Saudi Arabia plans world record 2km tall tower, $5bn project twice as high as Burj Khalifa

K.S.A: Saudi Arabia is planning to build a 2km skyscraper in Riyadh that would become the world’s tallest building, according to reports by MEED.

The megatall tower would be part of an 18sq km development north of Riyadh and is being considered by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

A site close to King Khalid International airport has been identified and EY has conducted a feasibility study.

The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, measures in at 828m tall and any 2km tall tower would cost in the region of $5bn to build, say contractors in the region.

Developers, architects, construction specialists and project managers have been invited to take part in a design competition with a $1m entry fee to design the record breaking tower, sources close to the matter have been reported as



saying.

Eight firms are said to have been asked to come up with designs and names such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture are linked with the project in the early phases.

Building a supertall tower, as Dubai has found with the Burj Khalifa, can be a catalyst for further development and act as a flagpole to attract other investment projects.

Saudi Arabia is undergoing a construction and megaproject boom with multiple projects under development.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman International Airport will soon join the world’s largest airports, as it aims to become one among them. Currently, the world’s largest airport by area is King Fahd International, which is also located in the kingdom.

The airport is expected to cover an area of approximately 57 kilometre square, featuring six parallel runways and the existing terminals named after King Khalid.