Architecture

Mile high club: Enormous Saudi skyscraper dwarfs all others

Mile high club: Enormous Saudi skyscraper dwarfs all others
Assuming it actually goes ahead, the as-yet-unnamed Saudi skyscraper will reach an incredible maximum height of 2 km (1.2 miles)
Assuming it actually goes ahead, the as-yet-unnamed Saudi skyscraper will reach an incredible maximum height of 2 km (1.2 miles)
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Assuming it actually goes ahead, the as-yet-unnamed Saudi skyscraper will reach an incredible maximum height of 2 km (1.2 miles)
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Assuming it actually goes ahead, the as-yet-unnamed Saudi skyscraper will reach an incredible maximum height of 2 km (1.2 miles)

A new report suggests that Saudi Arabia is planning one of its most audacious architecture projects to date: a mega-tall multibillion dollar skyscraper that would reach an incredible maximum height of 2 km (1.2 miles) tall.

According to well-placed UK architecture magazine The Architects' Journal, prestigious British firm Foster + Partners has won the gig to design the building. Assuming it actually goes ahead, it would dwarf the Burj Khalifa, the world's current tallest building, which is in Dubai and reaches a height of 829.8 m (2,723 ft). Even the upcoming Jeddah Tower would only be around half its height, and the new skyscraper would also be almost four times the height of the USA's tallest tower, the One World Trade Center.

The report suggests it will be located near the King Khalid International Airport, which Foster + Partners is also currently busy expanding and is situated north of the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Beyond the incredible height of the project and its expected location, not much else is known at this early stage and there are a lot of potential hurdles to overcome. For example, the wind loads at such heights will be extremely severe and even the ground itself could struggle to support its weight. The cost will also be astronomical.

If the project was planned anywhere else in the world, we'd be very skeptical, however with a 170-km-long skyscraper already carving a path through the desert and a huge cuboid skyscraper big enough to hold 20 Empire State Buildings planned, it would be unwise to count it out.

Source: The Architects' Journal

10 comments
10 comments
TechGazer
Is there an actual financial reason for this? Does it provide more usable space/$, or is it just for bragging rights? I hope they lay it out for mixed office, residential and services, because vertical travel could be slow. If people living on floor 133 have work, shopping, entertainment, etc, within a few floors, they might not need to leave the building often.

I wonder what the economics look like for 100 years, considering having to empty the whole building at some point to demolish it and build a new one. There might be unexpected problems shortening the life, due to the structure swaying (fatigue cracks in the structure or pipes or wiring).

Imagine if the commercial for selling units was followed by a commercial for the movie "The Towering Inferno".
Daishi
I've been to the top of the Burj Khalifa but I am not sure I would want to be in or near this.
vince
Seems so crazy. Just going to top and back down you have travelled 2.5 miles. Egyptian kings of 3000 years ago would be so jealous.
Rusty
Just another example of where your money goes, when you buy fuel.
Claudio
the only question is... why?
BlueOak
With so many actual human-benefiting projects lacking for funding, I’d resist being the one to guilt an entity or person into how to spend their money… but at some point this simply becomes hubris on an obscene scale.
Expanded Viewpoint
The ego factor is strong with this idea! How much cost and profit will there be with such a project? Will anybody be able to afford to pay the rent there? The mechanical stresses will be ENORMOUS to say the least, and being so tall, what will the service life of it be? Then how will it be taken apart again when it needs to be decommissioned? In The Windy City, some people need to take anti sea sickness medicines in the towers there, because they sway so much! This is an idea that is best just left on the drawing boards and be admired as a pretty picture!
Fairly Reasoner
fuhgeddaboudit
Tommo
The sooner we wean ourselves off oil and gas, the better.
SUPREME
A towering ’ white elephant ‘ in the making. Such mindless projects as The Neom and the 1.2 mile high skyscraper are just more examples of individuals and organizations with more hubris and money than common sense. Anyone not believing that developing such a mind boggling ‘ boondoggle ‘ isn’t enough absurdity will soon realize that sustaining It will be impossible.