Jeddah Tower crosses 116 floors, completion timeline moves
Saudi megatower hits 116 floors, but completion moves to late 2028 as costs climb
Dubai: The Jeddah Tower now stands about 466 metres tall and has another 362 metres to go to create a new record of the tallest building on earth. However, its completion date has been pushed by a couple of months to end 2028 from its earlier August completion.
Fabien Toscano, chief executive of Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), disclosed that the tower had reached its 116th floor as of Spetember, and stood at around 466 metres. That leaves 41 of the 157 planned floors to be built. Toscano was speaking at the Saudi Mega Projects 2026 summit in Riyadh, which ran from September 28 to 30.
Toscano pushed the completion target from August 2028 to late 2028.
A 1000 meter tall structure
The Burj Khalifa stands at 828 metres. Current construction data puts Jeddah Tower's planned architectural height near 1,008 metres. That would make it about 180 metres taller than Dubai's landmark.
Other than their height, the two structures also have an architect in common. Architect Adrian Smith is known to have been involved in both the projects and its Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture that lead the Jeddah design.
The Saudi tower has already passed one famous benchmark. It now rises above the 452-metre Petronas Towers in Malaysia. That milestone came in early September.
Why the date moved
Costs drove the delay. Toscano pointed to rising procurement and construction costs among the pressures on contractors across the kingdom and wider region. Reports also link the war in the Gulf to higher costs for Saudi contractors.
Sales dates have shifted as well. Tower apartments will go on sale in 2027. A JEC executive had earlier said off-plan sales would start in 2026.
How fast the tower has climbed
Progress picked up sharply this year. Engineers put the tower near 80 floors in January. Structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti confirmed 100 floors and 400 metres in April.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal visited the site in July and confirmed 430 metres. Figures dated September 2 showed 454 metres and 113 floors. The latest count adds 12 metres and three floors in a matter of weeks.
Work above ground is not limited to the concrete core. Glass facade installation has begun. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing works also continue.
The building will house luxury residences, commercial space, a Four Seasons hotel and an observation deck over Jeddah and the Red Sea. The deck is planned as the highest in the world.
A project that stalled and restarted
The tower has a long record of delays. Prince Alwaleed first announced the project in August 2011 and promised a 36-month build. A financing deal with Alinma Investment followed in November 2015, when the tower had 26 floors. Gulf News reported then that the prince had pushed the opening date back to 2019.
Work stopped in 2018 when only 63 of 157 floors stood complete. The restart came in October 2024, after a 6 year gap. It was reported then that Kingdom Holding, majority owned by Prince Alwaleed, had announced a 7.2 billion riyal agreement between JEC and Saudi Binladin Group. That equals about Dh7 billion ($1.9 billion).
JEC said it would fund any remaining costs through internal resources and banking facilities. Work resumed in January 2025.
What comes next
Three markers will show if things are on tract. The tower still needs to add 41 floors. The façade will have to climb with the structure and finally JEC will have to open apartment sales in 2027.
The Burj Khalifa has held the record for the tallest building since 2010. Jeddah Tower is set to takeover if contractors keep the current pace through 2028.
