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.
We've reached out to Foster + Partners for comment.
Source: The Architects' Journal
