The Race to the Top

First it was the Burj Dubai that set records reaching for untold heights. While the Burj is currently still the tallest building in the world, coming in at 680 meters and still growing, just last month, Nakheel announced its plans for a building 1-kilometer in height. We shouldn’t have expected the titans of the Middle East to stop there. In the latest installment in the region’s giant moguls’ quest for the clouds, Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal announced a $40 billion building that just might coin the term “star scraper,” because the formerly acceptable moniker of “skyscraper” just won’t cut it when it comes to this new genre of super buildings.

The prince will not reveal what the final height will be (neither have the developers of the Burj Dubai), because he does not want to further fuel the race to the top. But he will guarantee that it will be more than 1 kilometer.

The tower will be built in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah as part of the multi-billion dollar project to develop the city. Prince Al-Waleed’s business, Kingdom Holding Company, is in charge of the project. Forbes estimates his personal fortune to be $21 billion, making him the 19th richest man in the world.

Via Telegraph U.K.