«*» RUKHSANA«*» World's Tallest Tower in Jeddah

WORLD'S TALLEST TOWER IN JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA  Kingdom Holding, the Saudi firm owned by billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed, has signed a construction contract to build the world's tallest tower in Jeddah.  Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Kingdom Holding, the Saudi firm owned by billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed, has signed a construction contract to build the world's tallest tower in Jeddah. Binladin Group, one of the kingdom's biggest contractors, won the $1.2bn deal for the one-kilometer tall Kingdom Tower , which is set to steal the crown from Dubai 's Burj Khalifa. The tower will include a hotel, serviced apartments, luxury condominiums and offices, and will occupy a 500,000 sq m area, Kingdom said in a statement on the Tadawul Tuesday, It will be located in the first phase of Kingdom City , a 5.3m mixed-use development north of Jeddah, which overlooks the Red Sea and Obhur Creek.  The Binladin deal was signed by Jeddah Economic Company ( JEC ), one of Kingdom's associate firms. The giant contractor also takes a 16.63 percent ownership of JEC . Kingdom Holding holds 33.35 percent of JEC , alongside Abrar International Holding (33.35 percent) and Abdurrahman Sharbatly (16.67 percent). No further details as to when construction will begin, or when the project will be completed, were provided. The construction deal marks a significant step forward for the Jeddah project, which has been in the pipeline for some years. Last year, Kingdom signed up US-based Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture to design the building. Media reports earlier this year had suggested that the tower could be as large as 1,600m tall, which would have made it twice as high as its nearest competitor. The world's tallest building at present is Dubai 's 828m high Burj Khalifa, developed by Emaar Properties. Completed in January 2010, the tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.   Kingdom Holding, the Saudi firm owned by billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed, has signed a construction contract to build the world's tallest tower in Jeddah. US-based Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill are the design architects of the project (All images: © Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture)  The tower's height will be at least 173m (568 ft) taller than the world's current tallest building, Dubai's 828m tall Burj Khalifa.   At more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) and a total construction area of 530,000 sqm (5.7m sq ft), Kingdom Tower will be the centerpiece and first construction phase of the Kingdom City development on a 5.3m sqm site in north Jeddah Kingdom Tower will feature a Four Seasons hotel, Four Seasons serviced apartments, Class A office space, luxury condominiums and the world's highest observatory, the building's design architects,    Design development of the tower is under way, with construction to begin later. Kingdom Tower will cost approximately $1.2bn to construct,  while the cost of the entire Kingdom City project is estimated to be $20bn  The tower will also feature a sky terrace, roughly 30 meters (98 feet) in diameter, at level 157. It would be an outdoor amenity space intended for use by the penthouse floor    Another view of the sky terrace    The streamlined form of the tower was inspired by the folded fronds of young desert plant growth, Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture said   The 23-hectare Kingdom Tower Waterfront District, which surrounds the tower and which will include residential and commercial buildings, a shopping mall, high-quality outdoor spaces and other amenities (Image: © Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture)    Binladin Group, one of the kingdom's biggest contractors, won the $1.2bn deal for the project, which will include a hotel, serviced apartments, luxury condominiums and offices, and will occupy a 500,000 sq m area (Image: © Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture)