All I can say is wow. The temperature difference on the top must be incredible from day and night. Mile-high tower: Saudi prince promises £5bn desert spire TWICE as tall as nearest rival being built By BARRY WIGMORE - More by this author » Last updated at 12:15pm on 31st March 2008 On a clear day, the view from the top will take in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Ocean - providing you've a head for heights. Plans for a mile-high tower in the Saudi Arabian desert have been unveiled by the billionaire owner of London's Savoy Hotel. At 5,250ft, the £5billion project, masterminded by two British engineering consultancies, will be twice as high as its nearest rivals, skyscrapers under construction in Dubai and Kuwait, and almost seven times as high as the Canary Wharf tower in London's Docklands. It is being planned for a new city near the Red Sea port of Jeddah. Behind the scheme is 51-year-old Prince al-Walid bin Talal, who bought the Savoy for £1.25billion in 2005. The plan gives the Middle East a clear lead over Asian countries and the U.S., who have vied in the past to construct the world's tallest buildings. None of the other skyscrapers under construction, including New York's Freedom Tower on the World Trade Centre site, will exceed 2,296ft. The prince's company, Riyadh-based Kingdom Holdings, has set up a joint venture with the London firms Hyder Consulting and Arup. Experts say the technical challenges are enormous. Much of the lifting will be carried out by helicopters, which will also be used as commuter transport for builders. The tower will have to be capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures, with its top baking in the desert sun by day but dropping to well below freezing at night. To resist the strong winds prevalent in the area and stop it swaying, giving its occupants a form of high-rise seasickness, it will be fitted with a giant computer-operated damper. Two "mini-towers" - both taller than Canary Wharf - will be built on either side of the main tower. Linked to it by elevated walkways, they will anchor it and act as stabilisers. Until recently, the still-under-construction Dubai Tower was expected to be the world's tallest building. Plans have changed several times to make it higher, but the final version is expected to be 2,300ft with 160 storeys. Link
In places like Manhattan, HK, SF, etc it makes perfect sense to wisely utilize the scarce footprint of real estate with a skyscraper tower. But what the hell do they need these things for in the Middle East where they have more empty space than they know what to do with
man, where did they get al this money? oh, wait... here's an idea saudi arabia... spend less money on multi-billion dollar buildings in the middle of nowhere and spend more money on attempting to NOT beat women who get raped. D&D?
So whose going to be the lucky guy assigned to the very top section? I wouldn't want to be working on a building 5250 feet in the air.
That is quite an ugly building. What's the use of having the world's tallest building when it looks like an ugly rocket ship built by a 6 year old. The only thing it accomplishes is more people noticing how much of an eye sore your building is. Great use of money btw.
according to the guys on the skyscraper fan BBS (yes they exist) there is almost no chance of this happening.
Some people have more money than they know what to do with. also, the design isnt all that great... its just tube in the ground.
How about the prince gives money to help the poor people of Saudi Arabia (who tend to form terror cells and blow up buildings if left to their own devices) instead of stroking his ego by building a completely unnecessary building like this? He should take a page out of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Michael Dell's books and donate money to help others as opposed to this r****ded idea
