Jeddah Tower reaches 100th floor on path to world height record

Luxury homes, offices and a Four Seasons hotel are planned inside the tower

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower has recently reached its 100th floor, marking a significant step for the skyscraper set to become the world’s tallest building once completed.

The tower now stands at around 394 metres, according to Ian Norman Miller, senior executive project director overseeing the development. In a LinkedIn post, Miller said the project has surpassed Riyadh’s Public Investment Fund Tower, formerly known as CMA Tower, which rises to 385 metres.

Miller also praised the continuity of engineering and construction teams, saying specialists involved in earlier landmark developments in the kingdom are now contributing to the project.

Race to become tallest tower

The structure is expected to rise beyond 1,000 metres, overtaking Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and becoming the first building to cross the one-kilometre mark.

Designed by Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the tower is being built in Jeddah and is intended to anchor the wider Jeddah Economic City development.

Robert Forest, managing partner at the firm, told Newsweek that reaching the 100th floor was “a great milestone” and said construction was progressing quickly.

Co-founder Gordon Gill told Dezeen that the tower’s tapered form was highly efficient structurally, comparing its shape to “a child’s drawing of a paper aeroplane”.

Delays and restart

Construction first began in 2013 but was delayed for several years due to financial setbacks, contractor changes, the COVID-19 pandemic and technical challenges. Progress was also affected after contractor Binladin Group was removed from the project during Saudi Arabia’s 2017 anti-corruption purge, in which developer Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud was detained.

In October 2024, a contract worth 1.92 billion US dollars was awarded to the Saudi Binladin Group to resume the construction of the tower.

Work resumed in early 2025, when the structure had reached around 63 storeys.

The skyscraper is currently scheduled for completion in 2028.

What the tower will include

Once finished, Jeddah Tower is expected to include apartments, office space and a Four Seasons Hotel, along with high-speed lifts travelling at up to 12 metres per second.

The latest milestone comes as Saudi Arabia continues work on major projects under its Vision 2030 diversification agenda, with Jeddah Tower regarded as one of the kingdom’s most advanced landmark developments.