too tall?
a waste of $$?
http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/18346/denial-by-architecture-saudis-ok-mile-high-tower/

http://www.kingdom.com.sa/shared/images/Jeddah-Project-Photo.jpg

Alan Jones mentioned it on his 2GB Show yesterday. I heard the lift ride to the top would take 12 minutes.

At this point in time, it does look a little too ambitious.

what a horrible building to live in.... :(

While I like tall towers as much as the next skyscraper fan, there is such a thing as too big, and I think this is it! It just looks out of place in the picture Cul posted.

People do have way too much money....

Remember when the Empire State building seemed like it would be the world's tallest building forever ? OK lot's of you don't, but from the race to build the tallest in New York back in the 1930's nothing came close till the original WTC in the late 60's. Then one by one somewhere a foot or two...metre etc would give another building the record. Usually in a big city that had expensive and tight available land. Places like New York, Chicago or Hong Kong...... Now.......it's just about who's wallet is bigger.
Even Donald Trump wouldn't try.......This will be an engineering marvel but the magic is gone.

One thing I was wondering with a tower this size, is when does the extra height require so much extra land at the base that it is not actually able to increase the density, but rather reduce it.


The Burj Khalifa takes up a massive amount of land at ground level.

Remember when the Empire State building seemed like it would be the world's tallest building forever ? OK lot's of you don't, but from the race to build the tallest in New York back in the 1930's nothing came close till the original WTC in the late 60's. Then one by one somewhere a foot or two...metre etc would give another building the record. Usually in a big city that had expensive and tight available land. Places like New York, Chicago or Hong Kong...... Now.......it's just about who's wallet is bigger.
Even Donald Trump wouldn't try.......This will be an engineering marvel but the magic is gone.Agree. In the beginning skyscrapers were born of necessity, of the need to increase density as land became short of supply in cities like New York and Chicago. Icons like Chrysler and ESB, or later Sears Tower, where towering landmarks of great cities. Now Burj Khalifa, and most of its challengers, are part of masterplanned developments on greenfield sites in the middle of the desert, built high not because they need to, but because they can. There is something very artificial and contrived about they way they come about.

One thing I was wondering with a tower this size, is when does the extra height require so much extra land at the base that it is not actually able to increase the density, but rather reduce it. The Burj Khalifa takes up a massive amount of land at ground level.Also agree. As impressive as Burj Khalifa is, the urban environment around it is pretty undesirable. Its not the high density, pedestrian friendly environment that I most appreciate skyscrapers for being a part of.

This is just silly now. seriously. I agree with other people saying its all just about the money now. Such old fashioned thinking

I think its fine. Burj Khalifa already broke the rule book by already being stupidly tall. I dunno, it just doesn't feel any more silly than that.

It just looks out of place in the picture Cul posted.

And this doesn't?

http://www.busmanagementme.com/media/media-news/news-thumb/100301/dubai-skyline1.jpg

Reposting what i put in the international thread. I'm all for skyscrapers and mega tall ones at that, however with a ridiculous price tag of $28.5 billion dollars... why don't they spend that money on lowering the unemployment rate in SA from the high of 10% what it is now. Create some new industry or technology, not just build a bigger penis.

I agree that this is an old fashioned way of thinking, not to mention a waste of resources and available credit.

I love it, I don't think New York or Dubai or Chicago ever complained about being graced with having the tallest building in the world, and I shan't think Jeddah will either.

As Trump says 'Think Big!'

Plus, at least it's something tangible for the money. It's easy to spend billions and having nothing to show for it *at all*, at least they will have a major icon of the future for it, and let's face it, it will be an icon at 1 mile tall!

I am wondering how far you need to be to take a picture from ground level. and what are you going to get in the picture, maybne toothpick with the rest of the picture empty.




And this doesn't?

http://www.busmanagementme.com/media/media-news/news-thumb/100301/dubai-skyline1.jpg

I love it, I don't think New York or Dubai or Chicago ever complained about being graced with having the tallest building in the world, and I shan't think Jeddah will either.

As Trump says 'Think Big!'

Plus, at least it's something tangible for the money. It's easy to spend billions and having nothing to show for it *at all*, at least they will have a major icon of the future for it, and let's face it, it will be an icon at 1 mile tall!

Yeah but this tower / city is completely artificial and forced. Great towers are built to house it's city's demand and grows organically based on market values etc. What if no one wants to live there?? a bit like Dubai... its a screwed up place now. So many empty apartment towers, even the world is going to be sold off and basically demolished to form the words 'google'.

If this thing was proposed in New York or Shanghai, it would be because the market demands that. There's just something very artificial and fake about the whole thing which we saw with Dubai.

Plus the money, how about they invest that to fast track Fusion energy technology which would actually benefit the world after oil runs out.

Plus the money, how about they invest that to fast track Fusion energy technology which would actually benefit the world after oil runs out. If they succeed, they will continue to make massive amount of money after oil run out.

will it snow at the top?

will it snow at the top?

Temp drops a degree for every 150m increase...

load of crap! tall is good but the mini dick syndrome is just tragic & just going too far.

This thing needs maglev lifts.

If they succeed, they will continue to make massive amount of money after oil run out.

Not really, pretty sure the knowledge would be shared between developed nations like Nuclear power was. If not then its only a matter of time until China replicates it.

Yeah but this tower / city is completely artificial and forced. Great towers are built to house it's city's demand and grows organically based on market values etc. What if no one wants to live there?? a bit like Dubai... its a screwed up place now. So many empty apartment towers, even the world is going to be sold off and basically demolished to form the words 'google'.

If this thing was proposed in New York or Shanghai, it would be because the market demands that. There's just something very artificial and fake about the whole thing which we saw with Dubai.

Plus the money, how about they invest that to fast track Fusion energy technology which would actually benefit the world after oil runs out.

Nah Soul, that describes how ordinary towers are built. Great towers are built to be great, that is the whole purpose, even in NYC or Shanghai, or even in little ol Brisbane. I listened to the same talk when the BK was being planned! Empire State, the SWFC, they stood mostly empty after being built, so what! It's always the same story, only thing that changes is the number of storeys;)



And I have 1 million times more resp.

^^ Well if you have a spare billion to waste then sure, keep a building empty... but a smart developer would never leave a building empty for long, can't see that happening in Australia anytime soon unless Clive Palmer suddenly has an interest in developing towers.

Nah Soul, that describes how ordinary towers are built. Great towers are built to be great, that is the whole purpose,

except these are just big, not great. great tower looks good on a postcard, great tower looks good on a scaled model.

look at those 20/30cm models you get in dubai's shops, the Burj Al Arab looks good, but the Burj Kkalifak looks so bloody stupid.

Burj Khalifak looks great on the fountain below it (there is nothign else to look at), but in the Dubai skylight, it is unique only because it is tall, but IMO, most other building looks better.

so if you are want to be closer to the heaven, for heaven sake, design something that also looks pretty from above.

Mine's bigger than yours.

yeah, but all those extensions are cheating!

Yeah but this tower / city is completely artificial and forced. Great towers are built to house it's city's demand and grows organically based on market values etc. What if no one wants to live there?? a bit like Dubai... its a screwed up place now. So many empty apartment towers, even the world is going to be sold off and basically demolished to form the words 'google'.

If this thing was proposed in New York or Shanghai, it would be because the market demands that. There's just something very artificial and fake about the whole thing which we saw with Dubai.

Plus the money, how about they invest that to fast track Fusion energy technology which would actually benefit the world after oil runs out.

I'm afraid I agree with Soul. This is a totally sterile proposal - there's no real life force behind it.

I don't mind that. It's not my money after all.

wow, cant beleive this tower is about to start???

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/02/kingdom-tower-tallest-building_n_916207.html

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/39552/slide_39552_320368_large.jpg

640m high ob deck with glass bottom
http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/39552/slide_39552_320373_large.jpg

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/39552/slide_39552_320372_large.jpg

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/39552/slide_39552_320370_large.jpg

Kingdom Tower: Adrian Smith Talks Designing World's Tallest Building
First Posted: 8/2/11 01:56 PM ET Updated: 8/2/11 04:51 PM ET

At six feet, Adrian Smith is fairly tall for an architect.

But now, with the announcement that his Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will begin construction this year, he may qualify as the world's tallest architect. After all, the Kingdom Tower, which will be at least 3,280 feet tall, is eclipsing another of Smith's designs, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, for the honor of being the world's tallest building.

Smith planned the Burj Khalifa while he was with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; he's now at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. He took a few minutes to speak with The Huffington Post by phone from Saudi Arabia, where it was 115 degrees Tuesday when Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, King Abdullah's nephew and the chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company, announced that the construction will begin soon.

The tower, which will cost $1.2 billion and take 63 months to build, will include a Four Seasons hotel, apartments and condominiums, office space and the world's highest observatory. It will be at least 170m/568 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa.
How was the process of designing the Kingdom Tower different from Burj Khalifa?

They both started with a competition. On Burj Khalifa, that competition was very short, really a competition of ideas only. We were selected for that project after just three or four weeks. On the Kingdom Tower, the competition process was about eight or nine months long. They started with nine entries and one was taken away each month. In the end it was just us and SOM and we won out.

Why does the world need a new tallest building? Why the focus on this distinction?



There's something very special about being the world's tallest building. Everyone wants to be able to do one. I think in this situation there is a development going around the tower -- a $29 billion development -- and this tower acts as a catalyst for that development. Putting such a tall tower in first actually increases the land value around the tower, so even if you don't make a lot of money on the tower itself you'll make money on the land.

On the cost of the tower itself, $1.2 billion, how does that compare with what you might find in the U.S.?



Well, New York is a very expensive place to build. In the Middle East you have very inexpensive labor and they work three shifts, so they keep going all around the clock. That helps keep the cost of construction low here. But it's comparable to Chicago, and other parts of the U.S.

Was the sky terrace a demand from the owner, or is it something you're happy with having on the building?



The idea started out as a helipad, and we came up with the projected, cantilevered dish. And then we started talking to pilots and they said, 'Well, up at that height it's going to be pretty difficult to land.' But the owner and we liked it so much that we thought we'd keep it as a sky terrace. It'll have a little garden; don't forget, six months of the year here it's a beautiful climate. The winter here, temperature wise, is a lot like living in California.

On a building like this, where it's by definition entirely new, what are the precedents and influences?



What struck us is that Saudi Arabia is trying to open itself up to more business and more opportunity. So we thought about the fact that this is a new vision for Saudi Arabia, and the idea of newness struck us. We thought about how the palm tree, when it's just starting out as a plant, it will grow to a point and then the prongs will separate. The building is not a replication of that but the idea influenced us.

So when the aliens come, and they naturally decide to make contact at the site of the world's tallest building, it'll be... in the middle of the desert. And then they'll leave, saying to themselves, "well, nothing here worth seeing." Sounds like a perfect defensive strategy for the Earth. I like it.

^lol
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7356/kingdomtowerfromthewate.jpg

Gotta say, at least it looks better than the Burj

This one at least looks futuristic and cool, even if it is the newest phallus the middle east has graced us (alongside Mecca Tower and BK, these make up the architectural triage of doom)

The Burj Khalifas design was alittle too overdone, IMHO. The height of this is overdone though, so either way, both have their downsides. I do like the sleek lines on this one, which the BK misses out on.

Going this tall is just going too far really, as there really is no need for it.

^i think having a WTB is a status symbol and creates an instant landmark which gives the city an icon which will lure tourists.
if ou have the money to build such a structure, i say go for it. but i think 1km is about the limit for humans to inhabit a skyscraper. i reckon the highest habital floor will probably be some distance below the spire, say 700m.

ew.

An engineering and architectural feat I'm sure. I can't help but see this kind of thinking as old fashioned and misguided though

If they wanna waste money on it then whatevs...

If this was in new york I would go wow, but as its in saudi it just feels artificial as others have said, and no one will want to go there to see it anyway seeing that treat there dogs better than there woman.

Lets face it, if this was being proposed in Chicago or New York the accolades would be flying thick and fast, because it's a very attractive megatall, no doubts there, very Frank Lloyd.

So I look forward to watching this one rise. History in the making again.

todays teleG
i really hate the burjK they have used. they always stuff up the top section.
there isnt any building above 650m let alone 750m. top is 200m spire.
anyway puts things into perspective. sydney tower is dwarfed.
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/2707/p1000120j.jpg

Lol, imagine if some nimby's saw the Kingdom Tower:P Love it.

The observation platform looks terrible, although it must be cool to stay there and look down.

Lets face it, if this was being proposed in Chicago or New York the accolades would be flying thick and fast, because it's a very attractive megatall, no doubts there, very Frank Lloyd.

So I look forward to watching this one rise. History in the making again.No way. If this was built in Chicago or New York it would totally butcher the asthetics of one of the worlds greatest skylines. I think the middle of the desert is where innapropriately huge megatalls belong. But I agree with the Frank Lloyd Wright comparisons, there seems to be quite a lot of inspiration drawn from The Illinois, except this is a kilometre high, not a mile high. And I too look forward to watching this one rise and see history being made, again.

http://www.delmars.com/wright/milehigh.jpg

The worst thing about this of all is does anyone on SSC live in jeddah? And still if Saudi Arabia wants tourists to come and see this then they better work on some of there crazy laws " Hey (insert name of wife or girlfriend here) lets go to Jeddah to see the massive tower all you have to do is where this designer dress and not talk or go off alone" =)

In the Gold Coast Bulletin today, Skyscrapercity.com was used as a reference to the picture and/or height or whatever. Good to see recognition as always.

This tower got mentioned on Ten News last night.

What ever happened to Nakheel Tower @ 1.4km high?

Dead.

And it was 1.6km.

I love it. Much more futuristic than many other WTB contenders and it has an angular appeal, the only curves in sight seek to enhance the form rather than overpower the geometry.

The Australian Government should be building this at Broadway in Sydney. The answer to decreasing housing affordability, sprawl and hopefully crash the ridiculously high rental/property market in inner Sydney. Hell they should build another in North Sydney too. This would be 3 billion well spent. Sky homes for all, and at cheap government rental prices. To shaft all the baby boomer property owners.

If this was in new york I would go wow, but as its in saudi it just feels artificial as others have said, and no one will want to go there to see it anyway seeing that treat there dogs better than there woman.

You'd still need to be "invited" into Saudi Arabia to see it anyway.

Maybe people making the trek to Mecca will stop by?

frank lloyd wrights mile high vision is greatest skyscraper ever designed

Re: the Bin Laden family thing. Wouldn't it be ironic if someone flew some planes into it?

"Osama's family reach for the sky".... let me guess - Herald Sun?

What a waste. Our planning minister Matthew Guy wants a building over 100+ stories here in Melbourne and this would have been perfect in Melbourne but Saudi Arabia.. get real. Is the Burj Khalifa even at full capacity yet or are the cleaners the only ones in residence? and with all that sand floating about those cleaners must get a work out.

In my opinion it looks a whole heap nicer then the Burj, but the height thing is silly
Not saying I'd love to actually go see it, would be insane

I think it looks just as good as Burj Dubai.

Hate it. Quality > quantity

Hate it. Quality > quantity

Thats the saddest thing, it will most likely be high quality tower. It amazes me that the Middle east can build these things because of there oil reserves yet Australia is dirt broke even though we have a mining boom. :ohno:

Thats the saddest thing, it will most likely be high quality tower. It amazes me that the Middle east can build these things because of there oil reserves yet Australia is dirt broke even though we have a mining boom. :ohno:

Australia should be building these all over our cities as public and affordable housing. It's a joke we can't even build basic infrastructure and the state of our housing prices with the current hyper-inflation is ot really doing a service to the future of this country.

Australia should be building these all over our cities as public and affordable housing. It's a joke we can't even build basic infrastructure and the state of our housing price hyper inflation.

By these things do you mean 1000m high apartment towers or just high rise in general? :nuts: Somehow I think the cost - benefit ratio wouldn't quite stack up if this were to be affordable housing

yick, hideousness at its worst

By these things do you mean 1000m high apartment towers or just high rise in general? :nuts: Somehow I think the cost - benefit ratio wouldn't quite stack up if this were to be affordable housing

Yes, true, but it doesn't have to stack up if the government is paying. They squander so much money now they can just plunder a bit more.

If they started sinking the refugee ships coming here rather than taking the humanitarian side they might find some cash to build housing for the the people already here. While they are at it they can wind back centrelink and force people back into menial jobs ... like building these towers.

We have allready a supertall (Burj Khalifa) beyond 500 metres which it is a very nice, great tower. Much better from the renderings, plans that we saw in the past.
Let's see what's will be with Kingdom tower; i believe that tower too will be great as Burj Khalifa is now.

some plans from tom in chicago
offical height=1007m
roof=680m
thus spire=327m.
http://www.pbase.com/temper/image/138921288.jpg

tower base. 107m wide
http://www.pbase.com/temper/image/138921287.jpg

So it fakes it. Even more so than the Burj.

yep fake 1007m high.lol