Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates shared a regional agenda and a particularly close relationship between their leaders for years. Over time, this cooperation began to coexist with an increasingly visible rivalry: both compete to attract investment, gain regional influence and develop economies less dependent on crude oil. If we want to observe that race without resorting to macroeconomic figures, just look at its urban horizons. The Burj Khalifa made Dubai a world reference; A project called to surpass that mark began to rise on the Saudi coast.
That project is Jeddah Tower and, after years of being stopped, it has once again gained height. The new contract to complete construction was signed on October 2, 2024, but the return of works also began to be seen on the ground when the structure officially surpassed 100 floors and 400 meters on April 20, 2026. The most recent update from Thornton Tomasetti, published on June 18, placed it already close to the 104th floor. The work is progressing again; What we have to understand now is why he stopped doing it for so long.
The scale helps to understand why the project seemed capable of getting bogged down for purely technical reasons. Jeddah Tower was designed to exceed one kilometer in height and reach 157 plantsleaving behind the 828 meters of the Burj Khalifa. To support it, the engineers proposed a five-meter-thick foundation slab supported on 270 piles, some sunk up to 105 meters. Above, a network of interconnected concrete walls must distribute the building’s loads and limit the effects of wind without resorting to a conventional structure of columns and large beams.
Jeddah Tower construction status in May 2026
The project had begun long before Saudi Arabia presented Vision 2030. The tower was announced in 2011 and work began in 2013 with a clear ambition: to build the tallest building in the world in Jeddah and turn it into the center of a new urban development. During its first stage, the structure reached 63 of the planned 157 floors before being stopped. Its revival can now be read in the context of Saudi diversification, but the project was conceived five years before the kingdom presented its major economic transformation program.
Jeddah Tower construction status in May 2026
The stoppage came in the midst of a business and financial crisis that affected two fundamental actors of the project. In 2017, the Saudi anti-corruption campaign led to the arrest of Alwaleed bin Talal, linked to the promoter through Kingdom Holding, and Bakr bin Laden, then chairman of Saudi Binladin Group. The contractor was also going through financial difficulties and construction ended up halted in 2018.
Jeddah Tower construction status in May 2026
The return needed more than just new announcements and calendars on paper. The completion of the skyscraper was once again in the hands of Saudi Binladin Group, the same contractor that had participated in its first stage, with an expected deadline of 42 months. If completed without further delays, work should be completed around April 2028, although there is no firm opening date yet. The decisive test came later: the pace of construction was maintained throughout 2025 and into 2026. After years of uncertainty, the project has gotten underway again.
Growing back doesn’t mean being close to done. Although the cladding of the façade and the first mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations are already underway, Much of that work still needs to be completed.in addition to the elevators, security systems, finishes and all the necessary tests before opening the building. Until then, the Burj Khalifa will officially continue to hold the world record. Saudi Arabia has already shown that it can return the tower to activity; The next challenge will be to maintain financing and finish the work.
Imágenes | Thornton Tomasetti | Saudi Binladin Group
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