Introducing the World’s Tallest Building: Mile-High Tower in Saudi Arabia
Author: Joshua Dorkin • URL: http://www.biggerpockets.com/March 31st, 2008 •
. . . and we thought the Freedom Tower was going to be tall . . .
It is always fun to preview cool architectural achievements around the world! We’ve covered everything from the world’s smallest apartment to the coolest architectural projects in the middle east (includes the then proposed-tallest building in the world) to the world’s largest building (proposed in Moscow - slated to dwarf the Pentagon).
Once again, we’ve learned of a building that is slated to make the competition cry tears of inadequacy . . .
The Daily Mail reported today that Saudi Prince al-Walid bin Talal, one of the richest men on Earth, has unveiled plans to build a tower that will be 1 mile tall (5,280 feet) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - dubbed the Mile-High Tower.
Photo Courtesy of The Daily MailThis building, expected to cost £5billion ($10 billion US), if completed, will be more than twice as tall as any planned or completed skyscraper on Earth . . . talk about ambitious!
“Experts say the technical challenges are enormous. Much of the lifting will be carried out by helicopters, which will also be used as commuter transport for builders. The tower will have to be capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures, with its top baking in the desert sun by day but dropping to well below freezing at night. To resist the strong winds prevalent in the area and stop it swaying, giving its occupants a form of high-rise seasickness, it will be fitted with a giant computer-operated damper. “
Dramamine, anyone?
The Concept
In looking into the concept a bit more, I discovered some insight from SkyScraperPage.com: “Exploring urban issues facing 21st century, The Mile High Tower offers a fresh perspective on an idea that has been debated by architects for a century”1 mile =1600 M . Exploding land values, growing populations and expanding economies are placing extraordinary burdens on many culturally rich, but land deprived Asian regions. In response to these pressures we have proposed a vertical city. In conceiving the tower as a vertical city, the design team has integrated technological, architectural and urban planning strategies into a single structure that breathes with urban complexity. The scale of the building and the scope of the program force the reevaluation of current skyscraper precedents for form, purpose, infrastructure, transportation, structure, and sustainability.”
Pay close attention to the rendering below. To the right of the tower stands a scale size Petronas Towers, one of the current leaders in tall construction . . . Petronas is dwarfed by the Saudi model!
Artist rendering below:
Mile-High Tower compared to other skyscrapers in the Middle-East:
What do you think? Would you work in the 300th floor?
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Tags: Architecture, dubai, Jeddah, Mile-High Tower, Prince al-Walid bin Talal, saudi arabia, skyscraper, tallest, tallest building, tower
Joshua Dorkin
Charles Feldman
Ted Karsch.
Troy Schuricht
Anwell Tsai
Richard Warren
Jim Watkins
OMG! That thing is sick! Actually, I’d be sick if I were anywhere near the top of it. I guess the west is now officially in the second rung of skyscraper glory.
I wouldn’t stand a chance on the roof of this one either!
I wonder how much steel and glass that thing is going to take? It’ll probably cause a run on all of the commodities and drive prices sky-high.
Who wants to tackle the window washing? That’s a looong drop in a bos’ns chair!
Ever wonder where that money goes when you fill up your SUV? Actually that will be quite an achievement when it is built!!
I will believe it when it gets built….
I’m inclined to agree with you Crystal. The sheer amount of raw materials to build such a project would be immense, as would the engineering requirements. I’d love to see if man could accomplish such a feat, but I’m not sure that we’re there yet.
OMG, so tall…I won’t open my eyes to see the land when I am at the most top floor.
oh yeah! i’d take the job of washing the top floor windows if this is ever built!
can you imagine how much fun it’ll be to be that high overlooking everything… now i’m all excited about it. build it i say!
Proposing a building is one thing.
Building it is quite another.
Anyone familiar with the Engineering challenges of building such tall buildings is not impressed:
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=213395&page=4
I think this is just another case of
“I have a bigger one than you!” gone beserk when a billionaire decides to play.
Watch the 500% cost overruns and GOOD LUCK!
I would probably pee on myself if i went up that high. when I get up there I wouldn’t even be able to look out the window with out getting sick. That is scarry to think about that thing falling. It would kill soo many people.
it can be easily done. if it couldnt, it wudnt be proposed.
I propose world peace
what does the men want with this building ? i dont know
Does this mean that we would be able to join the Mile High Club without even getting into a plane?
i dont think they could build any more taller skyscrapper than the burj dubai untill the next 20yrs
this can be definitely be accomplished. The building may not be practical, since the elevators would make up a large part of it, but it is still mad cool.
this is nothing compare to what japan projects to built in tokyo, a extension of the city, such a pyramid but, 4000m taller, do you imagine it, with a a base calculated around 46,6km, take a look:
http://images.google.co.ma/imgres?imgurl=http://www.roumazeilles.net/news/fr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/rtemagicc_xs4000-240807b.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.roumazeilles.net/news/fr/wordpress/2007/09/15/1-million-dhabitants-dans-une-tour-de-4-km-de-haut/&h=319&w=450&sz=23&hl=fr&start=18&um=1&tbnid=Pemdt-5IWYsWnM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtour%2Ben%2Bconstruction%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dfr%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:fr:official%26sa%3DN
i tell why peaple trying to do high towers, it is not about (i have the biggest one) the idea is the u r useing the same land to build ur house on and stay saying morgage and bills and all kind of insurances while u can build a tower and it will get u and income between renting the offices and investment all over ther world in the tower up to 10 billion USD a year, so u tell me which one would like to build?
Its kinda remind me of the tower that Malaysia have, i forgot what the tower name is but its pretty similar
Now that looks like a job for Tower Dogs. That is some good commercial property.
Well as u can see in dubia they made this huge island with houses init foem the sea ^^..so it’s not impossible to build a huge tower and as u know KSA is one of the rices countrys and first in proudoce fossil oil so it’s not hard to get the other *steel and glass* i would love to stand on the roof well be amazing to see how things are sooo small >.< Can’t wait til this thing finshes it well be (amazing awsome brillent) all in one lol
lol i meant richest*****
HI ITS GOOD TO SAW JEDDAH LONG LING TOWER SOON AS POSSIBLE WILL BE SHOWN TO ALLZ I LOVE JEDDAH ALWAYS LON LIVE JEDDAH ALWAYS GOOD BYE..
WHEN ARE IT GOING TO START IN JEDDAH
The saudis are building this to attract attension and i think this does the job saudi is a very much closed country living in the past it is trying to attract buisness but at the same time keep its strict islamic laws if this went through (which i personally doubt) it would not only cost billions but take decades because of the new structural improvements and breakthroughs that would have to be made i myself live in dhahran a city on saudis east coast which is where alot of towers have been poping up lately but nothing above 50 or so stories besides the soil test that were carried out a few weeks ago came back saying the proposed site could only sopport a smaller structure less than 1 km and there are plans currently in place talking of reducing the height to 1 km if a site is not found soon or quickly so in truth this is a decade or two early for its time shame i would have sighed up as window cleaner (but by then it will probably be a robot)