Mile-High Skyscraper, Twice the Height of Burj Khalifa, Gets Go-Ahead
A skysraper twice the height of the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, has been given the go-ahead in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Architizer reports: "Here are some facts: 'Kingdom Tower' will be one mile high. It will contain almost 12 million cubic feet of space. It will be part of a larger urban development built to house about 80,000 people, at a cost of almost 30 billion dollars. Using your average elevator, it would take 12 minutes to reach the zenith."
What is the point of this building? When their economy eventually falters they will have a vacant building larger than most cities.
Posted by: FernLaPlante | Apr 7, 2011 11:59:30 AM
How could they ever pay for such a thing? If only they had some sort of naturally occuring resource they could sell to help them raise money. I can't imagine there is anything that crucial and rare. Maybe BofA will lend them some money.
Posted by: Beef and Fur | Apr 7, 2011 11:59:32 AM
The article says 1 mile tall but when you watch the video it says 1km. Not sure the actual height.
Posted by: Brett Edward Stout | Apr 7, 2011 12:02:04 PM
A 70's disaster movie waiting to happen
Posted by: Jim | Apr 7, 2011 12:15:59 PM
2 thoughts: on one hand, I think this is an extravagant example of excess... on the other, it just goes to show how very far the US has fallen behind other international cities in architecture. New York's skyline looks like something out of 1930's 'King Kong' movie compared to Shanghai and this!
Posted by: james Brown | Apr 7, 2011 12:21:13 PM
Great...
Let's see if we can find a couple of guys to go to flight school in Florida and fly a couple of 757s right through the middle of it...
Posted by: tom | Apr 7, 2011 12:30:27 PM
@BEEF..oil money
Posted by: jayjay | Apr 7, 2011 12:31:03 PM
@Beef and Fur:
Common sense is a naturally occurring resource that has helped secular countries, like the Netherlands, remain prosperous. In view of religious idiocy around the world, common sense is also crucial and rare.
For the time being, the Saudis will have to make do with oil, which is also naturally occurring, crucial and rare.
Posted by: Phil | Apr 7, 2011 12:38:37 PM
JayJay--Beef was being wry.
Posted by: Jeff Kurtti | Apr 7, 2011 12:40:00 PM
Someone seems to be obsessed with size...
Posted by: Hank | Apr 7, 2011 12:42:04 PM
Somebody must have an awfully small penis to want to build this thing.
Posted by: JONNY NYNY2FLFL | Apr 7, 2011 12:43:51 PM
I keep reading/hearing about how palestinians are all starving to death, poor things.
Do moslems have any concept of charity in their religion? the money used to build this completely unnecessary building could have been used to feed the hungry the world over...especially their starving moslem brothers.
s/
Posted by: Myackie | Apr 7, 2011 12:48:56 PM
I guess there won't be any Saudi Arabians flying thier Jets into it?
Posted by: Disgusted Gay American | Apr 7, 2011 12:49:38 PM
Insanity.
Posted by: Michael in Toronto | Apr 7, 2011 1:06:49 PM
Just what the world needs-one more useless building,one more useless war,one more wasteful use of valuable resources that could be better used to feed,house,cloth and educate the worlds impoverished.
Sad and Pathetic.
Posted by: SFshawn | Apr 7, 2011 1:07:40 PM
Big skyscrapers. Little dicks. Yup, that just about sums it all up for the House of Saud.
Posted by: jamal | Apr 7, 2011 1:09:33 PM
12 minute to the top well what could happen in a elevator in 12 minutes ??
Posted by: mrbill | Apr 7, 2011 1:13:36 PM
$30 bil to accommodate 80,000 people. wow, what a waste. besides, it took them 5 years to build a 200meter tunnel. good luck with that mile high pipe dream.
Posted by: Trey | Apr 7, 2011 1:15:22 PM
That skyscraper appears to not only be a massive phallic symbol, but an uncut one. Wishful thinking on multiple levels, it seems.
Posted by: Spudger | Apr 7, 2011 1:28:32 PM
Woo HOO! BASE Jumping!
Posted by: Jeffrey in St. Louis | Apr 7, 2011 1:32:31 PM
Yes, charity is one of the five pillars if Islam, though in practice it is seen mostly in the context of after-death alms. The king of Saudi Arabia has financed several hospitals around the world with his name on them. Shia believe in tithing more than direct giving.
Posted by: anon | Apr 7, 2011 1:36:44 PM
I keep imagining two copies of Spaceship Earth from Epcot on each side of the base of it!
Posted by: Jon | Apr 7, 2011 1:50:30 PM
Remember that (alleged) Saudi saying? "My grandfather rode a camel. My father rode in a car. I fly a jet airplane. My son will ride a camel."
Posted by: Syrax | Apr 7, 2011 1:50:58 PM
"Do moslems have any concept of charity in their religion?"
Actually, they do, MYACKIE. I was telling a Muslim professor (a Gay Muslim Professor) how I hate giving money to panhandlers on the streets of Downtown Philly because I know so many of them spend it on drugs. The Muslim Professor told me that Islam teaches you to give from what you feel in your heart and not to worry about what the money is to be used for. That settled it for me 'cause I got a bad heart now--I don't feel much of nothin'.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Apr 7, 2011 1:52:54 PM
This seems like utter madness - and a waste of a good $30 billion.
Frank Lloyd Wright did a design for a mile-high skyscraper many decades ago, but he admitted he doubted it could ever be built.
Posted by: Steve | Apr 7, 2011 1:53:34 PM