A new record in sight? In Saudi Arabia, architect Norman Foster, known for his creation of the Millau viaduct in France, is working on a breathtaking project. Indeed, a skyscraper more than 2 kilometers high should soon see the light of day and far exceed the Burj Khalifa. It should be located in the Saudi capital near King Khalid International Airport, according to the British specialist magazine Architects’Journal. Suspense still remains as to its appearance since no image has yet leaked…
The skyscraper will integrate “The Line”, the famous futuristic city. This audacious project is supported by “Neom”, the $500 billion Saudi public fund. This famous straight line structure will extend several thousand kilometers between Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan and will be powered by renewable energy.
With this record tower, Norman Foster will break his own record. He is currently completing construction of the 423 meter high JPMorgan Chase global headquarters in New York. In addition to this project, Riyadh will soon be home to the Mukaab Tower, a 400-meter-high cubic skyscraper designed by Atkins and billed as the largest urban building in the world. The 2 million square meter building is expected to dominate northwest Riyadh and house offices, housing and entertainment spaces.
Defying the laws of gravity to reach the stars, other cities have tried it before Riyadh. Since 2010, the Burj Khalifa and its 828 meters peaks at the top of the ranking. The work of architect Adrian Smith houses apartments, offices and hotel rooms. Already significantly smaller, PNB 118 culminates at 679 meters in the skyline of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Inaugurated at the start of 2024, it is the second largest skyscraper in the world. Tokyo has the third largest monument with its broadcast tower installed in the Japanese capital.
What about the Eiffel Tower in all this? When it was inaugurated for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1889, “The 300-meter Tower”, initially titled, topped the rankings with 312 meters. It was dethroned in 1931 by the Empire State Building and its 381 meters. Since then, the Iron Lady has grown and today measures 330 meters, but this is still insufficient to be among the top 100!