For subscribers
What skyscrapers reveal about the countries that build them
They are miracles of engineering and ‘boasts in glass and steel’.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The United Arab Emirates’s Burj Khalifa, at 828m, has been the world’s tallest tower since its opening in 2010.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
The Economist
Follow topic:
A skyscraper is a statement of ambition. No surprise, then, that Saudi Arabia wants to build the world’s tallest.
Construction on the Jeddah Tower halted in 2018, but will restart soon; when completed, it will be the first building ever to stretch to a dizzying 1,000m. The Jeddah Tower’s nearly 170 storeys will house the usual combination of luxury flats, hotel rooms and offices. On one side visitors will be able to gaze on a new financial district; on another, across the Red Sea.
