There Jeddah Towerwith its 1000 meters of height, will be the tallest skyscraper in the world, beating the current record of 852 meters of Burji Khalifa of Dubai. Previously known as Kingdom Tower and under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, it is one of the most ambitious projects in the world, which like Burji Khalifa bears the signature of the star architect Adrian Smith. From a technical point of view, there will be many technical challenges to overcome: the works, resumed in 2023, should be completed in 2029-30230.
The main characteristics of the Jeddah Tower: 1000 meters high
Jeddah Tower is part of the larger urban regeneration project of the city of Jeddah called Jeddah Economic City which is gaining ground, with numerous construction sites, in the north of the city. The Jeddah Tower, within which luxury apartments, hotels, offices and recreational areas will be built, represents the nerve center of what will become, in all respects, an urban center independent of the city context.
From an engineering point of view, the tower contains truly important challenges for the designers, given that it will be the first skyscraper to reach 1000 meters in height. It will be made of high-performance reinforced concrete (fibre-reinforced and self-compacting), steel and glass. Started in 2013, the construction of the Jeddah Tower has experienced a phase of stalemate and blockade, with the official reopening of the construction sites between 2023 and 2025. To date, only 63 floors of the 168 expected. Completion of the facility is scheduled for 2029-2030.
The entire structure rests on one reinforced concrete slabwith the support of 270 poles of foundations approximately 100 meters long.
The engineering challenges of the tallest skyscraper in the world
As anticipated, the creation of such an impressive work brings with it a high number of technical challenges to face. Let’s briefly look at the main ones.
The first engineering challenge is certainly related to huge loads that the entire structure generates on the ground, and this is resolved through the use of foundations of impressive dimensions.
Another challenge is that relating to horizontal loads generated by wind. To overcome the problem, effectively making the tower more aerodynamic, it was chosen to give it the characteristic “” shapeY“, also called “three petals”. Another challenge is that of transporting the materials, which is obviated with the use of very high pressure pumps capable of bringing the concrete to truly remarkable heights.
The most critical aspects of the project
The Jeddah Tower, despite being a cutting-edge project, brings with it multiple critical aspects. The first most critical, and above all criticized, aspect concerned i delays in the construction phasesin particular the interruption that occurred between 2017 and the 2023. This delay and blockage of construction activities was mainly caused by natural problems economical, with problems relating to the provision of financial capital for the continuation of the construction activities of the work.
Furthermore, the construction of such an impressive work requires the use of enormous quantities of concrete, with significant consequences in terms of carbon emissions. This element contrasts, quite clearly, with the primary objectives of Vision 2030, aimed at the modernization of Saudi Arabia with a view to sustainability.
Source: By Xtremez21 – Own work, CC BY–SA 4.0
