Team behind the Shard to build world’s tallest tower
The team behind the construction of Londons Shard is to build the world’s tallest building – a one kilometre high tower in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
London-based Mace will join with fellow British firm EC Harris to create the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, which will stand more than 3,280ft (1km) high.
The £780m project overlooking the Red Sea, is expected to take over from the 2,717ft (828m) Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world’s tallest skyscraper and be four times the height of the 1,017ft (310m) Shard.
The Kingdom Tower will have a construction area of more than 5,381,955 square feet (500,000 sq m) and will be a mixed-use building featuring a five-star Four Seasons hotel, apartments, office space and an observatory.
The Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), which appointed EC Harris and Mace to provide project, commercial and design management, said the vision for the building had come from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.
JEC’s chief executive officer, Waleed Abdul Jaleel Batterjee, said: “His vision is also that the project itself will set the world’s sights on our beloved Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and particularly on Jeddah.”
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Mark Reynolds, chief executive of Mace, said: “Kingdom Tower is a project of international importance and immense ambition and we are delighted to be part of the joint venture team tasked with its delivery.”
Keith Brooks, head of property and social infrastructure at EC Harris, said: “The Kingdom Tower is a landmark building that will clearly demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to the world.”
Building work will start later this year and will be completed within 63 months. Meanwhile, JEC is in final talks about appointing a quantity surveyor consultancy which will also be a UK-based firm.
