JEC Tower climbs past 102 floors in Saudi push

Saudi Arabia’s JEC Tower has reached 102 floors, accelerating toward a planned height of more than 1 km. The project, once slowed by delays, is now moving at a pace that places it among the rare buildings worldwide to surpass 100 floors.

For years, the JEC Tower has been talked about in the same breath as Saudi Arabia’s grandest architectural ambitions. But right now. the steel-and-concrete reality of the project feels harder to ignore: the building has reached 102 floors. and construction is pushing forward toward a planned height of more than 1 km (0.62 miles).

Back in November of last year, the project was reported as having risen to 69 floors. Since then, the climb has turned sharply fast. In recent weeks, it surpassed 100 floors, putting it among only around 25 buildings worldwide to reach that milestone.

What’s being built is not a small upgrade on the skyline. The JEC Tower—previously referred to as both the Kingdom Tower and Jeddah Tower—will be significantly taller than the current world’s tallest building. the 828-m (2. 717-ft) Burj Khalifa. It is also projected to be almost twice the height of the USA’s tallest skyscraper. the 541-m (1. 776-ft) One World Trade Center.

The plan from the architects, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill (AS+GG), is for the tower to consist of at least 157 floors. Inside, it is designed to include a luxury hotel, office space, and palatial apartments, anchored by a major headline of its own: the world’s highest observation point.

The scale shows up in the details that have to function every day, not just look impressive from far away. The tower will require 59 elevators. It will also include 5.7 million sq ft (530,000 sq m) of floorspace.

To support a structure this tall. Thornton Tomasetti—helping realize the project—points to a principle rooted in local construction know-how: “Concrete is king in the Middle East. ” it said. adding that the team used Saudi Arabia’s local techniques and concrete strengths common in the region. The structural system is described as “simplicity itself,” built without columns, outriggers, floor beams, spandrel beams, and vertical transfers.

Instead, all walls are interconnected, with each structural element designed to resist both wind and gravity loads. Beneath it all. the foundation system is meant to take the weight of the height above: a massive concrete foundation system with a 5-meter [16.4-ft]-thick raft foundation supported on 270 bored piles. Each pile is 1.8 meters [5.10 ft] in diameter and goes to depths up to 105 meters [344 ft].

The tower sits in the center of a new urban development in Jeddah, a bustling port city. It is also one of several “gigaprojects” announced for Saudi Arabia as the kingdom aims to transform into a major tourism destination.

But not every ambitious plan survived the same scrutiny. Other projects—like the Line and Mukaab—have seen their ambitions reduced or been cancelled altogether. JEC Tower. however. is described as firmly on track after years of delays. with Saudi authorities appearing intent on carrying the vision through.

The latest construction progress is being shown as “Jeddah Tower Construction Progress | May 2026,” alongside a video of the project’s current state.

There is a sense. looking at what has changed between November last year and these most recent weeks. that the momentum is doing more than move concrete and rebar. It’s redrawing what feels possible—whether residents will eventually step into a city landmark built to challenge the world’s height charts. and whether the rest of the region’s big promises can keep pace with the buildings that are actually rising.

JEC Tower Jeddah Tower Saudi Arabia skyscraper Burj Khalifa Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Thornton Tomasetti 102 floors 1 km tower gigaprojects Saudi