Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia has reached its 100th floor, a fresh marker in a project that is still trying to become the world's tallest building. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture said this week that the tower hit 100 stories, while Bob Forest said the project had reached 100 floors and was moving quickly beyond that.
The tower is expected to rise above 1,000 meters, or 3,281 feet, once topped off, which would put it ahead of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, now the world's tallest building at 2,717 feet. Gill said earlier this month that construction was moving very well, and described the tower as having a very clear, very simple diagram, like a folded airplane that a child might make to stand on.
The new milestone matters because the project had spent years stalled and is still only partway to completion. Construction on the Jeddah Tower first began more than a decade ago, and it did not reach its 50 percent completion point until around the 83rd floor mark. The tower is now expected to be finished in August 2028, a date that puts a long-delayed ambition back on the calendar.
The building is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 push to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on oil. Designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, co-founders of AS+GG, the tower has faced repeated delays since work began, but the latest progress shows the project finally moving at pace after years of uncertainty. If it reaches its target height, the Jeddah Tower will take the title from the Burj Khalifa and reshape the competition for the world's tallest buildings.