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The concrete pouring works for Jeddah Tower are set to begin on 20 January, marking the official commencement of construction on what will be the world’s tallest tower upon completion.

The local Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) is carrying out the construction works. In October, it was awarded an estimated SR8bn ($2.1bn) contract to complete the remaining works.

When finished, Jeddah Tower will be more than 172 metres taller than the 828-metre-high Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building since 2009.

The Jeddah Tower’s superstructure is about one-third complete, with 63 of the 157 floors completed. In the early and mid-2010s, SBG was the main contractor on the project. Germany’s Bauer completed the tower’s piling work.

Construction work on the project then stalled, and in 2023, JEC called the performance guarantees or bonds provided by SBG. A source close to the project told MEED at the time that the bonds’ value totalled SR653m ($174m).

The architect is US-based Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill, and the engineering consultant is Lebanon’s Dar Al-Handasah (Shair & Partners).

Jeddah Tower is the centrepiece of the Jeddah Economic City development. The project’s first phase, which includes the main tower, covers an area of 1.5 million square metres.