JEDDAH | Kingdom Tower | 1007m | 3304ft | 167 fl | U/C

[malec]

Originally Posted by Rody69

information:Five contractors were invited to offer proposals for the Kingdom Tower and a short list of three firms submitted final offers for the tower construction. The Saudi Bin Laden Group (SBG) whose offer was the most attractive in terms of price, quality and schedule was chosen for the project.
With a total construction area of over 500,000 square meters, the soaring Kingdom Tower will be a mixed-use building featuring a Four Seasons hotel, Four Seasons serviced apartments, first class office space, luxury condominiums and an observatory that will be higher than the world’s current highest observation deck. The overall construction cost of the tower is SR4.6 billion ($1.2 billion) and the overall estimated cost of the entire Kingdom City project is anticipated to be SR75 billion ($20 billion).

A diagram comparing a 1000m version of Kingdom Tower to other supertalls:


Source: Gizmodo, http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...on-gizmodo.jpg


New renderings (as of August 1st 2011):







The observation platform at approximately 675m+














Source: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture - http://smithgill.com/#/news/kingdom_tower_announcement/


Architect's article:

Kingdom Tower - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

At over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) and a total construction area of
530,000 square meters (5.7 million square feet), Kingdom Tower will
be the centerpiece and fi rst construction phase of the $20 billion
Kingdom City development in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red
Sea.

Expected to cost $1.2 billion to construct, Kingdom Tower will be a mixed-use building featuring a luxury hotel, offi ce
space, serviced apartments, luxury condominiums and the world’s highest observatory. Kingdom Tower’s height will
be at least 173 meters (568 feet) taller than Burj Khalifa, which was designed by Adrian Smith while at Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill.

AS+GG’s design for Kingdom Tower is both highly technological and distinctly organic. With its slender, subtly
asymmetrical massing, the tower evokes a bundle of leaves shooting up from the ground—a burst of new life that
heralds more growth all around it. This symbolizes the tower as a catalyst for increased development around it.
The sleek, streamlined form of the tower was inspired by the folded fronds of young desert plant growth. The way
the fronds sprout upward from the ground as a single form, then start separating from each other at the top, is an
analogy of new growth fused with technology. While the design is contextual to Saudi Arabia, it also represents an
evolution and a refi nement of an architectural continuum of skyscraper design. The three-petal footprint is ideal for
residential units, and the tapering wings produce an aerodynamic shape that helps reduce structural loading due to
wind vortex shedding. The Kingdom Tower design embraces its architectural pedigree, taking full advantage of the
proven design strategies and technological strategies of its lineage, refi ning and advancing them to achieve new
heights.

The result is an elegant, cost-effi cient and highly constructible design that is at once grounded in built tradition and
aggressively forward-looking, taking advantage of new and innovative thinking about technology, building materials,
life-cycle considerations and energy conservation. For example, the project will feature a high-performance exterior
wall system that will minimize energy consumption by reducing thermal loads. In addition, each of Kingdom Tower’s
three sides features a series of notches that create pockets of shadow that shield areas of the building from the sun
and provide outdoor terraces with stunning views of Jeddah and the Red Sea.

The great height of Kingdom Tower necessitates one of the world’s most sophisticated elevator systems. The
Kingdom Tower complex will contain 59 elevators, including 54 single-deck and fi ve double-deck elevators, along
with 12 escalators. Elevators serving the observatory will travel at a rate of 10 meters per second in both directions.
Another unique feature of the design is a sky terrace, roughly 30 meters (98 feet) in diameter, at level 157. It is an
outdoor amenity space intended for use by the penthouse floor.

The area surrounding Kingdom Tower is known as the Kingdom Tower Waterfront District. Designed by AS+GG,
the 23-hectare Waterfront District provides a cohesive and pedestrian-friendly setting for the magnifi cent
Kingdom Tower while creating a pleasant neighborhood experience nestled along the Kingdom City lakefront. The
Kingdom Tower Waterfront District encompasses a high-end shopping mall and additional development parcels
that accommodate commercial and high-density residential uses, offi ces, two luxury hotels and high-quality open
spaces, including the central Tower Plaza. A serene waterfront promenade connects Kingdom Tower, the various
development parcels, the open space areas and the mall together. The result is an exciting mixed-use area that
offers a concentrated and comprehensive experience including vibrant shopping, entertainment and open-space
amenities. The Waterfront District also provides an array of connections to other areas within Kingdom City’s overall
master plan, designed by HOK Architects.

The Waterfront District is subdivided into 13 development parcels, the largest of which are the Kingdom Tower
parcel of about 90,000 square meters and the mall parcel of about 65,000 sm. Smaller mixed-use parcels of between
5,000 sm and 10,000 sm are arranged in two development precincts, North and South, each with its own unifying
palette of materials. The parcel sizes vary depending on the density of each site; the larger sites are farther away
from Kingdom Tower, with the smaller sites stepping closer to the tower, creating the effect of an architectural
amphitheater around the structure. Views of Kingdom Tower from throughout the District—including the sensitively
designed 20- to 60-story buildings around the tower—are spectacular. The buildings closest to the tower are of lower
heights, ensuring that the outer buildings also have access to views of Kingdom Tower.

Source: http://smithgill.com/media/pdfs/Kingdom_for_web4.pdf


The site: Set of photos showing the construction site by the end of 2011 / beginning of 2012 (official construction start scheduled for 1st of January 2012)


Source: Azam, user of the aqarcity forum


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Old Rendering:



In July this was posted on the Saudi forum:

Originally Posted by Rody69

Exploring urban issues facing 21st century, The Mile High Tower offers a fresh perspective on an idea that has been debated by architects for a century"1 mile =1600 M . Exploding land values, growing populations and expanding economies are placing extraordinary burdens on many culturally rich, but land deprived Asian regions. In response to these pressures we have proposed a vertical city. In conceiving the tower as a vertical city, the design team has integrated technological, architectural and urban planning strategies into a single structure that breathes with urban complexity. The scale of the building and the scope of the program force the reevaluation of current skyscraper precedents for form, purpose, infrastructure, transportation, structure, and sustainability.

Architecture and engineering have traditionally treated structure as static—the building frame was constructed to be strong and heavy enough to resist all anticipated loads. The Mile High Tower proposes a lighter, dynamic structural system that actively responds to forces placed upon it. Controlled by wind detecting sensors, stabilizing aileron-like fins run the length of the tower frame and modulate their position to control resonant motion and building drift.

The separation of the structural frame and the building envelope enhances the quality of the interior space by providing an abundance of natural light and ventilation. Equipped with wind generators, photovoltaic panels, a heliostat, and sewage treatment facilities, the tower attains a high degree of sustainability with minimal environmental impact.

Approaching the tower as a theoretical project has proven liberating, freeing the design team to seek new solutions to technical problems, to find creative approaches outside the present financial climate, and to implement environmentally sustainable strategies that will enhance the next generation of ultra-high rise buildings. Our paradigm is the human body. This near-future tower incorporates structural and climatic systems that, like the human body, respond dynamically and efficiently to forces placed upon them.

Pickard Chilton company have done the skyscraper design, plus other specialized engineering firms for structural, infrastructure and traffic design, cost and time planning!!











I think my first thread is the best one for this month
just joking....

Originally Posted by Rody69

sorry guys that what I got tell now,but hopefully I'm gonna got more images soon from inside the "company" and I'll post it straight away>>
BTW the 3rd image it's comparing between the mile tower and the twin tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ,because the design has done by the same company "Pickard Chilton"

Originally Posted by Rody69

I have some points to clear out:
*)this "monster" is not standing alone, there is two other towers connected to it at the hight of 170 M by two bridges. ( these two towers will give this huge tower some kind of stability. "you can check that in the 3rd image"
*)Kingdom holding group retained HOK to do the master plan for the project and the soil test in the location,and they approved a super tall in the project.
*)estimates that the total investment potential that will be generated by this project will be in excess of SR 55 billion:
-around 15 % from that number for the super tall land mark ,around SR 8 billion= $ 2 billion.
-SR 400 million for the water canal(5 Km) around the project land "from the red sea on the west to the Abhur creek on the south of the project location"and the result for that is a new island on the north of abhur creek well change the map of Jeddah,and it will help the natural life in abhur creek.
*)SR 42 billion "$ 11 billion" several commercial towers, residential units, retail space, office space, a beach resort, hotels and an education campus.
I hope this informations well clear some of your inquiries

Now we get this:



Kingdom Company (KHC) Announced Bechtel as the Chosen Company to Supervise the Construction of the Massive Jeddah Project, Investment Value Estimated at SR50 billion
(17/09/2007)

Project Master plan received by Pickard Chilton

Click To Enlarge Kingdom Holding Company, Chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, announced today Monday 17th September 2007, that Bechtel (BEKtl) company was chosen to supervise and develop the real estate project in Jeddah. Bechtel company was chosen out of seven other companies that were in a competitive bid to supervise and develop the Jeddah project.

Bechtel is a global engineering, construction and project management company with more than a century of experience on complex projects in challenging locations especially in Saudi. Privately owned with headquarters in San Francisco, they have 40 offices around the world and nearly 40,000 employees.

Kingdom Holding Company received the Jeddah Project Master plan from Pickard Chilton, reputable and renowned designers who have designed some of the world’s significant and recognizable buildings, including Kingdom Center recognized by its iconic tower.

The Jeddah project, one of the major real estate projects planned by Kingdom Holding Company, and other projects in Riyadh, has an area of 5.3 million square meters and is located in the city's northern area on the Red Sea coastline, which is a strategic area for the development of this project. The investment value of the project is estimated at SR50 billion upon completion, comprising of a colossal sky scraper with a surrounding area for other facilities (residential, commercial, construction of a five star hotel and offices). The residential area will be 1.5 million square meters, the size of the commercial area will be 470,000 square meters, education vicinity with an area of 150,000 square meters and the size of the offices area will be 800,000 square meters. The remaining lands will be utilized for leisure facilities, tourism and the construction of four star hotels.

Furthermore, there are plans for the development of a diplomatic quarter on the Jeddah land. The site plans for the land were developed by HOK, a Canadian company that has world wide recognition. The project will also connect the Red Sea coastline of the area to Sharm Obhur, an environment of natural beauty. KHC is also currently in cooperation with the Jeddah municipality and other administrations to ensure that all the appropriate requirements are met for the success of the project. KHC is known for the high quality of their real estate projects that have won international awards.





http://kingdom.com.sa/index.asp?id=73&prlsid=33

[NoAllegiance]

....Wow.....just wow.





wow.



This is crazy.

[Spaulding97]

So how many storeys is this gonna be??

[Zicyx]

Wow, i have heard of this plan before but always thought it was just a vision and it will stay a vision. But now it looks like this is actually a serious plan!

[malec]

And by the way, comparing the height of the tower in the model to the entire masterplan and also google earth, that tower is definitely around a mile high.
These images do the explanation:

[Namu]

The model is like 3ft higher than the surrounding buildings. This thing would be looming over everyone.....probably will feel like its following you

[wjfox]

Originally Posted by malec

1600m

*faints*

[Elius]

Oh boy. And they used to compete over a couple dozen of meters once...

[AshMat]

Jesus, that is absolutely mental.

[building demolisher]

i dont trust that will be constructed

obviously!!!

[Zicyx]

Wow i just realized that this is tower is actually twice as high as Burj Dubai

[xXFallenXx]

i think i just had a seizure.

[Gaeus]

I heard Chuck Norris is the secret Architect behind this project. He will also be the only Engineer and the Interior Designer. He will be the only one that will construct this building so that he will get all the money. He will steal all Saudi Arabia's Oil Reserves if this will not be approve.

[Newcastle Guy]

Oh my god!? Twice the height of Burj Dubai!? I can't believe they are serious with this!

This will be amazing if it comes to fruition. I have doubts, as I'm sure others do, but then alot of people doubted the Burj at first!

Good on you guys! Get it built! I will certainly visit!

[-Corey-]

WOW 1600 meters..

[vader11]

This certainly looks better than burj!

[Escoto_Dubai2008]

It will be amazing if they build the tower.

[irving1903]

frank loyd wrights design for a mile high tower was much better !

[khoojyh]

taller and taller.

[mikeleg]

This tower is 3 times higher than Burj Dubai now !!!