A new skyscraper will be dominating the skies, after Yahoo! and Adrian Smith/Gordon Gill announced that the designs have been laid out to start work on what is set to become the tallest skyscraper in the world.
The "Kingdom Tower" will be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea. The tower is reported to be at least 568 feet (173 meters) taller than the current incumbent of the world's tallest title, the Burj Al-Khalifa in Dubai. The Burj Al-Khalifa was also designed by Adrian Smith and currently stands at a towering 2,717 feet (828 meters).
Luxurious Interiors
The massive structure will encompass a site of over 5.3 million square feet. The "Kingdom Tower" is not holding back on its luxurious indoors either, as it has been stated that the new structure will have a Four Seasons hotel, remarkable office space, five star apartments, luxurious condos, the world's tallest observatory and much more. The cost for all this? A grand total of 1.2 billion dollars, and that's just the skyscraper itself. The entire Kingdom City project is reported to cost over 20 billion dollars.
Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, the Chicago based masterminds behind this project, have completed the initial design drawings and have even released projected photos of the structure. Construction is set to start soon and looks to be on schedule without any problems.
Middle East Emerging
The "Kingdom Tower" is just the latest display of the riches of the Middle East. The area has been the one constant throughout these rough world-wide economic times, and is taking advantage of propelling themselves ahead of the pack. Dubai, which is home to the Burj Al-Khalifa, has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world with its five-star hotels, innovative buildings and unique designs.
Saudi Arabia, which has the world's largest oil reserves and is the world's largest oil exporter, had been content to see its Middle East contemporaries make their mark in the record book. Now, however, it has taken the initiative to make its name go down in history. This may be the first of many records being set in the near future. With their economy prospering and nothing to hold them back, it would not be surprising to see the "Kingdom Tower" being surpassed by another structure that might be built in the Middle East in the next few years.
Faizan Qurashi - I've written for many websites including Bleacherreport.com and run my own blog/website - http://www.conqueryourbeing.com
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