Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), owner and developer of The Kingdom Tower and City in Jeddah, has announced the completion of the foundation work and the beginning of above ground work on the tower.

It said the raft piling works have been completed for the tallest tower in the world rising to more than a kilometre and to be built on an area of 85,000 sq m at an estimated total cost of more than $1.5 billion.

The foundation work, piling works, which is one of the most important and difficult stages of the project, took 12 months to complete.

JEC achieved new world records using latest technologies for high rise buildings foundation construction, a statement said. As many as 270 piles were cast in situ reaching 105 metres below the natural ground level and with diameter that vary between 1.5 – 1.8 metre. The raft is considered one of the world’s largest one piece reinforced steel foundations with thickness ranging between 4.5 – 5 metres, it said.

Both piles and raft are supported with anti-corrosion technologies to preserve the steel reinforcement using a constant electric current system known as the cathodic protection. In addition, strain gauge instrumentation and load cells have been built-in to detect any changes in the soil and provide continuous readings about any environmental changes to the area around the foundations. Finally, earthing and lightning prevention systems were installed into the raft piling foundation.

Mounib Hammoud, CEO of JEC, stated that work on The Kingdom Tower is now above the ground and construction work is moving at an accelerated pace and in accordance with the highest construction standards using the most advanced techniques.

He said: “Some of the techniques have been specified, such as the use of a high strength concrete reaching cylinder compression of 85MPa. The reinforced steel used is deformed bars Grade 60 and up to 40 millimeters in diameter and with yield strength of 520 MPa. A further double height eight full refuge floors that are fire resistance will be allocated throughout the tower.

"The Kingdom Tower will be ahead of any other high rise building in the world with specifications surpassing what is usually required. The tower will have 58 high-speed elevators including the double-decker high-speed elevators reaching a speed of 12 metres/second, in addition to other distinctive features making the Kingdom Tower an iconic landmark that will be a source of pride for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people.”  

Hammoud also stated that Saudi Arabia’s economic growth and prosperity make the kingdom an important hub for local, regional and global investments. JEC will emphasise this fact in order to make the Kingdom City a preferred destination for investors and ensure a prosperous future for generations of young Saudis by creating employment opportunities and providing an effective response to the growing demand for housing.

The Kingdom Tower features 170 storeys, seven storeys of which will be allocated for the five-star Four Seasons Hotel offering 200 rooms, 11 storeys for 121 luxury serviced apartments, and seven storeys for offices. The tower will also have 61 storeys that include 318 housing units of various types, a gym, spa, cafes and restaurants, several sky lobbies and world’s highest observation floors located on the top floors 660 metre high enabling visitors to view the city of Jeddah from the sky.

Located on an area of more than 5.3 million sq m, the Kingdom City will provide a contemporary lifestyle environment supported by an integrated advanced infrastructure. The City is designed to be a vital point for business and trade, as well as being a tourist hotspot.

The main objective of developing the Kingdom City is to provide a unique live, work and play environment offering residents and visitors elevated service levels, the statement said. -TradeArabia News Service