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After 16 years of dominance by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, a new world’s tallest building is emerging in Saudi Arabia. The Jeddah Economic City (JEC) Tower has officially crossed the 50% construction milestone. Standing at a planned height of over 1,000 meters (1 kilometer), the tower is currently at floor 80 of its 157-story design. Construction, which resumed in early 2025, is on a fast track to completion by August 2028, anchoring a massive 5.3 million square meter urban development aimed at boosting Saudi tourism.
Redempta
16 days ago
For over a decade, the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates has held the record for the tallest man-made structure at 828 meters. However, the skyline of the Middle East is changing. As of January 2026, the JEC Tower in Jeddah has reached its 80th floor, signaling that the ambitious "Kilometer Tower" is no longer just a blueprint, but a rapidly rising reality.
FeatureBurj Khalifa (UAE)JEC Tower (Saudi Arabia)Total Height828 Meters1,000+ Meters (1 km)Total Floors163157 (with higher floor height)StatusCompleted (2010)Under Construction (50%+ done)Projected Completion-August 2028
The journey of the JEC Tower has been a long one. After a seven-year hiatus, construction officially resumed in January 2025. Since then, the progress has been aggressive:
Current Milestone: Floor 80 reached (Jan 2026).
Next Goal: Expected to reach floor 100 by February 2026.
Economic Impact: The tower is the centerpiece of the Jeddah Economic City, a $20 billion project spanning 5.3 million square meters designed to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy and turn Jeddah into a world-class tourism hub.
Building a structure that reaches a full kilometer into the sky presents unique engineering challenges, particularly regarding wind loads and elevator speeds. The tower's "three-petal" triangular footprint is designed to aerodynamic specifications to reduce wind pressure at high altitudes. Once completed in August 2028, it will not only be the tallest building in the world but the first human construction to reach the 1,000-meter mark.
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