Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Tower to Become World's Tallest Building

The 1km high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is set to become the world's tallest building, overtaking Dubai's Burj Khalifa Tower.

The tower is the first phase and focal point of Jeddah Economic Company's (JEC) $20 billion, 17 million-square-foot Kingdom City project.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah, is chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company, a partner in JEC.

The tower was initially planned to be 1.6 km high however, the geology of the area proved unsuitable for a tower of that height. 

The design was created by American architect Adrian Smith of

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, who also designed the Khalifa Tower. 
Kingdom Tower will house a Four Seasons hotel, luxury condominiums, office space and an observatory.

Foundation work for the $1.2 billion skyscraper began in December last year.