Inside Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Tower, the 1-km skyscraper set to replace Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest

Saudi Arabia's ambitious Jeddah Tower has reached another major construction milestone, bringing the project a step closer to overtaking the Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building.

The skyscraper has now risen to around 430 metres, or nearly 1,410 feet, marking significant progress towards its planned height of more than one kilometre. With approximately 570 metres still to be built, the tower is approaching the halfway stage of what is set to become one of the most challenging engineering projects ever attempted.

Located in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, the structure is expected to redefine the global skyline once completed.

Jeddah Tower has crossed 100 floors

The project has now reached 107 completed floors, placing it among a small group of skyscrapers worldwide to have crossed the 100-floor milestone.

Developed by Jeddah Economic Company, the tower is designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, the architectural firm behind Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa. When finished, the skyscraper is expected to stand at over 1,000 metres, comfortably surpassing the Burj Khalifa's 828-metre height.

The completed building will also dwarf many of the world's tallest structures, including New York's One World Trade Center.

Luxury hotel, homes and sky-high observation decks planned

Jeddah Tower is being designed as a mixed-use vertical city rather than just an office skyscraper.

The lower sections of the building will house commercial office space, while a luxury hotel with around 200 rooms will occupy higher levels. Above that, the tower will feature serviced apartments, premium residences, sky lobbies and observation areas offering panoramic views across Jeddah and the Red Sea.

A helicopter landing facility is also part of the development, underscoring the project's focus on luxury and high-end living.

Building a 1-km tower comes with unique engineering challenges

Constructing the world's first kilometre-high skyscraper requires solutions that go far beyond conventional high-rise design.

Engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti, which is overseeing the structural engineering work, says one of the biggest challenges has been designing a building capable of withstanding powerful wind forces at extreme heights while limiting movement over time.

The company also focused on creating a structural system that balances strength with efficient use of materials. Engineers relied on advanced computer modelling and extensive wind tunnel testing to refine the tower's design before construction progressed.

According to the engineering team, keeping the structural system as simple as possible was essential for ensuring the project remained practical to build despite its unprecedented scale.

Saudi Arabia's megaproject keeps moving forward

Jeddah Tower's steady progress stands out at a time when several high-profile Saudi megaprojects have encountered delays or revisions.

While developments such as The Line and Mukaab have faced changing timelines, work on Jeddah Tower has continued to advance, making it one of the Kingdom's fastest-moving landmark projects.

When will Jeddah Tower be completed?

Construction is currently expected to be completed in 2028.

If the schedule remains on track, Jeddah Tower will become the first human-made structure to rise beyond one kilometre in height, ending the Burj Khalifa's long reign as the world's tallest building and marking a new chapter in skyscraper engineering.