It’s official: the "race to the top" has moved from the realm of blueprints back to the construction site. As of **January 2026**, Saudi Arabia's **Jeddah Tower** (formerly Kingdom Tower) has surged past a major milestone and is no longer just a "concrete stump" in the desert.

After a long hiatus that began in 2018, the project restarted with full momentum in early 2025. Here is the latest on the world's first 1-kilometer-tall structure:

### 🏗️ Current Progress (January 2026)

* **Current Height:** The tower has officially **surpassed the 80-floor mark**.

* **Construction Speed:** Following the rehiring of the Saudi Binladin Group, the project is moving at a "blistering" pace, adding a new floor approximately every **3 to 4 days**.

* **Upcoming Milestone:** Engineers expect the structure to reach the **100th floor by February 2026**.

* **Estimated Completion:** The current target for final completion is **August 2028**.

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### 📏 The New Hierarchy of Heights

To put this "vertical city" into perspective, here is how it compares to the current giants:

| Building | Location | Height | Status |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| **Jeddah Tower** | Jeddah, SA | **1,000m+** | Under Construction (2028) |

| **Burj Khalifa** | Dubai, UAE | 828m | Completed (Current Record) |

| **Merdeka 118** | Kuala Lumpur, MY | 679m | Completed |

| **Shanghai Tower** | Shanghai, CN | 632m | Completed |

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### 🚀 Why This Is an Engineering "Boss Level"

Building at 1,000 meters isn't just about adding more floors; it’s about defying physics in ways the Burj Khalifa never had to:

* **The "Three-Petal" Design:** The tower tapers significantly as it rises. This isn't just for looks—it’s an aerodynamic necessity to "confuse" the wind and prevent the building from swaying dangerously.

* **Pumping Concrete:** Crews are using advanced **"pumpcrete" technology** to push high-performance concrete to heights never reached before.

* **Vertical Transportation:** With 168 floors (157 usable), the tower will feature 59 elevators. To reach the top, you'll likely use "sky lobbies," switching elevators midway like changing trains on a subway.

* **The World's Highest Balcony:** It will house an observation deck that essentially hangs off the side of the building, offering views of the Red Sea from a height where the horizon actually begins to curve.

### 🇸🇦 The Bigger Picture: Vision 2030

The tower is the crown jewel of the **Jeddah Economic City**, a $20 billion development. While the Burj Khalifa put Dubai on the map as a luxury hub, Saudi Arabia is using the Jeddah Tower to signal its shift away from oil toward a tourism and tech-based economy.

Interestingly, Saudi Arabia isn't stopping at 1km. Plans are already being floated for the **Rise Tower** in Riyadh, which aims for a staggering **2km height**, though that remains in the design phase for now.

**Would you like me to find the latest renders of the finished observation deck or details on the luxury Four Seasons hotel planned for the upper floors?**