The Saudi Kingdom has commissioned a tower twice as tall as the Burj Khalifa.
Not long after we lauded the progress in their construction industry, Saudi Arabia has dashed our green expectations with the announcement that they will build a one-mile-high tower. To put that into perspective, the “Kingdom Tower” (hello Babylon) will be twice as tall as the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest tower.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0yDAMt6_3c&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Slated to be built in Jeddah along the Red Sea, the $30 billion tower designed by Adrian Smith from Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture will have 12 million cubic square feet of interior space and will be constructed by Emaar developers – the same consortium responsible for much of the United Arab Emirates development projects. It will take 12 full minutes to travel from the ground floor to the top of the tower in the building’s elevator. (That’s a lot of stairs when the electricity goes out!)
:: Inhabitat
More on crazy construction projects in the Middle East:
Israel Considers Building An Artificial Island Off the Coast of Gaza
Dear Green Prophet,
I read with interest Tafline Layin’s report on Kingdom Tower.
Please note that all reports about Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture’s involvement with Kingdom Tower (which has not been announced) are based on anonymous, unofficial sources. We do not confirm the reports.
I should note that several of the recent reports, including yours, are using videos and/or renderings that are NOT the work of AS+GG.
Also I can say definitely that we are NOT working on a mile-high tower design.
Best,
Kevin
Kevin Nance
Director of Public Affairs
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Thanks for letting us know Kevin.
I hope the put climbing walls in there!