving the observatory will travel at a rate of 10 meters per second in both directions.
> 
> Media reports earlier this year had suggested that the tower could be as large as 1,600m tall, making it twice as high as its nearest competitor.
> 
> The Tower will be the centerpiece and the first construction phase of Kingdom City. The urban development by Jeddah Economic Company&#8217;s (JEC) spans more than 5.3 million sq m in the north of Jeddah, overlooking the Red Sea and Obhur Creek.
> 
> The Binladin deal to build the tower was signed Tuesday by Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), one of Kingdom&#8217;s associate firms. The contractor also takes a 16.63 percent ownership of JEC.
> 
> Kingdom Holding holds 33.35 percent of JEC, alongside Abrar International Holding (33.35 percent) and Abdurrahman Sharbatly (16.67 percent).
> 
> 
> *Arabian Business*





> *REUTERS
> August 2, 2011*
> 
> Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal speaks near a model of the world's tallest tower during a news conference in Riyadh August 2, 2011. Prince Alwaleed unveiled plans on Tuesday to build the world's tallest tower in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, signing a 4.6 billion riyal ($1.23 billion) contract with Bin Laden Group.



*&#8220;These big projects need vision, strength and guts to do.&#8221;*































*Saudi Binladin Group*

*See old link:*

*Saudi&#8217;s giant clock to establish &#8216;Makkah Time&#8217;*

http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle...audi-s-giant-clock-establish-makkah-time.html




> *Kingdom eyes loans, cash to build Jeddah supertall*
> 
> *by CW Staff on Aug 7, 2011*
> 
> Kingdom Holding Co, controlled by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, said it will use a mix of bank financing, cash and revenue from the project to build the world&#8217;s tallest tower in Jeddah.
> 
> The Kingdom Tower will be built in three phases and there will be an equity capital of SR1.5bn, the company said. The tower is expected to cost $1.2bn to build, significantly less than $1.5bn cost of Dubai&#8217;s Burj Khalifa.
> 
> Kingdom Holding has hired Saudi Binladin Group to construct the building that will replace the Burj Khalifa as the world&#8217;s tallest tower.
> 
> The Binladin Group will contribute SR1.5bn to develop the project, Prince Alwaleed told reporters on August 2.
> 
> Initial designs for the Jeddah-based Kingdom Tower show a mixed-used building featuring a Four Seasons hotel, an observation deck and office space, served by 59 elevators.
> 
> Media reports earlier this year had suggested that the tower could be as large as 1,600m tall, making it twice as high as its nearest competitor.
> 
> Prince Alwaleed told Arabian Business last week the project would be &#8220;transformational&#8221;.
> 
> &#8220;These are the kind of projects l like to do,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These big projects need vision, strength and guts to do.&#8221;
> 
> 
> *Construction Week*






> *Kingdom Holding Co. completes sale of part of Kingdom Riyadh Land for SAR250m*
> 
> *Saudi Arabia: Monday, October 08 - 2012 at 10:25*
> 
> Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud announces the signing of the agreement for the sale of part of Kingdom Riyadh Land located east of the Saudi Arabia capital, Riyadh, on September 30, 2012 and had been set aside to be completed by other developers.
> 
> The area to be developed, was bought by Subul Development Co. for SAR250m The estimated profit from the sale is SAR143.7m.
> 
> Prince Alwaleed: "The estimated Net Profit from the sale is SAR144m."
> 
> On February 9th, 2011, KHC announced that Omrania & Associates was awarded the contract for the master planning & infrastructure design for "Kingdom Oasis Riyadh Land," a 16-million square-meter plot owned by the company on the Riyadh-Dammam Highway. The contract includes conducting traffic and environmental impact studies, as well as other studies required to complement and complete the Master Plan. They will also serve in the role of local master planner, including liaising with local authorities. In addition, Omrania will be carrying out the supervision of the infrastructure work on site expected to commence shortly.
> 
> Hart Howerton (HH) was awarded the design of the master plan for the 3.8-million-square-meter "Kingdom Oasis Riyadh Land" at the eastern side of the land. As part of their scope of work, HH will produce concept architectural studies for the Hotel, Gentleman's Retreat, Women's Spa and Branded Villas. The preliminary master plan was submitted to Riyadh Municipality and their comments have been addressed by HH.
> 
> Kingdom Oasis will also include a second Four Seasons Hotel and Resort in Riyadh. The hotel will be taking advantage of a 75,000m2 man-made lake with a magnificent waterfront and lush green areas surrounding it. The design will have its roots in the Arab architectural tradition, with more relaxed elements in a Mediterranean resort style.
> 
> The Four Seasons will offer a world class luxury hotel of approximately 43 rooms and suites, a variety of food and entertainment venues, a full service destination spa for both males and females and a fitness center. The open air water front promenade and lakeside pathways will link all guests and Private Residents together within the Resort emphasizing the sense of a community lifestyle. Also a signature Tent has been developed to host weddings and other events within a space of 2,500 square meters.
> 
> In providing the most unique environment in Riyadh, the Four Seasons will offer the opportunity to purchase one of 75 world class luxury Private Residence Villas. The Private Residences will be approximately 450 square meters in size with the option of purchasing the unit fully furnished by Four Season's highest standards.
> 
> KHC is also leading the development of the second "Kingdom City" compound project in Riyadh that will be developed within the Oasis. This was inspired by the rapid success of the first compound which is fully occupied and has a long waiting list.
> 
> "Kingdom City 2" will have units range from luxury four bedroom villas with private pools to studio and guest houses, with amenities including restaurants, pools and sports recreational areas, supermarkets, shops, a business center, a medical clinic and a school and will be developed to allow residents to take advantage of the other projects taking place adjacent to it. The Real Estate Investment Company, Ltd. (REIC) owns and operates both Kingdom cities.
> 
> Moreover, KHC has signed an agreement with Saudi Telecom Company (STC) to provide Telecom Infrastructure for Kingdom Riyadh Land. The agreement sets the foundation for establishing a smart city based on information and communication technology.
> 
> 
> *AME info*



*Kingdom City Jeddah*

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## Bubblegum Crisis

*See also old link :*
*
&#8216;Kuwait : Al Hamra Tower&#8217;*

http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle-east-africa/192176-kuwait-al-hamra-tower.html

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## al-Hasani

Thank you 7abibi but there is already a thread about this great project. But this information and video is great so I think we should keep it or at least move it to the other thread.


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## Rangila

Video (Saudi Tower) killed the radio star (Dubai Burj tower).

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## Bubblegum Crisis

al-Hasani said:


> Thank you 7abibi but there is already a thread about this great project. But this information and video is great so I think we should keep it or *at least move it to the other thread.*



Not agree. 




Rangila said:


> Video (Saudi Tower) killed the radio star (Dubai Burj tower).



Oh! Yes. ^^

Yes! Yes! Yes!

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## al-Hasani

Bubblegum Crisis said:


> Not agree.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh! Yes. ^^
> 
> Yes! Yes! Yes!



Ok, you are right this deserves two threads although I was of the impression that only one thread per each topic is allowed.


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## Mercenary

How ironic would it be if a bunch of terrorists fly a couple of planes into this building.

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## Imran Khan

all i can see wall is ready in north obhur they got the land hope ASAP work start on that land . heey its in front of runway if you takeoff from 34L or land 16R of jeddah airport  specially for A380 or B747


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## Toothless

At last I could play final fantasy in real life

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## JUBA

Mercenary said:


> How ironic would it be if a bunch of terrorists fly a couple of planes into this building.




*So flying planes into buildings is ironic to you ? i see.*


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## Mosamania

Toothless said:


> At last I could play final fantasy in real life



Hahahaha do you mean that tower in Final Fantasy 7? Or the Final Fantasy 13?


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## Hyperion

Wohaaaaa looks amazing.... and the best part, you'd get a chance to troll the narcissistic Emiratis!

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## AZADPAKISTAN2009

Seems like a wonderful project


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## Kompromat

@Mosamania @Arabian Legend @Bubblegum Crisis

Only, fear i have is that if the aliens come around, they might take this building for a middle finger in their face and might not be so kind to us.

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## terranMarine

Aeronaut said:


> @Mosamania @Arabian Legend @Bubblegum Crisis
> 
> Only, fear i have is that if the aliens come around, they might take this building for a middle finger in their face and might not be so kind to us.



Only if they understand our hand gesture, or they mistake the tower for a big gun pointing at them.

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## Mosamania

Aeronaut said:


> @Mosamania @Arabian Legend @Bubblegum Crisis
> 
> Only, fear i have is that if the aliens come around, they might take this building for a middle finger in their face and might not be so kind to us.



We wouldn't have built it if we didn't have top notch F-15s to protect us from said Alien Invasion

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## United

Hyperion said:


> Wohaaaaa looks amazing.... and the best part, you'd get a chance to troll the narcissistic Emiratis!





we already have planed to defeat that.............and this time we will be doing it in ur country.

prince waleed is a visionary No man succeeds without a good woman behind him.

education will be the key to success........

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## al-Hasani

The initial design has NOT been changed.

Simply stunning.

The potential of ancient Hejaz is amazing.

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## Sinnerman108

The year is 20-some thing ... 

Kingdom tower is complete, society has moved on.

Women can be seen roaming around, while some still in traditional black Abbaya, some are seen in colored clothing too without male company.

However men have shown ZERO progress, they are still in Thob 3 inches above their ankles. Neither the color, style of Thob, shamagh or any thing else has changed.


Why oh why .. dear artist did you not see this ?


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## al-Hasani

salman108 said:


> The year is 20-some thing ...
> 
> Kingdom tower is complete, society has moved on.
> 
> Women can be seen roaming around, while some still in traditional black Abbaya, some are seen in colored clothing too without male company.
> 
> However men have shown ZERO progress, they are still in Thob 3 inches above their ankles. Neither the color, style of Thob, shamagh or any thing else has changed.
> 
> 
> Why oh why .. dear artist did you not see this ?



Well, this is completely irrelevant my friend. If you notice then the same clothing is used on all scheduled projects from across the Arab world no matter it being disrespectful for the great diversity of traditional clothing on the Arabian Peninsula or the Arab world overall. Aside from not fitting in region x or country y.

Anyway the project is going to be insane. I thought that Burj al-Khalifa would become the benchmark for some years to come but I guess I was wrong.

Jeddah and Hejaz in particular has an tremendous potential on nearly all fronts. Look at all the big projects going on in Hejaz. It is going to be huge.


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## Sinnerman108

al-Hasani said:


> Well, this is completely irrelevant my friend. If you notice then the same clothing is used on all scheduled projects from across the Arab world no matter it being disrespectful for the great diversity of traditional clothing on the Arabian Peninsula or the Arab world overall. Aside from not fitting in region x or country y.
> 
> Anyway the project is going to be insane. I thought that Burj al-Khalifa would become the benchmark for some years to come but I guess I was wrong.
> 
> Jeddah and Hejaz in particular has an tremendous potential on nearly all fronts. Look at all the big projects going on in Hejaz. It is going to be huge.



I was only trolling ...


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## al-Hasani

salman108 said:


> I was only trolling ...





Point taken. But usually it is hard to tell on this forum.


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## Kloitra

Wrong title.
Mile is not 1000m


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## Yzd Khalifa

Nice! Would love to see something similar in the Capital 



salman108 said:


> I was only trolling ...


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## Syrian Lion

Burj Khalifa however will still be popular, since tourists in Duabi have more freedom

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## Doritos11

Same height as this Madinat al-Hareer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## HAIDER

What a waste of money , instead bring in aviation plant , Boeing , Sukoi etc provide labor rest of poor arab countries and make multi billion dollar profit. If the ruling king has some sensible person, that one change the KSA into economic engine of Middle East.


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## al-Hasani

Doritos11 said:


> Same height as this Madinat al-Hareer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Never seen it before. Looks amazing too. But it says that it will first finish in 2026. The Kingdom Tower will be finished in 2018 if everything goes according to the plan and the work already started.



HAIDER said:


> What a waste of money , instead bring in aviation plant , Boeing , Sukoi etc provide labor rest of poor arab countries and make multi billion dollar profit. If the ruling king has some sensible person, that one change the KSA into economic engine of Middle East.



What waste of money? You do realize that that skyscraper is being built by Al Waleed Bin Talal Al-Saud? The richest Arab in the world and in the top 20 of richest people - largely self-made? Look at this thread and the first posts for more information. It will undoubtedly create jobs, tourism, further investments etc. It will be a world famous landmark like other landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower etc.

Eh?

You are welcome to visit this thread it will get you all the answers to your questions.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-defence/243555-gcc-states-economy-development.html

Or that section of the forum and see the threads there.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-d...industries-begin-f-15sa-wings-production.html

KSA is already the biggest donor to other Arab countries. Not only Arab countries but Muslim AND non-Muslim. KSA donations to Pakistan are the biggest BY FAR. We have even donated to Europe and many Christian countries, Africa etc.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle...-assistance-arab-nations-exceeds-sr200bn.html

KSA, is already the best performing country in the Arab world and the entire Middle East in terms of economics and financial growth. In fact we belong to the Group20 (the 20 richest countries in the world).

http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle-east-africa/264710-saudi-arabia-among-top-g20-performers.html

http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle...nancial-rise-riyadh-jeddah-makkah-region.html

I don't know were you read all your "news" or propaganda my friend, but I suggest that you should not to use *PissTV *when reading about Arab or Sunni majority countries.

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## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> Never seen it before. Looks amazing too. But it says that it will first finish in 2026. The Kingdom Tower will be finished in 2018 if everything goes according to the plan and the work already started.
> 
> 
> 
> What waste of money? You do realize that that skyscraper is being built by Al Waleed Bin Talal Al-Saud? The richest Arab in the world and in the top 20 of richest people - largely self-made?
> 
> Eh?
> 
> You are welcome to visit this thread it will get you all the answers to your questions.
> 
> http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-defence/243555-gcc-states-economy-development.html
> 
> Or that section of the forum and see the threads there.
> 
> http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-d...industries-begin-f-15sa-wings-production.html
> 
> KSA is already the biggest donor to other Arab countries. Not only Arab countries but Muslim AND non-Muslim. KSA donations to Pakistan are the biggest BY FAR. We have even donated to Europe and many Christian countries, Africa etc.
> 
> http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle...-assistance-arab-nations-exceeds-sr200bn.html
> 
> KSA, is already the best performing country in the Arab world and the entire Middle East in terms of economics and financial growth. In fact we belong to the Group20 (the 20 richest countries in the world).
> 
> http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle-east-africa/264710-saudi-arabia-among-top-g20-performers.html
> 
> http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle...nancial-rise-riyadh-jeddah-makkah-region.html
> 
> I don't know were you read all your "news" or propaganda my friend, but I suggest you not to use PissTV when reading about Arab or Sunni majority countries.



Its ok having beautiful towers and building , but time has change, even in US and Europe they are not making such skyscraper .As far as Al waleed , he is good businessman and has good team of US and European partner, but he is not industrialist . He invest the money in foreign ventures , but physically nobody is bring anything on home ground. Hope you are understanding my point.


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> Its ok having beautiful towers and building , but time has change, even in US and Europe they are not making such skyscraper .As far as Al waleed , he is good businessman and has good team of US and European partner, but he is not industrialist . He invest the money in foreign ventures , but physically nobody is bring anything on home ground. Hope you are understanding my point.



It's not just a skyscraper. It is much more than that. The skyscraper will create thousands of jobs, tourism, publicity and is potentially a landmark that will pay itself and give profit for decades to come. Besides it will be part of the Kingdom City.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_City_(Jeddah)

People will always arrive to Jeddah since that is the transit city before people perform hajj in Makkah and Madinah. Besides Jeddah and the area is the biggest and most populous area in KSA and strategically important and the most cosmopolitan city in KSA.

They are making skyscrapers. Just not such projects because they are financially doing badly. During their heydays they were busy building and expanding everywhere. When you have the money you will use them. Otherwise when would you use your money then? They are to be used.

It is mainly the work of the Kingdom Holding Company. 

Look, skyscrapers in KSA are very sparse. In fact only Riyadh are getting started on that department. Then compare it to China where skyscrapers are being built every single month.

Skyscrapers are a symbol of wealth. Look, I love ancient architecture such as the Yemeni world famous one and the Arabian one (still found largely in KSA) etc. but we live in a new world.


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## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> It's not just a skyscraper. It is much more than that. It creates thousands of jobs, tourism, publicity and is potentially a landmark that will pay itself and give profit for decades to come. People will always arrive to Jeddah since that is the transit city before people perform hajj in Makkah and Madinah. Besides Jeddah and the area is the biggest and most populous areas inside KSA and strategically important and the most cosmopolitan city in KSA.
> 
> They are making skyscrapers. Just not such projects because they are financially doing badly. During their heydays they were busy building and expanding everywhere. When you have the money you will use them. Otherwise when would you use your money then? They are to be used.
> 
> It is mainly the work of the Kingdom Holding Company.
> 
> Look, skyscrapers in KSA are very sparse. In fact only Riyadh are getting started on that department. Then compare it to China were skyscrapers are being built every single month.


But KSA is loaded with money , instead of giving donation to countries like Pakistan, Jordon , Egypt and making them habitual beggars . Built a industrial units in KSA and bring labor from these countries for short term and after the contract is over send them back to their respected country. That's how the US companies are working .
I think, I can give a good project to Saudi govt to make money. A labor vs trading commodity concept is brilliant idea .
Anyway you guys stick with topic , our discussion going little off topic. thanks


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> But KSA is loaded with money , instead of giving donation to countries like Pakistan, Jordon , Egypt and making them habitual beggars . Built a industrial units in KSA and bring labor from these countries for short term and after the contract is over send them back to their respected country. That's how the US companies are working .



Eh, once again it seems that you are ill informed. You don't think that we have enough of foreign Arab and non-Arab immigrants working inside KSA? We have 2 million *ILLEGAL* immigrants alone.

The donations that we are making cannot be replaced with what you are proposing. For example when we donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Pakistan during the earthquake - I even remember donating clothing etc. with my father 9 years ago or so, then that is the only solution to help the effected people. Not to invite more Pakistanis to work in KSA.

The unemployment rate in KSA ranges from about 6 to 10%. Youth unemployment is even higher. There are already enough of immigrants and foreigners living in KSA. Although they contribute positively for most and benefit themselves then this cannot go on since the population grown of KSA is significant and the local youth is desperate to get jobs. Not all people will become highly educated and those who don't have to do more manual jobs and they are heavily outsourced by foreigners willing to work under harsher conditions and for a much lower pay.

You did clearly not read my links. Several giant industrial cities in KSA are being planned and about to be built.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-defence/243555-gcc-states-economy-development.html

What you mention is already partially happening. Especially in terms of the highly skilled work force from abroad.

Also KSA is a very generous country in terms of helping others and so are we citizens by large but there are limits to our wealth and everyone needs to fix their own backyard first.

Besides I really hope that when we some day become poor that other more richer countries will help us as we helped them in difficult situations.


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## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> Eh, once again it seems that you are ill informed. You don't think that we have enough of foreign Arab and non-Arab immigrants working inside KSA? We have 2 million *ILLEGAL* immigrants alone.
> 
> The donations that we are making cannot be replaced with what you are proposing. For example when we donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Pakistan during the earthquake - I even remember donating clothing etc. with my father 9 years ago or so, then that is the only solution to help the effected people. Not to invite more Pakistanis to work in KSA.
> 
> The unemployment rate in KSA ranges from about 6 to 10%. Youth unemployment is even higher. There are already enough of immigrants and foreigners living in KSA. Although they contribute positively for most and benefit themselves then this cannot go on since the population grown of KSA is significant and the local youth is desperate to get jobs. Not all people will become highly educated and those who don't have to do more manual jobs and they are heavily outsourced by foreigners willing to work under harsher conditions and for a much lower pay.
> 
> You did clearly not read my links. Several giant industrial cities in KSA are being planned and about to be built.
> 
> http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-defence/243555-gcc-states-economy-development.html
> 
> What you mention is already partially happening. Especially in terms of the highly skilled work force from abroad.
> 
> Also KSA is a very generous country in terms of helping others and so are we citizens by large but there are limits to our wealth and everyone needs to fix their own backyard first.
> 
> Besides I really hope that when we some day become poor that other more richer countries will help us as we helped them in difficult situations.


I think your king is very soft with the people , that is the reason they are fail to produce skilled labor , since 1948 . Time for king to push these people by force for the better education . Lots of Saudi students comes to US , but majority of them literally waste govt money and more then 50 percent left the country without completing the education .


> Besides I really hope that when we some day become poor that other more richer countries will help us as we helped them in difficult situations.


Never think that way , its era when brother hardly come to help the brother. You are talking about country.


----------



## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> I think your king is very soft with the people , that is the reason they are fail to produce skilled labor , since 1948 . Time for king to push these people by force for the better education . Lots of Saudi students comes to US , but majority of them literally waste govt money and more then 50 percent left the country without completing the education .
> 
> Never think that way , its era when brother hardly come to help the brother. You are talking about country.



Ok, it seems that you are back to your trolling days and you ignore all the facts I am showing you.

Besides we Saudis don't need more skilled LOCALS but less LOW-SKILLED immigrants so the local Saudi youth that is not academically educated is not outsourced by cheap foreign labour who are willing to work under much harsher conditions and for a pay that is 4 times lower.

Your "statistics" about Saudi students in the USA is just nonsense. Show me a real statistic (not an empty claim) that proves what you are saying. I studied one 1 at Stanford University in USA and I met several fellow highly educated Saudis. We have Saudi members here who study in the US and elsewhere and they tell about meting other Saudi students. I am currently studying in Denmark and although there are not many Saudis or Arabs from the ME - aside from a few Iraqis, then we are still present.

The scholarship system has been a giant success for decades now.


----------



## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> Ok, it seems that you are back to your trolling days and you ignore all the facts I am showing you.
> 
> Besides we Saudis don't need more skilled LOCALS but less LOW-SKILLED immigrants so the local Saudi youth that is not academically educated is not outsourced by cheap foreign labour who are willing to work under much harsher conditions and for a pay that is 4 times lower.
> 
> Your "statistics" about Saudi students in the USA is just nonsense. Show me a real statistic (not an empty claim) that proves what you are saying. I studied one 1 at Stanford University in USA and I met several fellow highly educated Saudis. We have Saudi members here who study in the US and elsewhere and they tell about meting other Saudi students. I am currently studying in Denmark and although there are not many Saudis or Arabs from the ME - aside from a few Iraqis, then we are still present.
> 
> The scholarship system has been a giant success for decades now.


these things don t need statistic . need personal interaction . 



> The scholarship system has been a giant success for decades now.
> 
> Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle...om-tower-mile-high-tower-3.html#ixzz2ZRA2gZ9Z


If look at overall condition of KSA, nobody will believe you. May be Saudi end up marrying in west and settle down in EU and US . If I take your words that high level degree holders are going back to KSA, since last few decades , then still need skilled labor from other countries. Pakistan was created in 1947 , hardly any education system. Now Pakistani doctors and engineers can be seen all over europe and US. Pakistan made best skill force in hardly three decades........you need to do your home work and accept the deficiencies in your system. Something wrong somewhere in your system.


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> these things don t need statistic . need personal interaction .
> 
> 
> If look at overall condition of KSA, nobody will believe you. May be Saudi end up marrying in west and settle down in EU and US . If I take your words that high level degree holders are going back to KSA, since last few decades , then still need skilled labor from other countries. Pakistan was created in 1947 , hardly any education system. Now Pakistani doctors and engineers can be seen all over europe and US. Pakistan made best skill force in hardly three decades........you need to do your home work and accept the deficiencies in your system. Something wrong somewhere in your system.



Sorry, are you alright? Excuse me, when you make untrue and pull out statistics from places where the sun never shines then nobody will take that seriously. You made a claim and the burden of proof lies with you. It can't be that hard to "proof" that "only" 50% of all Saudi students in the US finish their degrees.

Oh. More empty claims? Saudis don't migrate abroad to live and stay their forever. Mostly for studies or work. The Saudi diaspora tells its own story. Marrying non-Saudis/non-Arabs is fairly rare too.

There are 200 million Pakistanis and large diasporas in UK, KSA and elsewhere. Try to make more logical comparisons in the future.

Besides there are many highly educated Saudis abroad. Working and living. Besides the vast majority inside KSA itself.

For now we are doing pretty good and the results speak for themselves. Do changes and reform need to take place? Yes. Will they? Yes, when the people and society will be ready and there will be a necessity for it.


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## Yzd Khalifa

HAIDER said:


> What a waste of money , instead bring in aviation plant , Boeing , Sukoi etc provide labor rest of poor arab countries and make multi billion dollar profit. If the ruling king has some sensible person, that one change the KSA into economic engine of Middle East.



I know that Al-Hasani answered your questions, but let me add one more thing. KSA refused to fund three projects in raw to build up skyscrapers, the only project that has been funded was KAFD.

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## HAIDER

Well, its true Saudi govt wants their students back in country at any cost. 
A Saudi man is allowed to marry a foreign woman. However, she will not be legally recognized as his wife without approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and perhaps some other governmental organizations.
If the marriage is not approved by the Saudi government, then the foreign wife is not legally recognized as the wife of a Saudi within Saudi Arabia. That means she could not travel and be with her husband in the Kingdom since it is against the law for unrelated men and women to be together. Additionally, without recognition of the marriage, she does not receive any of the benefits a legally recognized wife would be entitled.


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> Well, its true Saudi govt wants their students back in country at any cost.
> A Saudi man is allowed to marry a foreign woman. However, she will not be legally recognized as his wife without approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and perhaps some other governmental organizations.
> If the marriage is not approved by the Saudi government, then the foreign wife is not legally recognized as the wife of a Saudi within Saudi Arabia. That means she could not travel and be with her husband in the Kingdom since it is against the law for unrelated men and women to be together. Additionally, without recognition of the marriage, she does not receive any of the benefits a legally recognized wife would be entitled.



How does that differ from other laws of other country in the fundamentals? The same procedure is followed in the West and in Pakistan from what I know of. Care to enlighten me?

You think that people can marry left and right abroad and just "import" their spouse to their country of origin and expect her to get the same rights as a citizen?

Yes, every country with just a little respect for itself wants to keep their talented citizens in their country so they can contribute. Some countries just fail massively in that department for example Iran. I mention them since I know that you like them for religious reasons, LOL.

Brain drain in Iran - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> How does that differ from other laws of other country in the fundamentals? The same procedure is followed in the West and in Pakistan from what I know of. Care to enlighten me?
> 
> You think that people can marry left and right abroad and just "import" their spouse to their country of origin and expect her to get the same rights as a citizen?
> 
> Yes, every country with just a little respect for itself wants to keep their talented citizens in their country so they can contribute. Some countries just fail massively in that department for example Iran. I mention them since I know that you like them for religious reasons, LOL.
> 
> Brain drain in Iran - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Being Pakistani , never seen any problem. Nor govt of Pakistan interference ever been recorded . Well, obviously its strange that govt approve marriages .....well i don t have religious affiliation with Iran ,,,,with Arabia yes ,,,,all my holy places are there.


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> Being Pakistani , never seen any problem. Nor govt of Pakistan interference ever been recorded . Well, obviously its strange that govt approve marriages .....well i don t have religious affiliation with Iran ,,,,with Arabia yes ,,,,all my holy places are there.



Eh, so you are telling me that a Pakistani can marry an Indian national and take her to Pakistan without any approval from the Pakistani state? So you are saying that illegal immigration is lawful in Pakistan?

No, every government must approve marriages with foreigners. Are you really doing well tonight? Or living in the US?

Besides ask the user Yzd Khalifa whose mother is American. Let him explain it. My mother is "foreign" too - Yemeni although her father's ancestors came from Hejaz (Sadah family) to Tarim (hence why username Al-Hasani - mother's maternal family) while my maternal grandmother is from Sana'a.


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## ResurgentIran

Damn, that looks cool!
Reaching for the skies! I sure wish to be in that building.

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## al-Hasani

ResurgentIran said:


> Damn, that looks cool!
> Reaching for the skies! I sure wish to be in that building.



Yeah, it must be quite something to be in a building that is 1 km tall. Just try to imagine the future. Maybe just the next 100 years or even more 1000 years. I wonder how the world will look like if there will even be a world?

Just compare the world today with the world that existed just 150 years ago!

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## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> Eh, so you are telling me that a Pakistani can marry an Indian national and take her to Pakistan without any approval from the Pakistani state? So you are saying that illegal immigration is lawful in Pakistan?
> 
> No, every government must approve marriages with foreigners. Are you really doing well tonight? Or living in the US?
> 
> Besides ask the user Yzd Khalifa whose mother is American. Let him explain it. My mother is "foreign" too - Yemeni although her father's ancestors came from Hejaz (Sadah family) to Tarim (hence why username Al-Hasani - mother's maternal family) while my maternal grandmother is from Sana'a.


Lots of Pakistani still go to India ..divided families, still get marry...no heard any problem yet. well...............................................lolz....my thoughts are pretty much free.


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> Lots of Pakistani still go to India ..divided families, still get marry...no heard any problem yet. well...............................................lolz....my thoughts are pretty much free.



You can't answer none of my questions. It just shows that you are making untrue comments left and right. I am still waiting for your earlier answers and proofs about certain "statistics".

Likewise in the KSA or even more so or the Arab world since many of the borders are artificial and tribal relations are in place across the borders.

Just answer those questions below:



> Eh, so you are telling me that a Pakistani can marry an Indian national and take her to Pakistan without any approval from the Pakistani state? So you are saying that illegal immigration is lawful in Pakistan?
> 
> No, every government must approve marriages with foreigners. Are you really doing well tonight? Or living in the US?


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## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> You can't answer none of my questions. It just shows that you are making untrue comments left and right. I am still waiting for your earlier answers and proofs about certain "statistics".
> 
> Likewise in the KSA or even more so or the Arab world since many of the borders are artificial and tribal relations are in place across the borders.
> 
> Just answer those questions below:


Let's not go in deep detail of US education system. If I tell from where Saudi student get degree you ll be laughin crazy and you will be embarrass to know....lolzz.... let's leave curtain on this issue.


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> Let's not go in deep detail of US education system. If I tell from where Saudi student get degree you ll be laughin crazy and you will be embarrass to know....lolzz....believe it let leave curtain on this issue.



Ok, I take that as you not being able to answer any of my questions or providing the statistics that you claimed to be able to provide. Continue the trolling.

Well, being an Arab (Semitic too) or from KSA will never be a embarrassment and never was. Rather quite the opposite but you already know that. The reasons for that are obvious. Besides I know the realities since I have studied in the US myself, know many Saudis who have too, family and friends and I know that the scholarship program has been extremely successful by large. Not only with students in USA but elsewhere too.


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## HAIDER

al-Hasani said:


> Ok, I take that as you not being able to answer any of my questions or providing the statistics that you claimed to be able to provide. Continue the trolling.
> 
> Well, being an Arab (Semitic too) or from KSA will never be a embarrassment and never was. Rather quite the opposite but you already know that. The reasons for that are obvious. Besides I know the realities since I have studied in the US myself, know many Saudis who have too, family and friends and I know that the scholarship program has been extremely successful by large. Not only with students in USA but elsewhere too.


I personally believe , how they get the degree is not the issue, but atleast they learn something when they go back to their country. Don't blame lot of thing to individualS . Some how I feel , Suadi culture is much different from rest of arab world. May be its impact of wealth or cultural values are really different....


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## al-Hasani

HAIDER said:


> I personally believe , how they get the degree is not the issue, but atleast they learn something when they go back to their country. Don't blame lot of thing to individualS . Some how I feel , Suadi culture is much different from rest of arab world. May be its impact of wealth or cultural values are really different....



Seriously you don't really know what you are talking about. Just trolling and the ignorance is astounding. There is no such thing as a homogenous "Saudi" culture. It depends on the region since KSA is a huge and diverse country. Lastly the culture on the Arabian Peninsula is largely quite similar and the Arab world too given the geographical distances. The reasons for that are obvious and historical (fellow Semitic past largely, religion, language, culture, traditions etc.). Some areas are more similar than others though.

I am not bothering with you tonight since you are obviously on some kind of trolling rampage and just wasting my time. Sometimes one can have interesting discussions without all that with you but tonight it seems that you have decided to troll and write nonsense either deliberately or due to your ignorance.

You are neither able to answer my questions or provide proofs for your claims.

Anyway keep trolling I am leaving for now and all this is not even the topic of this thread.


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## Yzd Khalifa

ResurgentIran said:


> Damn, that looks cool!
> Reaching for the skies! I sure wish to be in that building.



 Here we go! 

Feel free to come!!!!!

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## Yzd Khalifa

Well, 

I don't think you get what's going on here. Those students who come back to KSA from whatever country they studied at and lived in will contribute in one way or another for the nation. Those who return back without completing their educational scholarship will also serve the purpose we are aiming at i.e. opening them up to the whole world, therefore, there is no such thing as waste or whatever. KSA gets a massive discount for all the students we are sending, it would be too immature to assume that KSA has no special rates. Where did you get the %50 from? O o 

Man you must have been smoking something  




HAIDER said:


> Lots of Saudi students comes to US , but majority of them literally waste govt money and more then 50 percent left the country without completing the education
> 
> Never think that way , its era when brother hardly come to help the brother. You are talking about country.



EDIT 

One more thing I just looked into it. Each student is expected to have an attendance record not less than %95 per quarter. Those who are newcomers match KSA's scholarship standards, you will be give a chance in the first quarter of the year - wether you're doing an English course, freshmen, or whatever - The only troublemakers are the undergraduates students  if they fail to comply with our do(s) and don't(s) we will ship them back from wherever city they came from. These rules are tough..

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## VelocuR

Quran explained there will be competition between tall buildings in major sign, is Saudis naive or perhaps retarded that didn't know what Quran says? Have you heard about Babylon's tall buildings history?


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## Mosamania

RaptorRX707 said:


> Quran explained there will be competition between tall buildings in major sign, is Saudis naive or perhaps retarded that didn't know what Quran says? Have you heard about Babylon's tall buildings history?



Yes it is haram to make more than 10 floors high building. Sheikh raptor says so.

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## Yzd Khalifa

RaptorRX707 said:


> Quran explained there will be competition between tall buildings in major sign, is Saudis naive or perhaps retarded that didn't know what Quran says? Have you heard about Babylon's tall buildings history?



Not in Quran. It is a prophecy


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## Edevelop

I feel sorry for Pakistani laborers out there. Thousands have died building Skyscrapers in the Middle East.


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## VelocuR

Mosamania said:


> Yes it is haram to make more than 10 floors high building. Sheikh raptor says so.



That's irrelevant answer, does this building look like 10 floors to you ? 

Please answer properly, Mr. Superb-Holy King....









Yzd Khalifa said:


> Not in Quran. It is a prophecy



Yeah, one of the hadiths.


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## Bubblegum Crisis

RaptorRX707 said:


> Quran explained there will be competition between tall buildings in major sign, is Saudis naive or perhaps retarded that didn't know what Quran says? Have you heard about Babylon's tall buildings history?






No ! Welcome in the new age of our huge power in the new world. 

Patience. Patience. This is just the beginning. ^^


Tiny parts of future KSA

*King Abdullah Financial District, Riyadh*

V5 156 - YouTube

http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-defence/243555-gcc-states-economy-development-4.html#post4225715

http://www.defence.pk/forums/arab-defence/243555-gcc-states-economy-development-4.html#post4225742

*
KAEC (King Abdullah Economic City)*

King Abdullah Economic City- Flythrough Movie (Eng) - YouTube












*Abu Dhabi 2030*

V5 97 - YouTube



And my best movie of the year. A masterpiece.

F**** Y** Sally ! ^^

Oblivion Movie Soundtrack - StarWave HD - YouTube

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## VelocuR

History of Tall Buildings which was destroyed repeatedly by command


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## Doritos11

^^ Is there prove that the Tower of Babel existed or is it a religious story ? 

Since they say it was 2,484 m, sounds unreal..


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## VelocuR

Doritos11 said:


> ^^ Is there prove that the Tower of Babel existed or is it a religious story ?
> 
> Since they say it was 2,484 m, sounds unreal..



Yes, it is in fact existed history......deja vu to rise star, Arabs countries does again! 





[video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnQGjmdUGCI[/video]

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## Doritos11

Thanks, but it was not Arab until it got Arabized during the Islamic conquest.


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## Peaceful Civilian

*Saudi Arabia to build world's tallest tower, reaching 1 kilometer into the sky*

It is expected that construction of the tower will require 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel.






For buildings of this stature, wind load could also put stress on the structure. To battle this, the design of the structure will change every few floors.





There are plans for a 98-foot sky terrace on the 157th floor. When completed, it will be the highest terrace in the world.





The structure will overlook the Red Sea, posing additional challenges to the building process. It's particularly important that the foundations -- 200 feet deep -- won't be affected by saltwater from the ocean.





Like the Burj Khalifa, the Kingdom Tower will have a flower-shaped footprint.





The project is expected to cost $1.2 billion.





Engineers will also need to design a pump to help deliver concrete to high levels.





According to Construction Weekly, construction will start on the Kingdom Tower -- slated to be the world's tallest at 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) tall -- next week.






Saudi Arabia to build world's tallest building 1-kilometer tower - CNN.com

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## OrionHunter

*Screw the tower! Who's this chick?*

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## Contrarian

Fantastic. Congrats KSA.

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## newb3e

In other news ksa to donate 3 billion to israel to rebuilt houses destroyed by hammas rockets and expand illegal settlements in gaza.

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## al-Hasani

*Foundation for world’s tallest building completed – owners*
*Construction of the tower starts*

*

*
_The Kingdom Tower and City as envisioned. (Inset) Mounib Hammoud, CEO of JEC, stands beside a replica of the Kingdom Tower which will be the tallest in the world when completed. — Courtesy photos_​
​_Last updated: Thursday, April 24, 2014 9:39 AM_

*JEDDAH* — The Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), owner and developer of the Kingdom Tower and City in Obhor north of Jeddah, has completed the raft piling works for what could be the tallest tower in the world rising to more than 1,000 meters on an 85,000 square meter land area at more than $1.5 billion.

The foundation and piling works, one of the most important and difficult stages of the project, took 12 months to complete, the JEC said.

The JEC seeks to achieve new world records using latest technologies for foundation works of high rise buildings. At least 270 piles were cast in the site reaching 105 meters below the natural ground level and with a diameter that vary between 1.5 – 1.8 meters.

The raft is considered one of the world’s largest one-piece reinforced steel foundations with thickness ranging between 4.5 – 5 meters. Both piles and raft are supported with anti-corrosion technologies to preserve the steel reinforcement, using a constant electric current system known as Cathodic Protection.

In addition, strain gauge instrumentation and load cells have been built in to detect any changes in the soil and provide continuous readings about any environmental changes to the area around the foundation. Finally, earthing and lightning prevention systems were installed into the raft piling foundation.

Mounib Hammoud, CEO of JEC, said the work on the Kingdom Tower is now above the ground and construction is moving at an accelerated pace and in accordance with the highest construction standards using the most advanced techniques.

“Some of the techniques have been specified, such as the use of a high strength concrete reaching Cylinder Compression of 85MPa. The reinforced steel used is deformed bars Grade 60 and up to 40 millimeters in diameter and with yield strength of 520 MPa,” he said.

“A further double height eight-full refuge floors that are fire resistance will be allocated throughout the Tower. The Kingdom Tower will be ahead of any other high rise building in the world with specifications surpassing what is usually required,” he added.

“The Tower will have 58 high-speed elevators including the double-decker high-speed elevators reaching a speed of 12 meters/second, in addition to other distinctive features making the Kingdom Tower an iconic landmark that will be a source of pride for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people.”

Hammoud also said that Saudi Arabia’s economic growth and prosperity make the Kingdom an important hub for local, regional and global investments.

JEC will emphasize this fact in order to make the Kingdom City a preferred destination for investors and ensure a prosperous future for generations of young Saudis by creating employment opportunities and providing an effective response to the growing demand for housing.

The Kingdom Tower features 170 stories, seven stories of which will be allocated for the five-star Four Seasons Hotel offering 200 rooms, eleven stories for 121 luxury serviced apartments, and seven stories for offices.

The Tower will also have 61 stories that include 318 housing units of various types, a gym, spa, cafes and restaurants, several sky lobbies and world’s highest observation floors located on the top floors 660-meter high enabling visitors to view the city of Jeddah from the sky.

Located on an area of more than 5.3 million square meters, the Kingdom City will provide a contemporary-lifestyle environment supported by an integrated advanced infrastructure. The City is designed to be a vital point for business and trade, as well as a tourist hotspot. The main objective of developing the Kingdom City is to provide a unique life, work and play environment offering residents and visitors elevated service levels. The city will significantly enhance Jeddah’s global status as a dynamic business, commercial, educational, medical and entertainment hub and will contribute to consolidating the sustainable growth of Jeddah’s real estate development. — SG

Foundation for world’s tallest building completed – owners | Economy | Saudi Gazette

Actually they are a bit slow - the ones reporting this news. They already moved the work from foundation pilling to the next step in the beginning of March as I wrote in another thread at the time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


*Kingdom Tower project in Jeddah progressing as planned*​





Prince Alwaleed heads the JEC board meeting in Riyadh.​RIYADH: ARAB NEWS

Published — Thursday 1 May 2014

Last update 1 May 2014 12:08 am
​Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), headed the fifth board of directors meeting of Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) in Riyadh with the board members.
The board members are Abdulrahman Hassan Sharbatly, Saleh Bin Laden, Samaual Bakhsh, Talal Almaiman, executive director development and domestic investments, chairman and CEO of Kingdom Real Estate Development Company (KRED), a board member of Kingdom Holding Company and Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) and Hassan Sharbatly.
The meeting was also attended by Mohamed Fahmy, Kingdom Holding Company’s CFO and Fahad bin Saad bin Nafel, executive assistant to the chairman.
During the meeting, Talal Al-Maiman updated the board about the latest developments relating to agreements of operating the tallest tower which will be more than 1,000 meters high with value of SR4.6 billion.
Mounib Hammoud, CEO, Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), briefed the board about the status of the project and presented them with the progress of infrastructure and services for the project including electricity, water and district cooling.
The board has expressed their satisfaction with how the project is progressing and the completion of piling works.
In December 2013, Hammoud announced the completion of the piling works for the tallest tower in the world (Kingdom Tower).
This achievement is considered to be the base of works over ground.
In November 2013, JEC appointed a British company EC Harris Mace to provide Project Management services for the Kingdom Tower project in Jeddah.
The contract value is SR162 million and includes the management of all aspects of the project’s delivery with specific emphasis on the management of the program and cost.
Prince Alwaleed said: “This contract further confirms that the Jeddah project continues on its strategic path.”
Talal Al-Maiman added: “The selection of the working team has been completed to realize the vision of the investors and the city of Jeddah for this world-class standard national project. Also, I would like to reiterate that Jeddah Kingdom Tower piling works has been completed by Saudi Bauer Company.”

Kingdom Tower project in Jeddah progressing as planned | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.



















​PS: I was in Jeddah last week and tried to drive over to the building site but it is closed off. The work is ongoing though.






Adrian Smith (architect) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia​

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## al-Hasani

Burj Khalifa was 70.

It's a gigantic fundament. The fundament is also supposed to withstand seismic activity as this can occur from time to time in Hijaz. As some might know then there are several extinct and extant volcanos in Hijaz.​

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## BelligerentPacifist

Wouldn't the construction be easier and less dramatic if it was a mile wide instead of high? SA isn't ruuning out of horizontal real estate that they need to clim vertically.


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## al-Hasani

BelligerentPacifist said:


> Wouldn't the construction be easier and less dramatic if it was a mile wide instead of high? SA isn't ruuning out of horizontal real estate that they need to clim vertically.



Then it would not be a real skyscraper of that size (record-breaking) would it unless it would be the biggest structure ever built on this earth?!

The whole area around the Kingdom Tower will be full of skyscrapers (smaller ones obviously). I predict that the Kingdom City that the Kingdom Tower will be built in, which lies about 20-25 km from Jeddah, will one day merge with Jeddah and expand. Maybe all the way to Rabigh where another huge industrial city is being built at a fast rate (King Abdullah Economic City)

KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO

The Kingdom Tower is also very close to the King Abdulaziz International Airport that will be among the biggest in the world after the expansion project is finished. After all this will be the gateway to not only Makkah but also Madinah during umrah and hajj.

King Abdulaziz International Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The location is ideal.

So in short lot's of project are taking/going to take place in Hijaz and KSA overall which is fantastic.

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## al-Hasani

newb3e said:


> Narrated Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu): Allah’s Messenger (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “The Hour will not be established till …the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings…” [Sahih Bukhari]
> 
> Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) told us that “you shall see barefoot, naked, penniless shepherds vying in constructing high buildings.”(Sahih Muslim) This hadith describes people who become rich all of a sudden and then build not for need but only in competition.



Will you stop spamming this thread with your off-topic nonsense?

Arabia has been one of the richest areas of the world since the dawn of civilization. Reading my post below (all facts with several sources and links attached) will explain it further.



al-Hasani said:


> Excellent news.
> 
> Can anyone tell that Russian vodka addict that over 50% of KSA's economy has nothing to do with natural resources as of 2014 and that this side of the economy will only grow and grow and that the non-oil/gas part of the economy is the fastest growing? Or that KSA is listed as a top 15-10 economy on almost every economic rapport that deals with future economic forecasts?
> 
> KSA is already a regional power and a economic powerhouse (G-20 major economies member state) on a international scale and this position will only be strengthened further in the future.
> 
> KSA Economy News & Discussions
> 
> GCC States Economy & Development
> 
> Saudi Arabia | Economic Forecasts | 2014-2030 Outlook
> 
> Saudi Arabia to have 6th highest per capita GDP by 2050: Report - Economic Times
> 
> http://siteresources.worldbank.org/...the-2011-International-Comparison-Program.pdf
> 
> So keep crying children. Maybe your tears will fill up a oasis or two.
> 
> Besides KSA is one of the richest countries in the world when it comes to oil, gas AND minerals and other natural resources.
> 
> For instance we have the oldest and biggest gold mine in the ME that has functioned since 5000 years ago and recently diamonds were also found in KSA.
> 
> Mahd adh Dhahab - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> Gem of a find: KSA may have diamond mines | Front Page | Saudi Gazette
> 
> Those are very, very rich lands.
> 
> And since we are the ancient and indigenous inhabitants (the Arabian Peninsula is the oldest inhabited place on earth after Africa) those are rightly our riches.
> 
> Even 1400 years before Islam some of the richest resources/materials were found in Arabia during the first real international trade route.
> 
> Incense Route - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> But let the ignorant army here bark.
> 
> In short Allah (swt) decided to bless the lands of his known Prophets, the lands of Prophet Muhammad (saws) the Sahabah and the Ahl al-Bayt and that of the greatest Islamic dynasties and ruling families.
> 
> Now all those immense resources should be further used to help the locals, the country and the world in general which also has taken place but more can be done indeed.
> 
> @Arabian Legend @JUBA @Bubblegum Crisis @Yzd Khalifa @Full Moon @Hadbani @Tihamah @BLACKEAGLE @Awadd @Altamimi @Rakan.SA @Halimi @ebray etc.
> 
> If somehow (highly unlikely) the current positive developments should come to a halt and negative ones would reappear I suggest that our PDF gang should make a coup d'état.



In any case don't spam this thread. Skyscrapers are built across the world and they are a sign of wealth and power and are the architectural wonders of our present world.

If you don't like skyscrapers then stop visiting modern cities across the world. Go live in the Amazon rainforest among untouched tribes or something.

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## rockstar08

I would like to have cup of Tea in that tower with @al-Hasani and @Yzd Khalifa ..before the judgement day ..

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## al-Hasani

rockstar08 said:


> I would like to have cup of Tea in that tower with @al-Hasani and @Yzd Khalifa ..before the judgement day ..



If there is Arabic coffee (the original one), dates and PLENTY of Arabic desserts then count me in.



OrionHunter said:


> *Screw the tower! Who's this chick?*



Desperate pervert.

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## rockstar08

al-Hasani said:


> If there is Arabic coffee (the original one), dates and PLENTY of Arabic desserts then count me in.
> 
> 
> 
> *Desperate pervert.*


 


man i thought you will be the one who is doing the preparation 
what ever you have to offer , just give me a call

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## al-Hasani

@rockstar08

Yes, preparation in terms of paying for the meal as we are talking about a restaurant.

In all seriousness then you are welcome if you will ever visit KSA and I will be around.

Arabian hospitality is world-renowned and since I am not yet fat, old, spoilt and filthy rich I think that I can be quite welcoming for now at least.

​

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## rockstar08

al-Hasani said:


> @rockstar08
> 
> *Yes, preparation in terms of paying for the meal as we are talking about a restaurant.*
> 
> *In all seriousness then you are welcome if you will ever visit KSA and I will be around.*
> 
> Arabian hospitality is world-renowned and since I am not yet fat, spoilt and filthy rich I think that I can be quite welcome.
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Photos from April
> *In pictures: History is made at Kingdom Tower*
> Records already broken at new world's tallest building
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JEC achieved new world records using latest technologies for high rise buildings' foundation construction - 270 piles were cast in situ reaching 105m below the natural ground level and with diametre that varies between 1.5–1.8m.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The raft is considered one of the world’s largest one-piece reinforced steel foundations with thickness ranging between 4.5–5m.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Both piles and raft are supported with anti-corrosion technologies to preserve the steel reinforcement using a constant electric current system known as the Cathodic Protection.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In addition, strain gauge instrumentation and load cells have been built-in to detect any changes in the soil and provide continuous readings about any environmental changes to the area around the foundations.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



like Every Muslim i also have Desire to Visit KSA one time ,not just for Ummrah or Haj but to Visit All the sites where our Prophet and Khalifa ever been to .. it will be an awesome journey , my brother works in KSA and hopefully in future i might visit there , but not sure ... 

do they give any time frame to complete this project ?

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## al-Hasani

@rockstar08

Check those two threads out. It will give you an idea how the country looks like. After all it is the size of Western Europe. Moreover the thread also contains photos from the entire Arab world, neighboring countries on the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere in the Arab world etc.

The Arabian Peninsula and Arab world in photos | Page 27

Saudi Arabia in Pictures | Page 75

I think there are over 2000 photos in total if not more.

In 2018.

Kingdom Tower Jeddah Part 1 - Kingdom Tower in Jeddah

Allow me to post the photos on this new page:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photos from April
*In pictures: History is made at Kingdom Tower*
Records already broken at new world's tallest building





JEC achieved new world records using latest technologies for high rise buildings' foundation construction - 270 piles were cast in situ reaching 105m below the natural ground level and with diametre that varies between 1.5–1.8m.





The raft is considered one of the world’s largest one-piece reinforced steel foundations with thickness ranging between 4.5–5m.





Both piles and raft are supported with anti-corrosion technologies to preserve the steel reinforcement using a constant electric current system known as the Cathodic Protection.





In addition, strain gauge instrumentation and load cells have been built-in to detect any changes in the soil and provide continuous readings about any environmental changes to the area around the foundations.































​

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## rockstar08

@al-Hasani 
i have been through with this thread , and i saw the pics .. but like not daily ..
these pics are really beautiful ... lots of my relatives been to Hajj and umrah , and one thing everyone said that the feel you get there with your presence , you cant feel it on pics .. 
along with many other beautiful and historic places , i want to visit a place called " Wadi-e-Jinn " i dont know if Arabs call it with different name but its close to Madina , which is famous for its gravitational force ..
do you know about it ?

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## al-Hasani

rockstar08 said:


> @al-Hasani
> i have been through with this thread , and i saw the pics .. but like not daily ..
> these pics are really beautiful ... lots of my relatives been to Hajj and umrah , and one thing everyone said that the feel you get there with your presence , you cant feel it on pics ..
> along with many other beautiful and historic places , i want to visit a place called " Wadi-e-Jinn " i dont know if Arabs call it with different name but its close to Madina , which is famous for its gravitational force ..
> do you know about it ?



Wadi Jinn: Mystery or magnetism? | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.








> In this video we tested the theory that cars speed when left in neutral in Wadi e Al Baida. Our car went to speeds of around 150km/hr with the car in neutral and without the driver pushing the accelerator.


I will gladly answer any question in the "Arabic Coffee shop" thread so we can stick to the topic here.

Arabic Coffee shop

P.S:

The people in the video seem to be from South Asia judging on the language so I predict that they might very well be your compatriots.

P.P.S.

Large parts of Hijaz in general is volcanic, magnetic and seismic too. Many extant and extinct volcanoes are found not far away from Madinah actually.

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## rockstar08

al-Hasani said:


> Wadi Jinn: Mystery or magnetism? | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​I will gladly answer any question in the "Arabic Coffee thread" so we stick to the topic.
> 
> Arabic Coffee shop
> 
> P.S:
> 
> The people in the video seem to be from South Asia judging on the language so I predict that they might very well be your compatriots.
> 
> P.P.S.
> 
> Large parts of Hijaz in general is volcanic, magnetic and seismic too. Many extant and extinct volcanoes not far from Madinah actually.



bro you ever been there ? 
what is real truth about it ? 
i have heard multiple stories about it but probably you will be the most authentic source

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## al-Hasani

rockstar08 said:


> bro you ever been there ?
> what is real truth about it ?
> i have heard multiple stories about it but probably you will be the most authentic source



Please watch the video. it's a Youtube clip. Maybe that is why that you are unable to see? A shame if true.

It's basically reserve gravity and the same happens with water. It's common in mountainous regions in KSA and some other places in the world.

You can see many videos that confirm the phenomenon so it is correct and not a hoax. Nothing superstitious about it though. In the past people obviously were unable to explain it rationally. Now we can with science.

It's still a surreal experience though for people unaware of it.

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## rockstar08

al-Hasani said:


> *Please watch the video. it's a Youtube clip. Maybe that is why that you are unable to see? A shame if true.*
> 
> It's basically reserve gravity and the same happens with water. It's common in mountainous regions in KSA and some other places in the world.
> 
> You can see many videos that confirm the phenomenon so it is correct and not a hoax. Nothing superstitious about it though. In the past people obviously were unable to explain it rationally. Now we can with science.
> 
> It's still a surreal experience though for people unaware of it.



cant watch the video .. but i have seen some videos on Youtube in past .. 
and i didnt know that there are other places in world with same reserve gravity ...

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## OrionHunter

al-Hasani said:


> Desperate pervert.


Arre bhai, appreciating sexy girls is not perversion! Unless you prefer boys!! Do you?


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## al-Hasani

@OrionHunter

I was joking. I thought that it was very clear, LOL? Just not the thread for such comments. Obviously not. I have been called a pervert too for posting Arabic belly dance videos etc. and other photos.

Let us leave it at that and return to the topic.

*Kingdom Tower Retail Mall*​






























More photos below:

RHA​

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## Bubblegum Crisis

rockstar08 said:


> I would like to have cup of Tea in that tower with @al-Hasani and @Yzd Khalifa *..before the judgement day ..*











*...*







Less expensive and much better. Perfect ! Viva _SBG (Saudi Binladin Group)_, main contractor of project ! 


*Note : Burj Khalifa*, Main contractor : _Samsung Engineering and Construction Company_.


...

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## al-Hasani

@Bubblegum Crisis



Saudi Binladin Group rocks! One of the biggest and most successful construction firms on earth! Nothing but praise from my side. The Bin Laden family is a respected family. 1 black sheep or not.

You better check this out!

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## al-Hasani

The cranes are up and running!



​


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## Cyberian

Is the tower a mile high or a kilometre high?

Does anyone know the co-ordinates or the exact area where this is being constructed as I want to check it out on Google Maps.


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## al-Hasani

@Bubblegum Crisis

You should change the title of this thread my friend. 1 mile is about 1.6 km. The Kingdom Tower is "only" going to be 1007 meters tall. The plan was for it to be 1 mile tall but this idea was abandoned. Too risky and expensive today.



SUPARCO said:


> Is the tower a mile high or a kilometre high?
> 
> Does anyone know the co-ordinates or the exact area where this is being constructed as I want to check it out on Google Maps.



I can help you with that but you will not see anything other than the fundament and the enclosed area (as I recall it) because Google took the most recent photos months ago and the work is first getting started for real now.

Jeddah, Kingdom tower - Google Maps

It's between Jeddah and Thuwal. On that spot a whole new city is going to emerge.

Kingdom City (Jeddah) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also KAEC (another new city from stretch) next to Jeddah is underway.

KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO

King Abdullah Economic City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is a hell lot of giant projects going on in Hijaz from new airports, ports, new huge industrial cities from the stretch, skyscrapers, huge residential projects, new universities, schools, roads, metros, railways, football stadiums, resorts, projects in Makkah and Madinah regarding Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Al-Masjid An-Nabawi etc.

That's positive. This project will be another hallmark.


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## Cyberian

al-Hasani said:


> @Bubblegum Crisis
> 
> You should change the title of this thread my friend. 1 mile is about 1.6 km. The Kingdom Tower is "only" going to be 1007 meters tall. The plan was for it to be 1 mile tall but this idea was abandoned. Too risky and expensive today.
> 
> 
> 
> I can help you with that but you will not see anything other than the fundament and the enclosed area (as I recall it) because Google took the most recent photos months ago and the work is first getting started for real now.
> 
> Jeddah, Kingdom tower - Google Maps
> 
> It's between Jeddah and Thuwal. On that spot a whole new city is going to emerge.
> 
> Kingdom City (Jeddah) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> Also KAEC (another new city from stretch) next to Jeddah is underway.
> 
> KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO
> 
> King Abdullah Economic City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> There is a hell lot of giant projects going on in Hijaz from new airports, ports, new huge industrial cities from the stretch, skyscrapers, huge residential projects, new universities, schools, roads, metros, railways, football stadiums, resorts, projects in Makkah and Madinah regarding Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Al-Masjid An-Nabawi etc.
> 
> That's positive. This project will be another hallmark.



Jazak'Allahu Khair ya akhi.

I pray for the Custodians of the Two Holy Masaajid complete and absolute success.

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## al-Hasani

SUPARCO said:


> Jazak'Allahu Khair ya akhi.
> 
> I pray for the Custodians of the Two Holy Masaajid complete and absolute success.



The country is in good hands as of now bro. One of the most rapidly growing countries on the planet right now and already among the 20 biggest economies of the world with one of the youngest populations. The non-oil/gas/mineral/natural resources sector is also among the fastest growing in the Muslim region despite many laws that hinder economic growth which hopefully will end their day in the future. Now with the stock market having opened up for foreign investments for the first time things will move quickly forward it seems. Also don't forget that the GCC might one day not only merge into 1 single country but even expand. The process in terms of integrating various areas is an ongoing and increasing process. I am hopeful about the future in other words.

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## al-Hasani

News of the height of the skyscraper being slightly bigger than initially thought. Now the number 1082 meters is being circulated. Potentially more depending on what the base can handle obviously. Those 1082 meters is taller than dozens of countries highest geographical point. Actually taller than the highest points of 106 countries/overseas territories to be precise. Amazing really.

More photos:


















​@WebMaster @Aeronaut @Chak Bamu @Jungibaaz

Gentlemen can you change the title of this thread? It's not going to be mile high (1600 meters tall) as initially planned but only about 1000-1100 meters tall. Please change the title to "1 km high skyscraper".

Thank you.

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## Arabian Legend



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## al-Hasani

Take a look at those giant cranes!

























Look how far from the cranes are visible
*


*










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## Imran Khan

man i feel that work pace is slow . its must increase the speed.

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## Hurter

I heard the news that this tower has been sold by Waleed bin Talal. Is it true?



Imran Khan said:


> man i feel that work pace is slow . its must increase the speed.



Labor crackdown bro... Saray project hi slow hue hain


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## Imran Khan

Junaid B said:


> I heard the news that this tower has been sold by Waleed bin Talal. Is it true?
> 
> 
> 
> Labor crackdown bro... Saray project hi slow hue hain


tower in fact owned by mr.waleed
and its strategic project . uncle fakkeh must give jawazat immunity to illegal works to work here free of fear . as new airport


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## Hurter

Imran Khan said:


> tower in fact owned by mr.waleed
> and its strategic project . uncle fakkeh must give jawazat immunity to illegal works to work here free of fear . as new airport



You mean to say that illegal foreigners are working at new airport project or legal workers but having different sponsorship?


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## al-Hasani

Imran Khan said:


> man i feel that work pace is slow . its must increase the speed.


​No, mate, they are almost on schedule. Burj Khalifa was also not on schedule completely. The deadline is 2019. I think that they will reach that deadline on time. But even if they are 6 months or even 1 year late nothing big is going to happen because of that other than pissing off a lot of companies that have invested heavily in the Kingdom City project etc.


*High and mighty: Kingdom Tower and the rise of the billion-dollar building*​29 September 2014 Julian Turner






_*Scheduled for completion by 2019, the $1.2bn Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is being heralded as the world’s first 1km high building. We talk to Clive Trencher, senior risk consultant at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, about taking skyscraper construction to new heights.*_​Breathtaking in conception and execution, the Kingdom Tower is a building without precedent. Upon completion, expected by 2019, the 'megatall' (600m-plus) skyscraper will stand a staggering 1km high, almost four times taller than Europe's highest building, the Shard in London, and more than 170m higher than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the world record holder at 828m.

The centrepiece of the £13bn Kingdom City development north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the building will spread across an area of 530,000m², require around half a million square metres of concrete and 80,000t of steel for its 200 floors, and will house a five-star hotel, apartments, office space and an observatory.

Ground was broken on the £780m project in late April. Over the next five years, a peak daily workforce of around 6,000 will toil 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to overcome the unique challenges that the new generation super and mega-tall structures pose to contractors, architects and insurers.

"I've worked in construction all my life and maintaining the verticality of relatively short buildings of 20-30 stories is in itself a challenge; however, when you are dealing with buildings of 600m, 1,000m or even 1,500m high, then that's an extraordinarily difficult undertaking," says Clive Trencher, senior risk consultant at engineering insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS).

"I visited the Kingdom Tower site in June and one of the initial technical challenges that the client has had to overcome is the ground conditions. There is not a rock layer that can adequately support the weight of the building, so the engineers have had to bore piles down to a depth 160m - that's equivalent to a 50-storey building's height inserted into the ground before you've even started to work upwards."


*Core values: foundations, sway minimisation and elevator technology*
​Trencher is ideally placed to comment on the structural challenges that super and megatall buildings present, having undertaken holistic risk assessments of flagship projects including the Shard and 20 Fenchurch Street in London, Taiwan's Taipei 101, the Burj Khalifa and, now, the Kingdom Tower.

"By definition these buildings are tall and slender and whatever foundation system you use has to be capable of supporting the vertical weight of the towers," he explains. "One of the big issues we have is that the taller you go, so the degree of sway increases. Humans are very receptive to acceleration and so what you try to do is produce a stiff structure that will primarily reduce wind-induced sway. However, around the world there are also locations where earthquakes are a major risk so you are also dealing with ground acceleration.

He adds: "The planned layout of the main tower is Y-shaped, which was deemed to be the best compromise to ensure the optimum load spread and load distribution of the cores. In terms of innovative materials, we work with extremely high strength concrete, which is needed for super-tall building purely because of the extreme weight that is imposed on them."

Unlike Taipei 101, which incorporates tuned mass dampers, the Kingdom Tower relies instead on a reinforced structural core design that extends for the full height of the building.

"Maintaining verticality as the building height increases is important for all structures but one of the fundamentals of design is that you try and keep the mass of the building within the centroid of the pile or foundation system," Trencher says. "The frame tends to be relatively lightweight, so there is a reinforced concrete core, which also serves as the main access points for lifts and building services."

Current technology limits elevator travel in super and megatall buildings to around 600m, mainly due to challenges with braking and cabling. The Kingdom Tower will feature 59 lifts, including five double deckers - those that take visitors to the observatory will travel at 10m per second.

"Traditionally, lifts have not been part of the evacuation process, so there are practical difficulties in terms of how you service a building in an emergency and the speed at which lifts operate because of the effects of G-force," says Trencher. "To provide necessary mechanical and electrical equipment you also need intermediate stations or levels, but these can take valuable letting space out of super and megatall buildings, which contain multi-user commercial, retail, leisure and residential spaces."


*The heat is on: slip forming, real-time monitoring and water maintenance*​Rigorous materials-testing is a fundamental aspect of any construction project, but the scorching temperatures of Saudi Arabia present contractors with a unique challenge, as Trencher explains.

"In the Middle East you have very high ambient temperatures and one of the major issues in pouring large volumes of concrete is that it is an exothermic chemical reaction and gives off heat. Therefore, you have to regulate very carefully how a block cools because the high differential temperatures can physically crack the concrete - and cracked concrete is not a good physical medium.

He adds: "The client has extensive instrumentation of these large concrete pours. Thermal couples measure both the internal and external temperature and the entire building is shrouded in insulating material to let these vast volumes of concrete cool down naturally without the outside being affected. Also, nobody has ever gone to those heights, so another major challenge we are facing is gravity. Attempting to pump concrete in its fluid state vertically 1,000m has never been done before."

Like the Shard before it, the Kingdom Tower's central core is being constructed using slip forming, a method in which concrete is poured into a structure that is continuously in flux, resulting in superior, joint-free buildings that can be worked on around the clock. However, high temperatures in Jeddah mean that slip-form structures must be monitored to ensure that structural integrity is maintained.




"Once the production of the main core starts it will run 24/7 - that's the economics of how you build these types of buildings as a continuous slip form," explains Trencher. "The slip form central core is working 24 hours a day and you are confronted with major solar gains in that time, so the building will tend to move away from the sun, and as the sun tracks around that changes. As a result, the Kingdom Tower has a network of real-time monitoring stations with corresponding trigger points where they can adjust the slip form to take into account any deviations."

The chemical make-up of the water in Jeddah has also tested the engineers' ingenuity.

"One of the issues we have in the Middle East - particularly in this location which is on the shoreline of the Red Sea - is that the groundwater is very saline and extraordinarily aggressive to concrete," says Trencher. "To mitigate some of the effects of that, and to stop engineers having to pump large volumes of salt-laden water, the base level of the tower has been set approximately 3m above the existing ground level."


*Tall orders: the building boom in Asia and the Middle East*​The 100th supertall building of over 300m will be built in 2014 and more than half of world's tallest buildings have been built in last four years, with the high-rise boom in Asia and Middle East leading the way, accounting for 90% of recent supertall projects worldwide.

Driven by rapid economic and demographic growth, urbanisation, investor appetite for flagship real estate assets and lower labour costs than in the traditional Western markets, the trend is set to continue. In June, China announced initial plans for its own 1km tall building, the Phoenix Towers.

With this in mind, what specific skill-sets will the next generation of construction engineers and risk assessors need to compete in a globalised marketplace, and how does Trencher envisage the super and megatall sector evolving in terms of new technologies, building materials and design elements?

"From design, through construction to procurement, the advent of computers has revolutionised construction imaging," he says. "Robotics may take over some construction tasks and in the UK we have witnessed a drive for off-site production, with only plug-and-play connections required on-site.

"Within my career computer design, modelling, 3D and sophisticated stress analysis software packages have been introduced and they certainly will continue to evolve. Mankind will not stand still on this - we will innovate but there needs to be an emphasis on these new innovations being used correctly."

SOURCE

@WebMaster @Horus @Chak Bamu @Jungibaaz @Manticore

Can one of you gentlemen change the title of this thread to "*KSA: Kingdom Tower (the upcoming tallest skyscraper in the world)*"? The Kingdom Tower is "only" going to be about 1050 meters tall (they might end up building it a bit taller like with Burj Khalifa). The mile-high plan was abolished as 1600 meters is not foreseeable right now.

Thanks.

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## al-Hasani

Wrong @Imran Khan

Al-Waleed is far from being the sole owner of Kingdom Tower. Let's see the reality for once.

The Kingdom Tower Company has 33,35% of the shares, the Saudi Binladin Group 16,63%, Abrar International Holding Company 33,35% and Abdul-Rahman Hassan Sharbatly (businessman) 16,67%.


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## asq

is it an office tower, is it a residential tower, what is it for, if office use, than does Saudis has enough office workers to occupy this if so what will happen to the building vacated

My humble opinion is for Saudis to use their money to industrialize their country and the Muslims worlds to provide jobs for all Nations Islamic or others. .

Make jets, tanks, fridges stoves, televisions, look at south Korea, they have done tremendous things, do the right thing for humanity and not for ego saying look i have got the biggest one, the tower of all of them


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## al-Hasani

asq said:


> is it an office tower, is it a residential tower, what is it for, if office use, than does Saudis has enough office workers to occupy this if so what will happen to the building vacated
> 
> My humble opinion is for Saudis to use their money to industrialize their country and the Muslims worlds to provide jobs for all Nations Islamic or others. .
> 
> Make jets, tanks, fridges stoves, televisions, look at south Korea, they have done tremendous things, do the right thing for humanity and not for ego saying look i have got the biggest one, the tower of all of them



You seem not only rather ignorant but clueless too. Did you even bother to read this thread before replying? You just jump into this thread writing nonsense without even reading what is written in this thread. No offense.

The Kingdom Tower is part of the King Abdullah Economic City. KAUST is also nearby.

King Abdullah Economic City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This will be a huge tourist attraction and will earn itself in many times over.

Besides the Kingdom Tower is not paid by the government but private investors. You only have to look at my post number 100 in this thread but you did not bother doing even that.

KSA is a G-20 Major Economies Member State. 58% of our income (by now) is not from the gas/oil sector. Our non-oil/gas sector grows with 6-8% each year. Our lands have been blessed by many riches since ancient times. Don't blame us for that. Income is income anyway.

KSA has invested in dozens of industrial cities on a world scale that are going to be built and made other huge projects in that regard. One just need to study such projects a bit.

Yes, and how many Muslim countries are comparable to South Korea in that regard? Let me tell you. 0. But I don't care about that. It's like comparing apples and pears for obvious reasons. KSA is doing a lot of right things recently and the future is very bright.

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## asq

al-Hasani said:


> You seem not only rather ignorant but clueless too. Did you even bother to read this thread before replying? You just jump into this thread writing nonsense without even reading what is written in this thread. No offense.
> 
> The Kingdom Tower is part of the King Abdullah Economic City. KAUST is also nearby.
> 
> King Abdullah Economic City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> King Abdullah University of Science and Technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> This will be a huge tourist attraction and will earn itself in many times over.
> 
> Besides the Kingdom Tower is not paid by the government but private investors. You only have to look at my post number 100 in this thread but you did not bother doing even that.
> 
> KSA is a G-20 Major Economies Member State. 58% of our income (by now) is not from the gas/oil sector. Our non-oil/gas sector grows with 6-8% each year. Our lands have been blessed by many riches since ancient times. Don't blame us for that. Income is income anyway.
> 
> KSA has invested in dozens of industrial cities on a world scale that are going to be built and made other huge projects in that regard. One just need to study such projects a bit.
> 
> Yes, and how many Muslim countries are comparable to South Korea in that regard? Let me tell you. 0. But I don't care about that. It's like comparing apples and pears for obvious reasons. KSA is doing a lot of right things recently and the future is very bright.


Why are you burning with anger, i asked question than you start war, I have yet to see a product living North America built by Saudia, but i see every thing from a fantastic Tvs, to fridges to washers and dryers to computer like Samsung, tablets, cell phones, and not to mention cars, cars, and more beautiful cars, i have yet to see any such thing built in S.A.


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## AZADPAKISTAN2009

Its amazing but its happening in our life time people are competing to build tall buildings in middle of deserts


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## Bubblegum Crisis

AZADPAKISTAN2009 said:


> Its amazing but its happening in our life time people are competing to build tall buildings in middle of deserts






And where they must build if not on their own lands ? They - us - have no others.

For you it's a simple desert but for us it is a gift of God.

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## Bubblegum Crisis

asq said:


> Why are you burning with anger, i asked question than you start war, I have yet to see a product living North America built by Saudia, but i see every thing from a fantastic Tvs, to fridges to washers and dryers to computer like Samsung, tablets, cell phones, and not to mention cars, cars, and more beautiful cars, i have yet to see any such thing built in S.A.




Don't worry genius ! One thing at a time.

*GCC States Economy & Development (All pages)

KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO | Page 2

KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO | Page 2
*
*To be continued end of page-2…*


...

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## submitter

challenge of tall towers need something to grip it firmly below. or spread its bottom plate to hold the tower. how much does dubai cost and this one seems cheaper?


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## al-Hasani

Bubblegum Crisis said:


> Don't worry genius ! One thing at a time.
> 
> *GCC States Economy & Development (All pages)
> 
> KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO | Page 2
> 
> KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO | Page 2
> *
> *To be continued end of page-2…*
> 
> 
> ...



Yes, not only is that guy obviously a "genius" the other guy is confusing a coastal city along the beautiful and tropical Red Sea and Hijaz in general with the beautiful natural areas of the Rub' al-Khali. Ignorants being ignorants.

Nor do they have any clue about the enormous infrastructural projects in the KSA, some of the biggest in the world, who is paying for the Kingdom Tower and what it means for the country, Thuwal, the Jeddah/Makkah region, the country's economy, the big progress on all fronts etc.
Obviously the reasons for the butthurt are well-known though.

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## Bubblegum Crisis

submitter said:


> challenge of tall towers need something to grip it firmly below. or spread its bottom plate to hold the tower. how much does dubai cost and this one seems cheaper?






*KSA : Kingdom Tower (Mile-High Tower) | Page 6*

Because when it is _‘your own companies’_ are doing the work - because they have reached all technological levels necessary - , it always costs less expensive.


*KAFD (King Abdullah Financial District - 80 Towers), Main contractor : Saudi Binladin Group (SBG)*

*KAEC to have 2m people, projects worth $100bn on completion: CEO | Page 2*


*Kingdom City Jeddah, Main contractor : Saudi Binladin Group (SBG)*

*KSA : Kingdom Tower (Mile-High Tower)*







...

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## Arabian Legend



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## al-Hasani

Figure 2. Kingdom Tower Y-shaped plan​*Supertall Buildings and Wind*

The Y-shaped plan forming the base of the design offered several advantages. A 120-degree separation between wings allows for views to be expansive but not directed toward adjacent units, which would have created privacy issues. A Y-shaped plan would provide a higher ratio of exterior wall to internal area, which would maximize the residential units’ views and exposure to light (see Figure 2).

The “Y” shape also allowed the spreading of the base of the tower without increasing the depth of the lease-span. This means that the building can still maintain a reasonable 10:1 height to width ratio without having a large amount of unusable deep internal space. The “Y” shape also helps develop a clean and simple structural diagram in which every element participates in both gravity and lateral support. If one considers the shape as being similar to a wide flange beam with its mass of structural material at the end of each wing (the “flanges”) where it is most optimally placed, connected by shear walls (the “webs”) forming the corridor walls and core, the structural efficiency is maximized by placing the material where it will do the most good in resisting wind-induced bending loads. The triangular core thus formed by the shear walls is also an optimized shape, very good at resisting wind induced torsion. Lastly, the unique nature of the Y-shaped plan and structure allows for certain serendipitous results. Having three legs, the plan naturally has at least three stairs, creating an immediate redundancy. With its continuous, reinforced concrete shear walls, those stairs are completely enclosed within a very robust and secure environment, again enhancing that aspect of the life safety system of the tower. Furthermore, these very thick shear walls provide more than the minimum required fire separation and are a very effective sound-control mechanism between public corridors and private residential spaces (see Figure 2).
...





Figure 3. Kingdom Tower tapering shape​
Early on, it was also decided that the tower could not just be vertically extruded. Had that approach been pursued, wind vortices would have become organized on the sides of the tower and amplified the effect, inducing accelerations of lateral movement well above advisable levels as these amplified vortices approach the resonant frequency of the tower. To counter this natural magnification, one very typical approach is to reduce the plan size of the tower as it rises in height. On Burj Khalifa, the tower has 27 tiers with setbacks/plan shape reductions at each. Similar to Burj Khalifa, Kingdom Tower “confuses the wind” by reducing the cross-sectional size of the tower as it rises. However unlike Burj Khalifa, Kingdom Tower does it by means of a continuous taper to each wing (see Figure 3). A continuous taper was a result of one of the primary lessons learned in the construction of Burj Khalifa. Eliminating the stepped setbacks as on the Burj obviated the need for outrigger transfers and belt trusses at certain locations, which in turn will reduce the concentration of structural loads as well as permit a more efficient, continuous, and uninterrupted construction process. Furthermore, having different rates of taper to each wing results in different termination heights for each, thereby creating the dramatically distinct three part spire of Kingdom Tower. This intuitive concept was confirmed by wind studies performed by RWDI at its facility in Toronto.

The structure for the Kingdom Tower is comprised entirely of cast-in-place reinforced concrete walls, coupling beams, and conventionally reinforced flat plate concrete floor framing (see Figure 4). The structure contains no outriggers or wall/column transfers. Due to the continuous and uninterrupted vertical nature of the walls for the tower, a highly efficient jump form system can be utilized. Formwork for the floor slabs also can be reused due to the highly repetitive geometry of the tower. The faces of the shear walls are all vertical, with the exception of the ends of each wing, which taper to follow the form of the Tower. This can be accomplished by a simple shift of between 200 and 300 millimeters for each 4 meters vertical lift or internal blockouts in formwork that is lifted vertically. Because the ends of the shear walls slope, the taper at the end of each wing is created by a consistent 3.5 meter cantilever extension of the slab edge. All building envelope notching is achieved by simply dropping off slab edge cantilevers.






Figure 4. Structural components​
Through this concept of dropping off structural components to create the architectural expression, and allowing formwork to easily jump up on each level of the tower, a highly efficient and constructible system is realized while creating a very distinctive form.

Concrete compressive cube strengths required to realize the tower structure are not expected to exceed 115 MPa, and 60 to 80 MPa at significant heights. Advances in concrete mix designs and concrete pumping technology will be brought to bear in order to place high strength concrete in the upper portions of the tower.

The foundations for the tower are a raft supported on bored circular piles located approximately 2.5 meters below existing grade due to site modifications raising the base of the tower (see Figure 5). This modification minimizes the amount of potential dewatering required on the site during construction of the lower levels.




Figure 5. Kingdom Tower raft section​*Tower Form, Culture, Site, and Location*

As part of a performative design process, any solution should reflect a specific culture, location and time:

In the case of Kingdom Tower, the solution reflects the desire of Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) and the leaders of Saudi Arabia to show the world the potential of their vision of the Kingdom as an increasingly important, vital, and thriving member of the international community. It is also rooted in the desert landscape. The sleek, streamlined form of the tower can be interpreted as a reference to the folded fronds of a growing young desert plant. The way the fronds sprout upward from the ground as a single form, then start separating from each other at the top, is an analogy of new growth fused with technology. As AS+GG partner Gordon Gill explains: “the tower evokes a bundle of leaves shooting up from the ground – a burst of new life that heralds more growth all around it. This symbolizes the tower as a catalyst for increased development around it.”

In terms of the project’s location, studies of sun, wind and views, among many others parameters, informed and guided the design process that shaped the tower. The tower orientation in plan was adjusted to point one wing toward Mecca, while another points almost directly north, by which both the overall solar load was reduced while simultaneously improving the views of the majority of residential units (see Figure 6). As it turned out, that adjustment in orientation also helped mitigate the magnitude of pedestrian level winds in several of the more critical locations, although it slightly increased the overall load due to design wind conditions. Regarding “time,” Kingdom Tower uses current technologies and materials, but also incorporates “future-making” designs. In the field of vertical transportation, for example, the height and program requirements will be a challenge that elevator manufacturers have accepted in agreeing to develop what will be the world’s tallest multi-deck elevator. In a similar vein, the location and height of the towers’ mechanical floors will push the technology of the buildings’ chilled water, sprinkler, and domestic systems and equipment with their limits to working pressure and capacity.

Kingdom Tower, Jeddah






'


History is unfolding before our eyes.​

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## al-Hasani

Let's not forget that there will be multiple skyscrapers outside of Kingdom Tower.

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## al-Hasani

It was a big day today in the history of the Kingdom Tower.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal announced at a press conference that by the end of this year 6 floors will be built.

















JEC Board Holds a Press Conference at Jeddah’s Kingdom Tower Location Prince Alwaleed: “World’s tallest tower construction work picking up pace & plans to reach 6th floor by end of 2014”​



November 4, 2014

HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, Chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) and board members of the Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), paid a visit to the location of the Kingdom Tower and The Kingdom City in Obhor north of Jeddah, to view work in progress on the project and observe at first hand the achievements made so far.

Prince Alwaleed commented: “World’s tallest tower construction work picking up pace and plans to reach 6th floor by end of 2014.”

Prince Alwaleed expressed his satisfaction with the progress made in accordance with the project schedule and praised the efforts made by the project team to finalize works within the specified deadline while maintaining the highest standards of quality.

At a press conference held on the occasion of the visit, guests were given an overview of the project and shown the progress that has been made in the implementation stages. Commenting, Eng. Talal Ibrahim Al Maiman, Executive Director Development and Domestic Investments, Chairman and CEO of Kingdom Real Estate Development Company (KRED), a board member of Kingdom Holding Company stated that work on the Kingdom Tower project, which will be the highest in the world at more than 1,000 meters and is being built on an area of 85,000 sqm at a total cost of SR 4.6 billion, is moving at an accelerated pace using the best and most advanced techniques.

Earlier, Prince Alwaleed headed the board of directors meeting of Jeddah Economic Company in Jeddah with the board members; Mr. Abdulrahman Hassan Sharbatly, Mr. Saleh Bin Laden, Mr. Samaual Bakhsh and Eng. Talal Almaiman.

The Kingdom City and Kingdom Tower project will be a source of pride for the Saudi people and for the citizens of Jeddah in particular. The master plan of the project is designed to build a city on an area of 5.3 million sqm supported by an advanced and comprehensive infrastructure. The first phase of the project which is currently under development consists of 1.5 million sqm which comprises of 3.3 million sqm of modern multi-purpose buildings that will reposition the city of Jeddah on the international scene of modern regional cities.

The main purpose of the project is to make available a unique business, residential and entertainment environment that provides top services for the new generation of Saudi citizens, and to be a must-visit business, entertainment, cultural, medical and educational landmark for visitors to Jeddah, as well as playing an important role in creating job opportunities for Saudi youth and contributing to fulfilling the increasing demand for residential units.

Earlier this year, JEC had announced the arrival of the biggest and tallest custom-made cranes supplied by Germany’s Liebherr & WolffKran. The enormous yellow lifting devices, known as “climbing cranes,” are designed to accompany the Kingdom Tower’s growth both externally and internally, in the latter case utilizing any of the building’s 65 interior elevator shafts to make the climb.

Commenting further, Mr. Hammoud said: “The Kingdom Tower will have 85 high-speed elevators and the world’s fastest double-decker elevators that travel at 12m/s. The elevators are designed to produce energy while moving, which contributes to energy conservation and environment protection. In addition, the tower is equipped with other services that will make it an international landmark and a global icon of Saudi Arabia’s progress, success and achievements.”

The Kingdom Tower features 170 stories, seven stories of which will be allocated for the five-star Four Seasons Hotel offering 200 rooms and121 luxury serviced apartments, and seven stories for offices. The Tower will also have 61 stories that include 318 housing units of various types, along with amenities that include gyms, spas, cafes and restaurants, two sky lobbies and world’s highest observation decks, located on the 644 meter-height, enabling visitors to view the city of Jeddah and the Red Sea from high in the sky.

JEC Board Holds a Press Conference at Jeddah’s Kingdom Tower Location Prince Alwaleed: “World’s tallest tower construction work picking up pace & plans to reach 6th floor by end of 2014” | Kingdom Holding Company








​@Arabian Legend @JUBA @Mosamania @Bubblegum Crisis @Full Moon @Rakan.SA @BLACKEAGLE @Ahmed Jo etc.

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## al-Hasani

Here one can also see some of the other skyscrapers that will surround the Kingdom Tower itself.




​Just awesome.











​

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## Rakan.SA

it would be great if they can start building the 2 bridges over obhur now

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## al-Hasani

Rakan.SA said:


> it would be great if they can start building the 2 bridges over obhur now



They will be built bro. It's a necessity.

More photos from yesterday's press conference;











Women in the building. Run before the whole thing collapses!

الوليد بن طلال: برج المملكة في جدة يرتفع دور كل أربعة أيام - جريدة الرياض

The Kingdom Tower will be ready by 2018 so everything is expected to go according to the plan!









الحين موقعي في مشروع ومؤتمر برج المملكة بجدة الذي بيسجل اطول ناطحه سحاب بالعالم بنهاية عام ٢٠١٨ م بأذن الله تعالى by mr-abood alghamdi, on Flickr



I can't wait to visit when the Kingdom Tower is finished, the sorrounding Kingdom City and just witnessing the end of all those enormous projects on all sectors across KSA!​

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## al-Hasani



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## mughal arslan shah mirza

This is just amazing stuff. Congratulations

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## al-Hasani

IbnTaymiyyah said:


> So entire city or several cities being created from scratch ?
> Sounds unreal.
> 
> Congrats @al-Hasani @Arabian Legend



Well quite a few are while some are extensions of already existing cities or villages. China and dozens of other developing countries have had similar projects and even on a greater scale due to naturally having a much bigger population and a bigger need for urbanization.

Anyway all those new industrial cities in KSA are some of the biggest projects out there currently.

It will be amazing though that's for sure.

Check this thread out;

Top 25 Projects in the GCC



mughal arslan shah mirza said:


> This is just amazing stuff. Congratulations



Thanks.






​

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## al-Hasani

*KINGDOM CITY MASTER PLAN*​
*Location: *Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom City project was envisaged as a modern landmark sub‐center in Saudi Arabia. Located on a 530 hectare site north of metropolitan Jeddah along the shores of the Red Sea, the project will have the world’s tallest building as its centerpiece, the Kingdom Tower (currently under construction). The Tower will not only attract foreign investment to the city, but will also be a significant icon both for the city of Jeddah, and for Saudi Arabia.

Calthorpe Associates won an international design competition for the Master Plan of this unique community. The design consists of a master-planned community of distinctive neighborhoods with a commercial core featuring international offices, a first-class retail establishment, unique open spaces and diverse residential communities. The Master Plan is the end result of a series of studies, analyses and the application of urban design principles reflecting the vision and objectives of the client. Through the collaborative efforts between Jeddah Economic Company and Calthorpe Associates, the plan will produce a healthy and vibrant community, an integrated urban environment that will fluidly evolve into the primary economic and social heart of the City of Jeddah.

The project will provide a quality living, working and entertainment environment for the residents of Jeddah, visitors from other parts of Saudi Arabia, and for international visitors. The project is expected to accommodate a population of 210,000 residents and host 197,500 non‐residents who will enjoy its world class facilities.























​Kingdom City Master Plan | Calthorpe Associates

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## VCheng

Now that would be an architectural masterpiece!

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## Rakan.SA

can you imagine the view from inside a departing plane ? the tower will be right next to you.

maybe 2 km away

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## al-Hasani

Syed.Ali.Haider said:


> Now that would be an architectural masterpiece!



I bet you that it will!

Emirati brothers and sisters pissed;









I can't wait to see the Kingdom Tower finished and the Kingdom City and all of those dozens mega-projects in KSA.

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## VCheng

al-Hasani said:


> I bet you that it will!
> 
> Emirati brothers and sisters pissed;



Phallic symbol envy?

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## Imtiaz_Sarwar

A very informative thread with pictures to make everything crystal clear. I wish our Saudi brothers in Islam best of luck in their ambitious projects. After all it is their land, their money,their vision and their future. Since this is a defence forum, I have a defence related question. What if a 911 type attack happens here ? Have the Saudis taken that into consideration. Do they have the military might to protect their assets from such disasters. America the most powerful country in the world today could not defend itself against 911. What about Saudis ?

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## al-Hasani

Imtiaz_Sarwar said:


> A very informative thread with pictures to make everything crystal clear. I wish our Saudi brothers in Islam best of luck in their ambitious projects. After all it is their land, their money,their vision and their future. Since this is a defence forum, I have a defence related question. What if a 911 type attack happens here ? Have the Saudis taken that into consideration. Do they have the military might to protect their assets from such disasters. America the most powerful country in the world today could not defend itself against 911. What about Saudis ?



Thank you for the nice words brother.

First of all I have to say that the likelihood of another 9/11 attack on a skyscraper anywhere in the world is very small IMO.

Preventing such an attack from happening is all down to proper intelligence work.

Lastly the impact of the planes was not enough to cause the towers' collapse during 9/11 as far as a I recall. The combination of the impacts and the fires in their aftermath were what proved to be fatal. The planes not only knocked out parts of the buildings' structural frames, they also severed and disabled the sprinkler systems' supply pipes which weakened the remaining structure and ultimately caused the buildings to collapse.

I think that the Kingdom Tower will have steel connections capable of preventing such a collapse. Sprinkler supply lines will probably be located within an impact-resistent core. There would probably be two sprinkler supply lines as well.

I don't really know the details but I am sure that they have thought about this scenario which could also happen due to a fire or even earthquake (not very likely in that area of Hijaz). So not necessary a terror attack.

You can actually contact the architect and developers. If they got the time they will probably answer you questions.

Kingdom Tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

P.S.: The title of this thread is wrong btw. Originally the plan was to construct a 1 mile tall tower but the idea was dropped. I have repeatedly asked the moderators to correct it but without luck. It's "only" going to be over 1000 meters tall. 1 mile is around 1600 meters. That would be insane.


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## Bilal.

I would love to see a tower higher than Mount Everest constructed in my life time.

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## ArsalanKhan21

The Saudis will only write the cheque and sign few papers while all the work will be done by the foreigners. The Saudia has 29 million people and most want only desk jobs. Only when Saudis design and build their own tower it will be a news.


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## al-Hasani

Bilal. said:


> I would love to see a tower higher than Mount Everest constructed in my life time.



I simply cannot imagine this in my lifetime (I am in my earliest 20's) although it would be phenomenal. I think that it is possible to built a structure this tall and probably taller already but it is simply not foreseeable. It would be very costly too.

I did a very quick google search and found this;






Is There a Limit to How Tall Buildings Can Get? - CityLab

In other words;

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## Ahmed Jo

al-Hasani said:


> I simply cannot imagine this in my lifetime (I am in my earliest 20's) although it would be phenomenal. I think that it is possible to built a structure this tall and probably taller already but it is simply not foreseeable. It would be very costly too.
> 
> I did a very quick google search and found this;
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is There a Limit to How Tall Buildings Can Get? - CityLab
> 
> In other words;


So will it be built or not? As far as getting people out and firemen in, I imagine helicopters could be used.



al-Hasani said:


> I simply cannot imagine this in my lifetime (I am in my earliest 20's) although it would be phenomenal. I think that it is possible to built a structure this tall and probably taller already but it is simply not foreseeable. It would be very costly too.
> 
> I did a very quick google search and found this;
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is There a Limit to How Tall Buildings Can Get? - CityLab
> 
> In other words;


So will it be built or not? As far as getting people out and firemen in, I imagine helicopters could be used.

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## al-Hasani

Ahmed Jo said:


> So will it be built or not? As far as getting people out and firemen in, I imagine helicopters could be used.
> 
> 
> So will it be built or not? As far as getting people out and firemen in, I imagine helicopters could be used.



Take a look at the thread bro. See post 129. The entire fundament has been built and what you can see on that photo is so far what has been built in around 2.5 months of work.

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## Ahmed Jo

al-Hasani said:


> Take a look at the thread bro. See post 129. The entire fundament has been built and what you can see on that photo is so far what has been built in around 2.5 months of work.


Sorry I forgot if Saudis say they'll build something, they'll bloody well build it. Just used to Jordanian incompetence in this area (the truth.) I mean we're still waiting on those goddamn gate towers to be finished!! And don't get me started on the 'Rapid Bus' project that was highly promising and now rather disappointing.. I understand the reason behind this (lack of masari) but it still pisses me off

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## Desert Fox

al-Hasani said:


> I bet you that it will!
> 
> Emirati brothers and sisters pissed;
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't wait to see the Kingdom Tower finished and the Kingdom City and all of those dozens mega-projects in KSA.


Interesting. If completed this damn sure will be one hell of an achievement.

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## al-Hasani

Ahmed Jo said:


> Sorry I forgot if Saudis say they'll build something, they'll bloody well build it. Just used to Jordanian incompetence in this area (the truth.) I mean we're still waiting on those goddamn gate towers to be finished!! And don't get me started on the 'Rapid Bus' project that was highly promising and now rather disappointing.. I understand the reason behind this (lack of masari) but it still pisses me off



Don't get ahead of yourself bro. KSA has faced similar problems from public founded projects. Never-ending projects. Bureaucracy as far as the eye can see etc. You know the story. Some Protestant work ethic would not be bad! Although during the reign of King Abdullah things have mostly been materializing instead of pure bullshitting. I expect this to continue.

The thing with Kingdom Tower is that it is a private founded project. Had it not been for Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and his Kingdom Holding Company then this historic skyscraper, the Kingdom City etc. would probably never have been built. Of course you got private firms and private investors involved in this project (in terms of ownership) such as Abraar Holding Company, Abdul-Rahman Hassan Sharbatly and Saudi Binladin Group.

Actually the Kingdom Tower Company owns 33,35% of the shares, the Saudi Binladin Group 16,63%, Abrar International Holding Company 33,35% and Abdul-Rahman Hassan Sharbatly (businessman) 16,67%.



Desert Fox said:


> Interesting. If completed this damn sure will be one hell of an achievement.



Indeed it is brother. This might be the most "publicized" project from KSA currently but there are several much more costly projects ongoing all over KSA currently from whole gigantic industrial towns (dozens of them), dams, railways, metros, airports, roads, new universities, hospitals etc.

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## k7x

If they build 100s of international quality schools in poor islamic country it would be much useful.

Usually these towers are white elephant , does not make economic senese but just to satisfy the ego...


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## Desert Fox

al-Hasani said:


> Indeed it is brother. This might be the most "publicized" project from KSA currently but *there are several much more costly projects ongoing all over KSA currently from whole gigantic industrial towns (dozens of them), dams, railways, metros, airports, roads, new universities, hospitals etc.*


Now that's money well spent.

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## al-Hasani

Desert Fox said:


> Now that's money well spent.



Indeed it is. We should see the fruits of that in the not so distant future. Insha'Allah.












































Expected height at the end of this year;






This project is just mind-blowing.

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## Metanoia

Excellent.

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## Al Bhatti

For Burj Khalifa Piling, the base concrete pouring and related works took around 12 months, after that each floor was completed in a week.

From wikipedia

January 2004: Excavation commences.
February 2004: Piling starts.
21 September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.
March 2005: Structure of Burj Khalifa starts rising.

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## Rakan.SA

i hope they'll make a documentary of the construction.. who would like to live in the last floor ?

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## FCPX

Phew this is one vertigo inspiring building! It'll be awesome to see it completed.

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## al-Hasani

Rakan.SA said:


> i hope they'll make a documentary of the construction.. who would like to live in the last floor ?



I recall hearing that they would actually! Or maybe those were rumors? I should investigate this, lol.

It's not a question about would but rather could. The Kingdom Tower is going to have some of the most expensive apartments in the world!

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## Hashshāshīn

Great, been looking forward to this project. Sure will be an engineering marvel.

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## al-Hasani

Metanoia said:


> Excellent.



Almost as good as televangelists.









Nice progress in 2 months time;

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## Metanoia

@al-Hasani *:-O* 

I knew it ! For how much did you sell your soul to the dajjal? (I did it for Eleventy Dollas) 






I can clearly see the Triangle and the One Eye

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## al-Hasani

*Lift me higher: Building the world's tallest lift*
​27 January 2015 Last updated at 00:01 GMT

By Lara Lewington Presenter, BBC Click TV

*By the end of this decade the records for the world's tallest building and highest lift are going to be broken.*





It has been estimated it will cost $1.2bn to build Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Tower​
But this is more meaningful than just another skyscraper, in another place, that most of us will never set eyes on.

This could change architecture as we know it.

There are some things most of us just don't think about.

Stepping into a lift and wondering how many floors it could travel may seem too much of a challenge to be worthwhile.

Lift-maker Kone has spent many years considering this problem though.

"While elevators have enabled the rise of city skylines, the technology had reached its height limit," explains its director of high rise technology, Santeri Suoranta.

"Elevators travelling distances of more than 500m [1,640 ft] were not feasible as the weight of the [steel] ropes themselves become so large that more ropes were needed to carry the ropes themselves."

But the company's quest for a solution has borne fruit.

After nine years of rigorous testing, it has released Ultrarope - a material composed of carbon-fibre covered in a friction-proof coating.

It weighs a seventh of the steel cables, so is more energy efficient, has twice the lifespan, and most notably, it makes lifts of up to 1km (0.6 miles) in height a lot easier to build.

*Going up*

Other lift manufacturers, like Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Otis, Schindler, et al, have been raising their game too.

They've been battling on in the contest to create more eco-friendly, less expensive to run, easier to install, taller and/or faster lifts.

But Kone's creation was chosen to be installed in what's destined to become the world's tallest building.

When completed in 2020, The Kingdom Tower, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will stand a full kilometre in height, and will boast the world's tallest lift at 660m (2,165ft).




​It will also take the title as the world's fastest double-decker - with one passenger car attached on top of the other - travelling at 10m/sec (32ft/sec).

*Longer waits*

The Burj Khalifa, which is half a mile high, is currently the world's tallest building.

Its lift reaches 163 floors, and covers a distance of 504 metres. As shown, there's more to designing a lift than seeing how high it can go.

"There's a science behind traffic design," explains David Cooper from the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

"How many lifts there are in a group, their size and speed."

There are two key measures that engineers must target, he explains:





Kone built an underground test lift shaft in a Finnish limestone mine​

Average waiting time - the average amount of time a passenger needs to wait for a lift. This is typically half the interval between one lift departing and another arriving.
Handling capacity - the maximum number of passengers that can be transported in a five minute period, expressed as a percentage of the building's population.
"The average waiting time in a nice office block would be around 25 seconds, with a handling capacity somewhere between 14-17% in a five minute window," Mr Cooper adds.

"So, as much as you can go all the way to the top with a new lightweight lift system, there are still going to be limitations because the number of lifts you need to go back and forth will increase."

*Going underground*

Right now some of the world's tallest buildings, including London's Shard - which stands a mere 306m in height - have changeover floors where passengers move from one lift to another.

This helps minimise waits.

But taller, express lifts, which only travel between ground level and the higher floors, could still be useful, not least for quick escapes.

Carbon-fibre resonates at a higher frequency than steel, which should mean lifts systems that use it are more reliable. Vibrations caused to tall buildings by the wind are currently a major reason why lifts go out of service.

All very well in theory.

But when neither the building, nor a lift of this height, exists yet, how do you test it?





The use of steel cables puts limits on much of today's elevator tech​Kone believes it has the solution with its Tytyri facility in Finland, where it has an lift shaft sunk 333m below ground.

"It is underground, it does not sway, which means we can simulate different sway phenomena in a disturbance free environment," explains Mr Suoranta.

"The other advantage is that underground conditions are very harsh to equipment.

"For example moisture and temperature levels are much more demanding than in normal buildings.

"This means that when components pass our underground tests, they are ready to be taken for use in the world's tallest buildings."

*Magnetic lifts*

It's estimated that by 2030 there will be 1.4 billion urban dwellers, so with city space at a premium, the only way may be up.

Mr Cooper suggests "magnetic levitation lifts" may offer one solution.

"They are only done horizontally at the moment; there are Maglev trains in Germany," he says.

"They are just held on the track with magnetism, and eventually that will come in a vertical system where there's no contact with the building, it's purely magnetic."

That future may not even be so far away.

Lift maker ThyssenKrupp has been researching and developing what it has named the Multi - a rotating lift system with several cabins looping around one lift shaft.

So, as technology brings a new architectural freedom, it seems only desire, and money will stand between us and the sky.

BBC News - Lift me higher: Building the world's tallest lift

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## al-Hasani



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## Rakan.SA

al-Hasani said:


>


a lot of work needs to be done in ubhor... the problem is too much greedy business men

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## al-Hasani

Rakan.SA said:


> a lot of work needs to be done in ubhor... the problem is too much greedy business men



It will be done. Just a question of time. No worries brother. Ubhor's potential is huge.

Once all those countless megaprojects (numerous industrial cities, financial districts, railways, metros, airports, expansion projects in Makkah and Madinah etc.) in KSA are finished it will be much easier to built similar projects elsewhere in the country and in the future as a whole.






Check the progress out;








​Since Prince al-Waleed is financing most of this project himself and money is no problem for him (to put it mildly) then he might as well built similar skyscrapers all over KSA or just along the beautiful and tropical Red Sea coastline.

I have a feeling that UAE or Qatar will try to beat this record as soon as the Kingdom Tower is finished.

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## XenoEnsi-14

So, when is Saudi Arabia going to start building arcology structures....? You all obviously mastered height.


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## Rakan.SA

al-Hasani said:


> It will be done. Just a question of time. No worries brother. Ubhor's potential is huge.
> 
> Once all those countless megaprojects (numerous industrial cities, financial districts, railways, metros, airports, expansion projects in Makkah and Madinah etc.) in KSA are finished it will be much easier to built similar projects elsewhere in the country and in the future as a whole.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Check the progress out;
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​Since Prince al-Waleed is financing most of this project himself and money is no problem for him (to put it mildly) then he might as well built similar skyscrapers all over KSA or just along the beautiful and tropical Red Sea coastline.
> 
> I have a feeling that UAE or Qatar will try to beat this record as soon as the Kingdom Tower is finished.


trust me as soon as they know the official height they will announce another project just wait lol

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## Rakan.SA

Imtiaz_Sarwar said:


> A very informative thread with pictures to make everything crystal clear. I wish our Saudi brothers in Islam best of luck in their ambitious projects. After all it is their land, their money,their vision and their future. Since this is a defence forum, I have a defence related question. What if a 911 type attack happens here ? Have the Saudis taken that into consideration. Do they have the military might to protect their assets from such disasters. America the most powerful country in the world today could not defend itself against 911. What about Saudis ?


LOL the tower is right in front of the airport.. i dont think they'll have time to react



al-Hasani said:


> Thank you for the nice words brother.
> 
> First of all I have to say that the likelihood of another 9/11 attack on a skyscraper anywhere in the world is very small IMO.
> 
> Preventing such an attack from happening is all down to proper intelligence work.
> 
> Lastly the impact of the planes was not enough to cause the towers' collapse during 9/11 as far as a I recall. The combination of the impacts and the fires in their aftermath were what proved to be fatal. The planes not only knocked out parts of the buildings' structural frames, they also severed and disabled the sprinkler systems' supply pipes which weakened the remaining structure and ultimately caused the buildings to collapse.
> 
> I think that the Kingdom Tower will have steel connections capable of preventing such a collapse. Sprinkler supply lines will probably be located within an impact-resistent core. There would probably be two sprinkler supply lines as well.
> 
> I don't really know the details but I am sure that they have thought about this scenario which could also happen due to a fire or even earthquake (not very likely in that area of Hijaz). So not necessary a terror attack.
> 
> You can actually contact the architect and developers. If they got the time they will probably answer you questions.
> 
> Kingdom Tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> P.S.: The title of this thread is wrong btw. Originally the plan was to construct a 1 mile tall tower but the idea was dropped. I have repeatedly asked the moderators to correct it but without luck. It's "only" going to be over 1000 meters tall. 1 mile is around 1600 meters. That would be insane.


brother im very disapointed that you as an engineer and you think the buildings collapsed cuz of the reasons you mentioned. 9/11 is an inside job 
lets say what you said is right. then how did building 7 which was a 47 story skyscraper collapsed ?!


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## Rakan.SA

Imtiaz_Sarwar said:


> A lot of people think that 9/11 was an inside job. But nobody has any proof. I guess one day the truth will come out. Until then all we have is conspiracy theories.


no lazy uneducated ppl dont have proof. thousands of scientists, engineers, architects, pilots and demolition experts from around the world have proof. including the architects that designed the world trade center. and a lot of them are americans some of them are professors in MIT. and millions of ppl like me who have common sense and basic knowledge of physics from high school know that it was an inside job.
just to prove that you are lazy to use your brains, with all due respect, you still didnt answer how the 3rd tower, which is made of steel and concrete and is 47 floors, fell down in less than 7 seconds. and how did the BBC reporter announced the collapse of building 7 live on tv while the building was still standing behind her. 
i will start a thread about 9/11.
and i am very sensitive regarding this matter cuz millions of muslims have been killed by a false flag operation that blamed islam in general and specially saudis. your ppl are still being killed by drones so you should be more active on this subject and stop being lazy

il say what bush the terrorist said

you are either with us or against us.
so inshallah il share the evidence in a thread. to spread awareness


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## SSG_Commando

That will be heck of achievement if they actually reach that height? Who are the builders?


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## Mosamania

SSG_Commando said:


> That will be heck of achievement if they actually reach that height? Who are the builders?



Bin Laden group.


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## SSG_Commando

Mosamania said:


> Bin Laden group.


Who is running Bin Laden now days?


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## Rakan.SA

SSG_Commando said:


> Who is running Bin Laden now days?


bakr bin laden

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## Bubblegum Crisis

SSG_Commando said:


> That will be heck of achievement if they actually reach that height? Who are the builders?







*Quote :*

*Bin Laden Group to build world's tallest tower*

*Jim Kavanagh*
*August 2nd, 2011*
*10:46 AM ET*

Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding has hired Saudi Bin Laden Group to build the world's tallest skyscraper in Jeddah, Gulfnews.com reports.

Jeddah Tower will be 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) tall and will contain a Four Seasons luxury hotel, apartments, condominiums and offices that overlook the Red Sea, Financial Times reported.

Kingdom Holding is paying Bin Laden Group, one of the world's largest construction companies, about $1.2 billion to take on the five-year project, according to Financial Times.

Saudi Bin Laden Group was founded in 1931 by Muhammad Awad bin Laden, the billionaire father of terrorist Osama bin Laden. It built much of Saudi Arabia's highways and infrastructure, as well as entire districts and cities.

The company constructed additions to the Muslim nation's two holiest mosques in Mecca and Medina. It operates throughout the Middle East and was chosen in 1964 to reclad the golden Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem.

Over the years, Saudi Bin Laden Group has expanded into a conglomerate that includes engineering, manufacturing and telecommunications, according to business analysis site Hoovers.com.

Osama bin Laden, the 17th of 52 children, inherited part of his father's fortune, but his radical activities led the family to disown him in 1994.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, announced the tower building contract Tuesday. He owns 95% of Kingdom Holding, according to Financial Times.

When completed, Jeddah Tower will easily surpass Dubai's 828-meter (2,717-foot) Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building.

The Chicago firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture designed the project and will oversee its development, Gulfnews.com reported. Adrian Smith was one of Burj Khalifa's designers when he was with Skidmore Owings and Merrill.

*CNN* 

...

*KSA : Kingdom Tower (Mile-High Tower) | Page 8*

*KSA : Kingdom Tower (Mile-High Tower) | Page 8*



...

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## Sinnerman108

Hahahahah ...

Bin Laden is erecting the biggest tower !


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## Bubblegum Crisis

...

Kingdom City (Jeddah)


*Quote 2 :*

*Crown of the Kingdom*

*by Ben Roberts on Aug 13, 2011*

The announcement from Kingdom Holding of the next world’s highest tower came as a thunderbolt of business news to a Gulf region about to enter the quieter summer period.

As one of the few mega projects in Saudi Arabia not directed by the high-spending government, it could only have come from HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, chairman of the group and the Arab world’s most dynamic private investor. Money, indeed, never sleeps, and there is always a sense that the prince is only just beginning.

The surface financials say much about the scale of the project: SAR 4.6 billion to build the tower that will outreach Dubai’s Burj Khalifa by more than 200 metres, sitting within a new 530-hectare urban development to the north of Jeddah – Kingdom City – which will require a total of SAR 75 billion.

*Funding Kingdom City is a new joint venture, Jeddah Economic Company, led by Kingdom Holding and Abrar International Holding Company, which will both hold a 33.35% stake, Saudi Binladen Group, which two weeks ago was awarded the main construction contract, will hold a 16.67% stake*, as will Saudi businessman Abdulrahman Hassan Sharbatly. Samaual Bakhsh, director of the Traco group of companies in Egypt and a former director of Egyptian Gulf Bank, is also closely involved.

SAR 1.5 billion of equity capital from the partners will be invested, along with cash loans from banks, which will be repaid from the revenues that will be generated from the tower, according to Kingdom Holding.

JEC’s capital also includes SAR 8.8 billion in land value and assets worth 7.3 billion.

The tower will contain a Four Seasons Hotel as well as serviced apartments from the hospitality chain, office space, ‘luxurious condominiums’ and what will be the world’s highest observatory deck.

Perhaps the most surprising element to the tower and Kingdom City is its location, far north of the main city away from other hotels and offices. Essentially, Kingdom City will need to create an entire new centre of commerce to fill the tower and related buildings with residents.

The first two phases of construction are the building of the tower – over 50 hectares – and the construction of the infrastructure for the entire development. The third phase, according to Kingdom Holding, is yet to be finalised; one of many tantalising bits of mystery around the project.

The prince last week acknowledged that the project was a “big risk”, and the context of the commercial and hospitality sectors in the Jeddah region certainly supports this admittance.

CB Richard Ellis, the property firm, wrote in a recent report that the city traditionally had a “sustainable” approach, where office space mixed with retail outlets across the urban sprawl in the absence of a true commercial centre.

“The commercial sector is very practical and price-sensitive, often offices share buildings with shopping malls to be able to share certain facilities, such as car parks,” Mike Williams, senior director for Middle East research and consultancy at the firm, told CW last week.

“It is split over about five areas as there is no centre for commerce in Jeddah.”

He explained that any new commercial development was largely moving north up to the Corniche and beyond the Creek and the Al Kira region. The planned space for the tower and Kingdom City is essentially a few steps ahead of this progress.

But the present remoteness of the site, and the difficulties witnessed in other regional city projects, leave a number of questions as to the project’s viability.

“I don’t know if there have been feasibility studies for the project, I would be interested to see what they are, as there are a number of city developments that have struggled to attract sufficient interest,” Williams added. “If you head further north of [what will be] Kingdom City there is King Abdullah Economic City, which has failed to generate a lot of demand.

“Also, the hotel sector in Jeddah is dominated by businessmen. The location of the tower wouldn’t suit this, as at the moment there is no business there; they would rather be in the city centre. The project requires the demand for commercial business that at the moment I don’t think is there.”

But he added that the success of the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh showed that the prince has faced this challenge before. In this instance, a ground-breaking tower project was launched in urban areas of the capital that were surrounded by few commercial developments; over the years it has been the presence of this iconic building that helped generate development around it, in the business district of Olaya.

Other property commentators are more confident. John Harris, country head of Saudi Arabia at Jones Lang LaSalle, pointed out that the project is unique in the city as it will be one of the few spaces dedicated to commercial development.

“The location has its advantage as there are few big tracts of land being developed in Jeddah. Kingdom Tower and the City has gone considerably further north, and will be near the airport,” he said last week.

“The project might seem situated on the outside at the moment but Jeddah is growing up into that part of the world.”


*ConstructionWeekOnline*




...



Hank Moody said:


> Hahahahah ...
> 
> Bin Laden is erecting the biggest tower !






Because they have brains and the high technological level. Be happy to us ! 


...

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## Gasoline

@Bubblegum Crisis 
Hummm, Nice job brother. 

Thank you for the wonderful posts.

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## Sinnerman108

Bubblegum Crisis said:


> ...
> 
> Kingdom City (Jeddah)
> 
> 
> *Quote 2 :*
> 
> *Crown of the Kingdom*
> 
> *by Ben Roberts on Aug 13, 2011*
> 
> The announcement from Kingdom Holding of the next world’s highest tower came as a thunderbolt of business news to a Gulf region about to enter the quieter summer period.
> 
> As one of the few mega projects in Saudi Arabia not directed by the high-spending government, it could only have come from HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, chairman of the group and the Arab world’s most dynamic private investor. Money, indeed, never sleeps, and there is always a sense that the prince is only just beginning.
> 
> The surface financials say much about the scale of the project: SAR 4.6 billion to build the tower that will outreach Dubai’s Burj Khalifa by more than 200 metres, sitting within a new 530-hectare urban development to the north of Jeddah – Kingdom City – which will require a total of SAR 75 billion.
> 
> *Funding Kingdom City is a new joint venture, Jeddah Economic Company, led by Kingdom Holding and Abrar International Holding Company, which will both hold a 33.35% stake, Saudi Binladen Group, which two weeks ago was awarded the main construction contract, will hold a 16.67% stake*, as will Saudi businessman Abdulrahman Hassan Sharbatly. Samaual Bakhsh, director of the Traco group of companies in Egypt and a former director of Egyptian Gulf Bank, is also closely involved.
> 
> SAR 1.5 billion of equity capital from the partners will be invested, along with cash loans from banks, which will be repaid from the revenues that will be generated from the tower, according to Kingdom Holding.
> 
> JEC’s capital also includes SAR 8.8 billion in land value and assets worth 7.3 billion.
> 
> The tower will contain a Four Seasons Hotel as well as serviced apartments from the hospitality chain, office space, ‘luxurious condominiums’ and what will be the world’s highest observatory deck.
> 
> Perhaps the most surprising element to the tower and Kingdom City is its location, far north of the main city away from other hotels and offices. Essentially, Kingdom City will need to create an entire new centre of commerce to fill the tower and related buildings with residents.
> 
> The first two phases of construction are the building of the tower – over 50 hectares – and the construction of the infrastructure for the entire development. The third phase, according to Kingdom Holding, is yet to be finalised; one of many tantalising bits of mystery around the project.
> 
> The prince last week acknowledged that the project was a “big risk”, and the context of the commercial and hospitality sectors in the Jeddah region certainly supports this admittance.
> 
> CB Richard Ellis, the property firm, wrote in a recent report that the city traditionally had a “sustainable” approach, where office space mixed with retail outlets across the urban sprawl in the absence of a true commercial centre.
> 
> “The commercial sector is very practical and price-sensitive, often offices share buildings with shopping malls to be able to share certain facilities, such as car parks,” Mike Williams, senior director for Middle East research and consultancy at the firm, told CW last week.
> 
> “It is split over about five areas as there is no centre for commerce in Jeddah.”
> 
> He explained that any new commercial development was largely moving north up to the Corniche and beyond the Creek and the Al Kira region. The planned space for the tower and Kingdom City is essentially a few steps ahead of this progress.
> 
> But the present remoteness of the site, and the difficulties witnessed in other regional city projects, leave a number of questions as to the project’s viability.
> 
> “I don’t know if there have been feasibility studies for the project, I would be interested to see what they are, as there are a number of city developments that have struggled to attract sufficient interest,” Williams added. “If you head further north of [what will be] Kingdom City there is King Abdullah Economic City, which has failed to generate a lot of demand.
> 
> “Also, the hotel sector in Jeddah is dominated by businessmen. The location of the tower wouldn’t suit this, as at the moment there is no business there; they would rather be in the city centre. The project requires the demand for commercial business that at the moment I don’t think is there.”
> 
> But he added that the success of the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh showed that the prince has faced this challenge before. In this instance, a ground-breaking tower project was launched in urban areas of the capital that were surrounded by few commercial developments; over the years it has been the presence of this iconic building that helped generate development around it, in the business district of Olaya.
> 
> Other property commentators are more confident. John Harris, country head of Saudi Arabia at Jones Lang LaSalle, pointed out that the project is unique in the city as it will be one of the few spaces dedicated to commercial development.
> 
> “The location has its advantage as there are few big tracts of land being developed in Jeddah. Kingdom Tower and the City has gone considerably further north, and will be near the airport,” he said last week.
> 
> “The project might seem situated on the outside at the moment but Jeddah is growing up into that part of the world.”
> 
> 
> *ConstructionWeekOnline*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Because they have brains and the high technological level. Be happy to us !
> 
> 
> ...



Tch Tch

You didn't get the joke.

Never mind.

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## Bubblegum Crisis

Gasoline said:


> @Bubblegum Crisis
> Hummm, Nice job brother.
> 
> Thank you for the wonderful posts.




Thank you very much _my brother_. 

It is always a pleasure, for here and elsewhere (World-De…). 




Hank Moody said:


> *Tch Tch*
> 
> You didn't get the joke.
> 
> *Never mind.*








...

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## al-Hasani



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## Asmar Hussain

Good to see these pictures , one of my dream to vist this tower 
Tell me please , it is located in jeddah or near jeddah

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## Bubblegum Crisis

analyist said:


> Good to see these pictures , one of my dream to vist this tower
> *Tell me please , it is located in jeddah or near jeddah*




*See here :*
*
KSA : Kingdom Tower (Mile-High Tower)
*
Why nobody reads the beginning of the _thread_ ? Huuum why ? Yet, it is the first thing to do logically.


...

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## al-Hasani

@Bubblegum Crisis

You should change the thread title to "1 km tall tower" bro. I have asked the moderators a few times but they have omitted doing so. 1 mile is approximately 1.6 km. It's not going to be this insanely tall. It will still break all records though!

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## al-Hasani

Amazing.

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## waz

I hope they read the Adhan from it.

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## waz

al-Hasani said:


> Not sure about that one, bro.



That's unfortunate bro. It will bless the building. Sighs, I guess I'll have to do it myself.

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## al-Hasani

​Looking better for each day.

@Rakan.SA

The Kingdom City will be a huge thing once when finished. Can't wait.

Honestly speaking I expect Jeddah to develop a lot on this front too in the future. As long as the old part of Jeddah (World UNESCO Heritage Site today) gets protected I won't complain.

It would also be a great thing if they could develop the entire tropical Red Sea coastline more. Hell lot of potential. Both south and north of Jeddah but basically the entire Hijazi coastline.

I think that Kingdom Tower and KAEC in Rabigh will kickstart this process.

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## Rakan.SA

@al-Hasani lets hope alwaleed dosnt get pisssed for having his channel closed and stop investing in jeddah or saudi

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## A1Kaid

Syrian Lion said:


> Burj Khalifa however will still be popular, since tourists in Duabi have more freedom




Exactly, this Kingdom tower will not be such a tourist attraction as Burj Khalifa because KSA is a pretty closed society.

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## al-Hasani

A1Kaid said:


> Exactly, this Kingdom tower will not be such a tourist attraction as Burj Khalifa because KSA is a pretty closed society.



Correction, the visa rules make it a difficult country for foreigners to visit. Yet this could easily change and it will eventually. There have been talk about a tourism visa for instance and big investments are being made on several fields and to improve the infrastructure with eye on the upcoming tourism sector which has a huge potential.
KSA has 10 times as much potential for tourism as Dubai/UAE. Alone the Hajj and Umrah when the expansions are finished will be a huge deal.

Don't forget that even despite those very harsh visa rules and some idiotic rules KSA is still the 15th most visited country on the planet.

This thread below should explain everything;

Tourist visas to be introduced in KSA



Rakan.SA said:


> @al-Hasani lets hope alwaleed dosnt get pisssed for having his channel closed and stop investing in jeddah or saudi



Talking about Al-Arab news channel? It was not even based in KSA.IMO it should not have been closed.




​You were obviously joking but even if we assume that he would then such a decision would make no sense at all from an economic perspective. He will get even richer when the Kingdom Tower and Kingdom City is finished. Be sure about that. But so will KSA.


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## Rakan.SA

al-Hasani said:


> Correction, the visa rules make it a difficult country for foreigners to visit. Yet this could easily change. KSA has 10 times as much potential for tourism as Dubai/UAE. Alone the Hajj and Umrah when the expansions are finished will be a huge deal.
> 
> Don't forget that even despite those very harsh visa rules and some idiotic rules KSA is still the 15th most visited country on the planet.
> 
> 
> 
> Talking about Al-Arab news channel? It was not even based in KSA.IMO it should not have been closed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​You were obviously joking but even if we assume that he would then such a decision would make no sense at all from an economic perspective. He will get even richer when the Kingdom Tower and Kingdom City is finished. Be sure about that. But so will KSA.


are you kidding me ?! bahrain and saudi are one. even if he opened it in any other gulf country it would have been closed. even arab countries would have closed it if we asked them to. its a dumb mistake from him. thats what happens when your ego takes over your brain. what was he thinking not giving baya'a to muhammad bin nayef ?! thats a red line no one dares to cross. the red line meaning unity in the royal family towards the leadership. he could have gave it to him and then complained all he want. this wouldn't have happened.
i know that he took it personal cuz the channel was his dream and he worked hard to achieve it. payed a lot of money and still is. salaries didnt stop
now hes looking for other countries london is on the list.

*they better have good fire fighting solutions and come up with something new. i dont think fire sprinklers would be enough. and a 2 km fire hose isnt a good idea too lol *


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## al-Hasani

Rakan.SA said:


> are you kidding me ?! bahrain and saudi are one. even if he opened it in any other gulf country it would have been closed. even arab countries would have closed it if we asked them to. its a dumb mistake from him. thats what happens when your ego takes over your brain. what was he thinking not giving baya'a to muhammad bin nayef ?! thats a red line no one dares to cross. the red line meaning unity in the royal family towards the leadership. he could have gave it to him and then complained all he want. this wouldn't have happened.
> i know that he took it personal cuz the channel was his dream and he worked hard to achieve it. payed a lot of money and still is. salaries didnt stop
> now hes looking for other countries london is on the list.



Of course it would have been closed anywhere else in the GCC and probably in most other Arab countries.

I don't care about him as an individual. What I do like though is a relatively free media and as little censorship as possible. We are not kids. Most issues should be open for debate. Just like if we two want to discuss issues in KSA. We should be able to openly criticize whoever we want to from the government, private sector or whatever. That's why I am against the closure of news channels or media outlets that give room for other opinions.

I don't have to agree with what they "preach" either but I support their right to discuss issues in the realm of civil debate.


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## Banu Hashim

Some quick facts about the Kingdom Tower;

-Location: North Obhour, Jeddah
-Near to the new airport
-Land Area: 85,000 sqm
-Total Construction Area (TCA): 464,907 sqm
-Height: +1000 m
-Floors: 170
-Currently: 10 floors
-7 floors of the Kingdom Tower will be allocated to The Four Seasons Hotel
-If you want to get to the top of the Kingdom Tower it will require 5,512 "steps"
-Did you know that supporting the Kingdom Tower are "270" piles ranging from 45m to 105m deep &1.8m in diameter

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## Saif al-Arab

The greatest news lately is that the Kingdom City will be connected to the public transport system in Jeddah. Something that was confirmed last week. Foster + Partners were appointed for the job with phase 1 being ready in late 2018.






Also take a look at the new Jeddah Airport which will start operations (Phase 1) in early 2016.

*The vision:*











*Construction work update video (March 2015)*




















Another reminder;

The Kingdom City, will be a *5.3 million sq m area of land to the north of Jeddah* that will be transformed into a buzzing new community.

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## Asmar Hussain

Thanks for updating

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## Saif al-Arab

The greatest news lately is that the Kingdom City will be connected to the public transport system in Jeddah. Something that was confirmed last week. Foster + Partners were appointed for the job with phase 1 being ready in late 2018.






Also take a look at the new Jeddah Airport which will start operations (Phase 1) in early 2016.

*The vision:*











*Construction work update video (March 2015)*




















Another reminder;

The Kingdom City, will be a *5.3 million sq m area of land to the north of Jeddah* that will be transformed into a buzzing new community.

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## Saif al-Arab



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## Asmar Hussain

graphican said:


> Arrival of Dajjal is nearing.. Holy Prophet Muhammad SAWW mentioned that those will be the last hours when you find bare feet sheep grazing arabs compete in building taller buildings.
> 
> Be prepared
> Recitation of Sura Al Kahaf every Friday is your only defense aginst fitna tu Dajjal.
> 
> Quran - Recite & Listen Quran Online
> Quran Explorer


Tell me if ksa stop this project , then dajjal will not come or dajjal delay his time ?

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## Irfan Baloch

analyist said:


> Tell me if ksa stop this project , then dajjal will not come or dajjal delay his time ?


its a valid question might as well ask @Saif al-Arab to halt the construction of all mega projects in KSA until we get the verdict on this.

but wait, why only KSA? what about the construction projects in Uganda and Iran? hmm?

btw I am one of the fist people who got to use this stunning airport when it was completed (Riyadh international)

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## Irfan Baloch

@graphican please .. your posts are in the wrong place

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## Saif al-Arab

*Live camera feed;*

Jeddah Economic Company - Live Cam Feed - Live Cam Feed

Hotel: Accommodation Redefined

To surpass the global standards of the Kingdom Tower’s partaking, a signature hotel, The Four Seasons Hotel, has become a contributing milestone, nestled within the Kingdom Tower, offering 200 rooms and 121 luxury serviced apartments. Offering world-class accommodation for business executives and tourists, the hotel’s astounding architecture is meant to provide guests with all the needed amenities, ranging from executive meeting rooms, business services, recreational facilities, as well as various restaurants offering global cuisines with culinary delights.

With the Kingdom Tower’s Four Seasons Hotel, hospitality has been redefined to a new level, allowing guests with great views during accommodation, adding to the unique centerpiece an inspiring meaning, Seven Star Style.

The moment you step into the Hotel’s lobby, encircled by the breathtaking surroundings of the Kingdom City, you are sure to be greatly tempted to learn of the new lifestyle that awaits you within for a fantastic experience.

The Four Seasons Hotel Features :
1- Royal Suites
2- Ambassador Suites
3- Executive Suites
4- Various Bedrooms
5- Shopping Stores
6- Executive Lounges
7- International Cuisine Restaurants
8- Recreational Facilities
9- Executive Halls for various events
















Jeddah Economic Company - The Tower - Hotel

Sky Lobbies :

Nestled within the Tower among the different Tiers, occupying levels 42, 43, and 84, visitors will witness the vastness of the sky lobbies, defined as identical levels in which coffee shops, restaurants, showrooms, in addition to Spas and gyms offering unsurpassed wellness services to its visitors, delivering a world-class identity, are situated.

Indeed, the sky lobby, situated at a high level of the Tower, elevates your senses as well as your imagination of the possibilities of redefining what a lobby is capable of being.






Jeddah Economic Company - The Tower - Sky Lobbies

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## Al Bhatti

May 11, 2015

*



*
The observation deck at the Kingdom Tower is planned to be at 660m. Courtesy Jeddah Economic Company

*Apartments in Saudi’s Kingdom Tower set to go on sale this year*

Residential apartments at Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Tower, which is slated to become the world’s tallest building on completion in 2018, will likely go on sale later this year, the developer’s chief executive told Reuters on Sunday.

The tower in Saudi Arabia’s second biggest city Jeddah has the backing of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, whose investment firm Kingdom Holding owns about a third of the project’s master developer Jeddah Economic Company (JEC).

Once completed, the $1.2 billion Kingdom Tower will be more than 1km high, said JEC chief executive Mounib Hammoud, taking the title of the world’s tallest building from Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which stands at 828 metres.

The Kingdom Tower will have a gross floor area of 245,000 square metres and include offices, a 200-room Four Seasons Hotel, 121 serviced apartments and 360 residential apartments.

The apartments “will be for sale. Maybe we will rent some, pool some for rental or do (investment) funds on a few - it depends on the market,” said Mr Hammoud, adding that sales should begin this year.

His company is now collecting applications from potential buyers. Construction has reached the 14th floor.

Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE are eligible to buy units in the tower, but other potential investors will require government approval, Mr Hammoud said.

JEC is investing 8.7 billion riyals (Dh8.52bn) in the Jeddah Economic City project, which includes Kingdom Tower and Saudi Arabia’s largest shopping mall. Of the total, 7.3bn riyals is a contribution in kind including the land upon which the tower is built, plus 1.4bn riyals in cash.

The project will be funded partially through a loan from Saudi banks and through apartment sales, said Mr Hammoud. He said the company had received “consent” for the loan and would sign for it this year, but declined to reveal its value.

JEC could go public “in due time”, Mr Hammoud added. Jeddah-based Abrar Holding owns 33.4 per cent of JEC; the main contractor for the tower project, Saudi Binladin Group, and Kilaa Jeddah Co own about 16.6 per cent each.

Apartments in Saudiâs Kingdom Tower set to go on sale this year | The National

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## Saif al-Arab

Azad-Kashmiri said:


> A man came to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and asked :
> 
> ....Then tell me about the signs of the hour (Qiyamah) *Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) replied :* "That slave women give birth to their mistresses;* and that you see barefoot, unclothed, beginning shepherds competing in the construction of tall buildings." *(Sahih Muslim)



What the hell has that do with anything? What has that to do with KSA, Hijaz or the Kingdom Tower?

Where are the slave women giving birth to their mistresses? Where are the barefoot people in one of the richest nations on the planet today and long before Islam in terms of resources and wealth? Whoever walked around naked in Arabia to begin with, the first inhabited spot on planet earth after East Africa?

Who are the shepherds in Hijaz? What's wrong with being a farmer or a shepherd?

Troll post, sir by a person who does not understand Islam or the words modernization, progress, investments etc. @Irfan Baloch

P.S: The first man-made skyscrapers on the planet were built in Southern Arabia (Yemen) almost 2000 years ago.

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## Azad-Kashmiri

Saif al-Arab said:


> What the hell has that do with anything? What has that to do with KSA, Hijaz or the Kingdom Tower?
> 
> Where are the slave women giving birth to their mistresses? Where are the barefoot people in one of the richest nations on the planet today and long before Islam in terms of resources and wealth? Whoever walked around naked in Arabia to begin with, the first inhabited spot on planet earth after East Africa?
> 
> Who are the shepherds in Hijaz? What's wrong with being a farmer or a shepherd?
> 
> Troll post, sir by a person who does not understand Islam or the words modernization, progress, investments etc. @Irfan Baloch
> 
> P.S: The first man-made skyscrapers on the planet were built in Southern Arabia (Yemen) almost 2000 years ago.



... In Ibn Hajar's commentary about these passages (in Fath al-Bari) states that the "bear-foot and naked, deaf and dumb" are their attributes showing how coarse they are i.e. they did not use their hearing or sight in anything concerning their religion even though they are of perfectly sound senses.

Sulayman al-Taymi’s and other narrations makes explicit: "Who are the barefoot and naked?" He answered: "The Bedouin Arabs."


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## Saif al-Arab

Azad-Kashmiri said:


> ... In Ibn Hajar's commentary about these passages (in Fath al-Bari) states that the "bear-foot and naked, deaf and dumb" are their attributes showing how coarse they are i.e. they did not use their hearing or sight in anything concerning their religion even though they are of perfectly sound senses.
> 
> Sulayman al-Taymi’s and other narrations makes explicit: "Who are the barefoot and naked?" He answered: "The Bedouin Arabs."



I think that you need to educate yourself on Islam and the Arabic language and the history of the region.

There are no Bedouins in Hijaz let alone anywhere near Jeddah which is the biggest city along the tropical Red Sea. Bedouins do almost not exist anymore in KSA but they are great ancient people famous for their hospitality, warrior skills, Arabian horse breeding, falconry, music, story telling, poetry and many other positive attributes.

Do not troll in this informative thread.


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## Azad-Kashmiri

Saif al-Arab said:


> I think that you need to educate yourself on Islam and the Arabic language and the history of the region.
> 
> There are no Bedouins in Hijaz let alone anywhere near Jeddah which is the biggest city along the tropical Red Sea. Bedouins do almost not exist anymore in KSA but they are great ancient people famous for their hospitality, warrior skills, Arabian horse breeding, falconry, music, story telling and many other positive attributes.



It is unfortunate, you don't know who ibn Hajar al-asqalani (rahim'Allah) was. It is sad you don't know Fath-Al Bari is the commentaries to Sahih Al-Bukhari. Please don't be offended that an Ajami knows Islam better than you do. Fyi, I studied in the lands of the Arabs and I speak Fus'ha.

And if you want to debate me ahlan wa sahlan!


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## Saif al-Arab

Azad-Kashmiri said:


> It is unfortunate, you don't know who ibn Hajar al-asqalani (rahim'Allah) was. It is sad you don't know Fath-Al Bari is the commentaries to Sahih Al-Bukhari. Please don't be offended that an Ajami knows Islam better than you do. Fyi, I studied in the lands of the Arabs and I speak Fus'ha.
> 
> And if you want to debate me ahlan wa sahlan!



Ok, you don't get it. Fair enough.

Don't worry your nonsense will be deleted from this informative thread.

Religious debates are not allowed here but rest assured that I could quickly prove your nonsense wrong and that it has nothing to do with KSA or this project.


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## Azad-Kashmiri

Saif al-Arab said:


> Religious debates are not allowed here but rest assured that I could quickly prove your nonsense wrong and that it has nothing to do with KSA or this project.



Sorry my brother, the hadith you can't disprove. Unlike you people, I rely on understandings of the Salaf and I do not make up anything and I quote them.

It has everything to do with arad al haramain sharifain. So please be careful about calling hadith of nabi as'salaathu was'salaam....(I'm not writing what you wrote). This is NIFAQ!

La kum dinukum waliya din! I have nothing more to say to you.


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## Irfan Baloch

Azad-Kashmiri said:


> ... In Ibn Hajar's commentary about these passages (in Fath al-Bari) states that the "bear-foot and naked, deaf and dumb" are their attributes showing how coarse they are i.e. they did not use their hearing or sight in anything concerning their religion even though they are of perfectly sound senses.
> 
> Sulayman al-Taymi’s and other narrations makes explicit: "Who are the barefoot and naked?" He answered: "The Bedouin Arabs."


I am sorry please dont use Hadith to troll on this thread. banning you from this thread due to constantly flame baiting.

if you were quoting this hadith on every thread related to tall buildings and other infrastructure then I would have understood but its not the case

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## Irfan Baloch

Saif al-Arab said:


> Dear @Irfan Baloch
> 
> Can you please delete every post until the most recent post 188 which is actually about the topic at hand. Thank you.
> 
> @Azad-Kashmiri I have no problem with you brother or any other user here but allow me to say that you your interoperation of something unrelated said 1400 years ago has little meaning in this case due to the reasons I mentioned.
> 
> Also please delete this post Irfan as well to kill off the debate.


very unfortunate indeed

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## Saif al-Arab

*High life: Jeddah Economic Co's Mounib Hammoud*




​The world’s cities are in the midst of a skyscraper building boom,” is the conclusion of the latest Skyscraper Index from real estate analyst Knight Frank this month.

Skyscrapers — classed as buildings over 350 feet high - are a rising tide in the modern global city, it claims. London has added 23 new skyscrapers since the year 2000, compared to just 17 during the previous four decades.

New York, often considered the birthplace of the skyscraper, added four new towers in 2014 alone and Dubai, which has firmly snatched the title from the Big Apple in recent decades, has built nearly 190 skyscrapers in the last 15 years.

However, while Dubai’s 828-metre, 163-storey Burj Khalifa currently holds the record as the world’s tallest tower, the title will soon move to a rather surprising location: Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

With construction started in April 2013, Jeddah’s Kingdom Tower is already 14 floors high and is set to be opened in 2018. The brainchild of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a massive third of the tower’s $1.2bn construction bill has been spent on what has been described as ‘soft costs’ — the design, research and development — which is considered unheard of in the industry and demonstrates that this tower is indeed more about building an icon rather than building a business plan.

In the past, New York decided to build upwards because land prices were so steep in the popular Manhattan business district, while Dubai’s Burj Khalifa was designed to be part of its drive to diversify from oil and help be a showcase for the emirate’s drive to attract 20 million visitors a year by the year 2020. Jeddah is hardly short on land, while its observation deck is unlikely to show anything more than sand dunes. So what is the thinking behind Kingdom Tower?

“First of all the tower is the brainchild of His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and I think the tower will reposition the city of Jeddah alongside international cities and it will have an icon, it will have a landmark,” says Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), the company behind the construction and development of Kingdom Tower.

“It is an expression of the ingenuity of people. It is about government and economic growth and economic power. It is a statement to the whole world. In Egypt, when the Pharaohs were powerful they built the pyramids; when Napoleon came back from war he built the Arc de Triomphe and when the church was in Europe it built these huge cathedrals. Today is the time of expressing how our materials are powerful and how our people are intelligent.

“I think with the experience and ingenuity of the designers, the consultants, the contractors and my team, nothing will be impossible,” says Hammoud. While ingenuity is a word he uses constantly throughout our chat, you do get the sense that this tower fits very much in the mindset of ‘build it and they will come.’

“The main mission of Jeddah Economic Company is to build Kingdom City. Over 5.3 million square metres of land we will develop a new city centre and position the city of Jeddah on the international scene of modern regional cities, alongside the downtown of Beirut and Downtown Dubai,” he reiterates again.

But you only have to look at the experiences of some iconic skyscrapers to see some of the warning signals along the road to a tower’s success. The famous Empire State Building was opened in 1931 and New York was instantly hit by the Great Depression of the 1930s. For years New Yorkers derided it as the “Empty State Building” and it lay mainly vacant for decades, failing to turn a profit for 20 years until the economy picked up once more.

Even last year, the Shard in London, which was built with Qatari money, was launched during the global economic crisis. While it garnered massive headlines, recent reports claim the 72-storey tower, which is Western Europe’s tallest building, is largely vacant. Another London landmark, the Gherkin, opened ten years earlier and took a decade to fill its floors.

In Dubai, when the Burj Khalifa opened in January 2010 - in the midst of the city’s property crash when prices slumped by nearly 60 percent - it was claimed that
825 of the tower’s 900 apartments lay empty and rents quickly dived by around 40 percent.

With Kingdom Tower being launched in the midst of the decline in the price of oil - Saudi Arabia’s main cash driver - I ask Hammoud how long he expects it to take before the landmark makes a profit, but again he reverts back to form: “The business model is the shareholder and will make money when we start selling land and we create the value. At this time the objective of management really is to build all of this.”

As a result, it is no wonder that with a billionaire backer, Hammoud doesn’t seem worried by the potential impact of the drop in oil prices.

“In our plans, there is no slowdown and we will go at the speed set. For the price of oil the Saudi budget is the highest in history. These are major projects so they will continue to grow, regardless of the price of oil, and in June 2015 the market will open for foreigners, which will bring more liquidity for investors.”

As the tower quickly rises out of the ground, Hammoud reveals that residential apartment sales at the tower are slated to start later this year, with handover set for 2018 and 2019. The Kingdom Tower will have a gross floor area of 245,000 sq m and include offices, a 200-room Four Seasons hotel, 121 serviced apartments and 360 residential apartments.

The apartments “will be for sale. Maybe we will rent some, pool some for rental or do [investment] funds on a few - it depends on the market,” Hammoud told reporters in his typically vague style. While JEC is currently collecting applications from potential buyers, citizens of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE are eligible to buy units, but other potential investors will require government approval.

As JEC begins to lay out its stall for potential buyers, the economics in Jeddah show a generally positive picture for most sectors, except residential. Commenting on the Jeddah market, Jamil Ghaznawi, national director and country head of property consultancy JLL’s Saudi office, concludes: “The real estate market in Jeddah is showing continuous signs of growth across most sectors. Although the residential sector saw rents decrease, sale prices have increased, particularly for apartments.

“The hotel and office sectors continue to perform well, experiencing an increase in rental rates and ADRs [average daily revenues], while vacancy rates remain relatively stable and in some cases are decreasing. The retail sector has experienced a marginal increase in vacancy rates, which are likely to increase as more supply enters the market. This has not affected retail rents which are showing overall healthy growth.”

Kingdom Tower’s key target is likely to be the office market, which is performing well
in Jeddah. Office vacancy rates have remained stable at 6 percent over the last quarter, according to JLL’s first quarter report. This is most likely due to the limited office space entering the market in the first quarter of 2015. Average market rents remained unchanged during that period, but increased by 6.5 percent during the previous twelve months to SR990 ($263) per square metre. Prime rents have continued their upward trend and have increased to SR1,900 per square metre.

With the Four Seasons hotel set to occupy the bottom floors of the tower, the good news is the hotel market is performing well in Jeddah and remains healthy, with occupancies remaining relatively stable year-on-year at 73 percent. ADRs are solid, having decreased by a marginal 0.4 percent to $241, compared to the same period last year. Revenue per available room has decreased by just 2.8 percent to $175, compared to the same period last year.

JLL’s only warning signal is the residential market. While sale prices have continued to increase and rents have jumped 7.5 percent, the number of transactions registered by the Ministry of Justice substantially decreased as a result of the 30 percent mortgage law and falling oil prices. Since the stricter mortgage regulations came into law in November 2014, transactions for apartments have decreased by 27 percent.

Despite the mixed market forecasts, Hammoud reports the project is currently being funded through a loan from Saudi banks, which will be finalised this year. According to a report by Bloomberg last year, the company is in talks to bring in Riyadh-based Alinma Bank as an advisor and lender, while Hammoud previously said BNP Paribas was advising it on its financial details.

Another option to raise cash is to float the company. Hammoud says JEC could go public “in due time” but doesn’t give any concrete timeframes or schedule. Luckily, the financial burden is not all on Prince Alwaleed’s shoulders, as Jeddah-based Abrar Holding owns 33.4 percent of JEC, while the main contractor, Saudi Binladin Group, and Kilaa Jeddah Co own about 16.6 percent each and help spread the costs and challenges.

“There is no project without challenge, without difficulty: construction, wind, façade, sustainability, fire safety, you name it. I think with the experience and ingenuity of the designers, the consultants, the contractors and my team nothing will be impossible. We will overcome all challenges and all difficulties. We are adopting the latest and most cutting-edge things,” Hammoud says optimistically.

One area that is totally breaking ground, literally, is in the construction of the tower. At 1km tall, it is literally building up into the unknown. How will labourers be able to work at such heights?

“I don’t have an answer for that yet frankly,” he admits. “This [issue] is the field of the contractor and to my knowledge we have three shifts of eight hours each. The safety measures, every meeting it is on the agenda: no joking, no risks, no nothing. We set the pace and, as we go higher, health and safety becomes more of a challenge and really we have to teach people from day one to respect the rules.

“What has been done before has been done on other buildings around the world and our contractors are experienced in the kingdom, they built the Clock Tower in Makkah - that's 650 metres high - so they have achieved this height already.

“From now to then our consultants have hired some of the most talented people who have worked on high buildings around the world. It is about the ingenuity of people and the experience and know-how.”

With just three years until the inevitable opening, many would say it is unlikely Kingdom Tower will see the over-the-top style fanfare of the sort bestowed on Burj Khalifa by Dubai, with its fireworks and lavish parties, especially with the more conservative approach adopted in Saudi Arabia.
However, Hammoud says it should not be underestimated: “We are thinking outside the box.

“We are thinking of a major entertainment offering. We are talking to consultants and if you have any ideas you are welcome [to provide them].”

Only time will tell, but in 2018 Jeddah will rise onto the world’s stage and everyone will wait to see what it has to offer. Will it stand the test of time like the Great Pyramids or will it be the biggest white elephant in the world? It's still too early to say, but going on previous record-breaking towers’ experiences, it might be a while before the final accolades can be made from an economical perspective.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/high-...l#.VVkRkPm4TIV

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## Saif al-Arab



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## Saif al-Arab

Photos from earlier this month:

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## Saif al-Arab

Immediate areas of the Kingdom tower (far from developed obviously):

























Saudi Arabian female architecture students visiting the building site:

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## Saif al-Arab

From today.






A historic giant in the making. A modern Mada'in Saleh.

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## Saif al-Arab



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## Saif al-Arab

Clear progress to notice:


















Kingdom Tower - South-West elevation progress diagram update (15.08.2015) by The Shard Baby 2006-2015, on Flickr



Kingdom Tower - South-West elevation height progress diagram update [close-up version] (15.08.2015) by The Shard Baby 2006-2015, on Flickr​
*Kingdom City Shopping Mall*






*Milestones relevant for The Kingdom Tower:*

Tallest in Jeddah - The Headquarters (240m)
Tallest in Hijaz - Makkah Clock Tower (601m)
Tallest in KSA- see above
Tallest in MENA - Burj Khalifa (830m)
Worlds's tallest building - see above.​

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## Saif al-Arab

Jeddah Economic Company has been initiated by a group of pioneers in construction, contracting, the business world, whereby each partner has contributed in their own way, through their strength points, creativity, proactivity and intelligence.





To build a city of such extravagant proportions, Jeddah Economic Company has joined forces with some of the world leaders in consulting, engineering, and construction.

No compromise will be made when it comes to achieveing a project expected to be an international icon . Bringing such a vision into reality requires the ultimate combination of expertise, knowledge, and capabilities.









Jeddah Economic Company - The Company - The Consultants
















Jeddah Economic Company - The Company - The Consultants

Nearly at the 100 meter mark.




Kingdom Tower - South-West elevation height progress diagram update [close-up version] (27.08.2015) by The Shard Baby 2006-2015, on Flickr


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## Parashu

some fascinating pictures of Kingdom Tower :

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## Saif al-Arab

​
*Schwing pumps get to work at world’s tallest building* the construction index​
Equipment from Schwing Stetter is providing the concrete for the record-breaking Kingdom Tower, which is rising towards its eventual height of more than 1,000m.​

self-compacting concrete C85
​The tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will be the world’s tallest building after its scheduled completion in 2020. Adrian Smith + Gordon Grill Architecture designed the building for the client, Jeddah Economic Company. A hotel, offices, apartments and a shopping centre will be housed on more than 530,000m² spread over 240 floors.





SP 8800 D

Contractor Saudi Binladin Group is using products from Schwing Stetter for the concrete operations. Two on-site Stetter HN 3.0 batching plants are producing the concrete necessary for the mega-project in order to avoid long drives and potential delays in concrete supply. Four Schwing SP 8800 D stationary pumps with an engine power of around 450kW each and a maximum feed pressure of up to 243 bar are available for high-rise pumping of the fresh concrete. A high-performance, self-compacting concrete (SCC) C85 will be used for the construction phase up to a height of approximately 400m.





Stetter HN 3.0 batching plants

A comprehensive pumping trial on site prior to the beginning of the project was needed to optimise the concrete mixture because the theoretical calculation models did not provide reliable results for a project of this scale. The next construction phase extends up to a height of some 675m and will also be carried out with a high-performance concrete, but with a somewhat lower compressive strength. At the top of the second construction phase, a concrete pump will be installed to take on the further transport of concrete to the higher floors.








SPB 35 and SPB 30

For placing concrete, the Saudi Binladin Group is using a total of five separate Schwing concrete placing booms (SPB). Three SPB 35 and two SPB 30 booms are raised along with the building to be used by the contractor‘s team for placing concrete up to a height of over 950m.

Part of the Schwing Stetter order also include over 1,000m of pumping line for the first construction phase up to 200m in height, including the fixing accessories. The high discharge pressures and outputs at these heights require secure fastening of the delivery pipes to ensure safety.

Schwing pumps get to work at world’s tallest building

Fascinating to say the least!​


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## Saif al-Arab

Jeddah is already home to the biggest flagpole in the world, the tallest lighthouse and the tallest fountain. Soon to be home to the tallest skyscraper in the world as well.

List of tallest buildings and structures in the world - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The lighthouse:





The flagpole:






The fountain:




Some really silly records below:

14 Amazing World Records Jeddah And Its Jeddahwis Hold


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## Saif al-Arab




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