I got here throughout this as we speak and thought it was value sharing with anybody who’s been following the Jeddah Tower story – as a result of there’s each excellent news and a small delay in the identical replace.
The tower that’s meant to beat the Burj Khalifa because the world’s tallest constructing has simply handed its 116th ground. That’s actual progress. However the end line has moved a bit of additional away too.
Fabien Toscano, chief govt of Jeddah Financial Firm (JEC), shared the replace on the Saudi Mega Tasks 2026 summit in Riyadh, held from 28 to 30 September. He stated the tower now stands at round 466 metres, with 41 of its deliberate 157 flooring nonetheless to go. He additionally confirmed the completion goal has shifted from August 2028 to late 2028.
⚡ The quick model
- Jeddah Tower reached 116 flooring and about 466 metres as of September 2026
- Completion has been pushed from August 2028 to late 2028
- Rising building and procurement prices, partly linked to the regional battle, are behind the delay
- Residence gross sales contained in the tower are actually deliberate for 2027, not 2026
So why has the date moved?
Cash, principally. Toscano pointed to rising procurement and building prices as one of many fundamental pressures going through contractors throughout Saudi Arabia and the broader area proper now. Some stories have additionally linked greater prices for Saudi contractors to the continuing battle within the Gulf.
Gross sales plans have shifted too. A JEC govt had earlier stated off-plan condominium gross sales would start in 2026. That’s now been pushed to 2027.
How briskly has it truly been climbing?
That is the half I discover genuinely spectacular. Progress has sped up so much this 12 months.
Engineers had the tower at round 80 flooring again in January. By April, structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti confirmed it had reached 100 flooring and 400 metres. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal visited the location himself in July and confirmed 430 metres. By 2 September, figures confirmed 454 metres and 113 flooring. In just some weeks after that, it added one other 12 metres and three flooring to succeed in the place it stands now.
It’s not simply the concrete core going up both. Glass facade set up has began, alongside ongoing mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. As soon as completed, the constructing is supposed to deal with luxurious residences, business area, a 4 Seasons lodge, and what’s deliberate to be the best commentary deck on the earth, searching over Jeddah and the Pink Sea.
The tower already handed one main milestone again in early September, when it rose above Malaysia’s 452-metre Petronas Towers. You’ll be able to learn extra on how Jeddah Tower handed Petronas in top and what that meant on the time.
A venture that’s stopped and began earlier than
In the event you’re questioning why this all feels acquainted, it’s as a result of Jeddah Tower has a protracted historical past of delays. Prince Alwaleed first introduced the venture again in August 2011, promising a 36-month construct. A financing cope with Alinma Funding adopted in November 2015, when the tower had solely reached 26 flooring – and even then, the opening date had already slipped to 2019.
Work truly stopped fully in 2018, with solely 63 of the 157 flooring constructed. It stayed stalled for six years. The restart got here in October 2024, when Kingdom Holding, majority owned by Prince Alwaleed, introduced a 7.2 billion riyal settlement between JEC and Saudi Binladin Group – roughly Dh7 billion, or about $1.9 billion. JEC stated it could cowl any remaining prices by means of its personal assets and banking amenities. Precise building work resumed in January 2025.
What does 1,008 metres even seem like?
Present building knowledge places the tower’s deliberate architectural top close to 1,008 metres. For comparability, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands at 828 metres, so Jeddah Tower is aiming to be roughly 180 metres taller as soon as it’s executed.
Apparently, the 2 towers share an architect. Adrian Smith was concerned in each initiatives, and it’s his agency, Smith and Gordon Gill Structure, that led the design for Jeddah Tower.
What this implies for those who’re in Kuwait
For anybody in Kuwait who follows Gulf megaprojects, or who is likely to be eyeing an condominium or funding in Jeddah down the road, the later gross sales date in 2027 issues greater than the few additional months on building. In the event you have been planning round a 2026 off-plan buy, that window has moved.
It’s additionally a reminder of how intently regional prices and even battle can ripple into building timelines throughout the Gulf, Kuwait included, the place many contractors supply supplies and labour by means of related regional provide chains.
Fast solutions
Will Jeddah Tower actually be the world’s tallest constructing?
If building continues on the present tempo by means of 2028, it’s set to take over from the Burj Khalifa, which has held the title since 2010.
What number of flooring are left to construct?
As of September 2026, the tower has 41 of its 157 deliberate flooring nonetheless to go.
When can folks purchase residences within the tower?
Residence gross sales are actually deliberate for 2027, a 12 months later than JEC had earlier indicated.
It’s a type of initiatives the place the numbers hold climbing each few months, which makes it value checking again on. Would you need to stay that prime up, with the Pink Sea stretched out under you? Let me know what you assume within the feedback.
