UK-based construction company Mace has announced that it will team up with British firm EC Harris, one of the firms involved in the construction of Londons Shard skyscraper, to construct the worlds tallest tower in Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom Tower in Jeddah will be built at a cost of US$1.2bn and will rise to around 1,000 metres tall.
The Jeddah Economic Company, which appointed the firms to the project, said it was the vision of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal to build the 1km-high tower in the Kingdom.
When finished the tower will be more than three times taller than the Shard (pictured above) and will be expected to be around 170 metres higher than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The construction of the tower, which will overlook the Red Sea, is expected to take more than five years to complete. The building will feature a five-star hotel, apartments, office space and an observatory.
Mark Reynolds, chief executive of Mace, said, "The Kingdom Tower is a project of international importance and immense ambition and we are delighted to be part of the joint venture team tasked with its delivery."
Keith Brooks, head of property and social infrastructure at EC Harris, added, "The Kingdom Tower is a landmark building that will clearly demonstrate Saudi Arabia's ambitions to the world."
