Saudi Arabia secures funding for world’s first kilometer-tall skyscraper: Jeddah Tower

The Saudi Arabian government announced that $2.2 billion has been secured to fund the construction of Jeddah City, a development that includes Jeddah Tower. At more than 3,280 feet, the tower will be the globe’s first kilometer-tall building, according to The Verge.

Also known as the Kingdom Tower, the Saudi project will overtake the 2,716-foot-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It will be completed by 2018.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture designed the tower to have 200 floors for offices, apartments, and hotel rooms. It will have the world’s highest observation deck, at 2,000 feet. More on the project from AS+GG.

Located near the Red Sea, the tower has 200-foot-deep foundations and an angular shape to mitigate wind exposure. Construction up to the 26th floor has been completed already.

Jeddah Tower probably won’t remain the world’s tallest for long. Iraq recently announced plans for a tower named “The Bride,” which reportedly will stand 3,779 feet tall. That is expected to be completed by 2025. Also in the works is the Azerbaijan Tower, a 3,445-foot tower in Baku, Azerbaijan, that is slated for completion in 2019.