Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower Surpasses New York Skyscraper in Height

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower has surpassed New York City’s Central Park Tower in height, marking a major construction milestone for the unfinished skyscraper that is expected to become the world’s tallest building when completed.

The tower in Jeddah reached approximately 474 metres, or 1,555 feet, and its 118th level in early October, according to reports citing a construction update from Ian Norman Miller, a senior executive project director at Saudi Binladin Group, the company undertaking the main construction work. Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest completed residential building, stands at about 472.4 metres. The milestone puts the Saudi project ahead of the New York skyscraper, although Jeddah Tower remains far below its planned final height.

Designed to rise more than 1,000 metres, Jeddah Tower is intended to overtake Dubai’s 828-metre Burj Khalifa, which has held the title of the world’s tallest building since opening in 2010. The project is being developed by Jeddah Economic Company, with Saudi Binladin Group responsible for construction. Architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill designed the tower, while engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti is providing structural design services.

The latest milestone follows a period of renewed construction activity after the project experienced a prolonged halt. Jeddah Economic Company chief executive Fabien Toscano said in September that the tower had reached its 116th floor and approximately 466 metres, with 41 floors remaining in the planned 157-storey structure. The company has since targeted completion in late 2028, although the final schedule will depend on continued construction progress.

Jeddah Tower is planned as a mixed-use development rather than a standalone landmark. Its proposed facilities include residential apartments, office space, a Four Seasons hotel and an observation deck intended to become the highest in the world. The tower forms the centrepiece of Jeddah Economic City, a broader development planned along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast with residential, commercial and supporting infrastructure.

The project also fits into Saudi Arabia’s wider efforts to develop tourism, real estate and new urban centres as part of its economic diversification programme. A major attraction at the tower could strengthen Jeddah’s profile as a destination for visitors, while the surrounding development is intended to create additional space for businesses, residents and hospitality services. The scale of the investment, however, means the project’s wider impact will depend on more than the building’s height alone, including the delivery of supporting infrastructure and the successful operation of its planned facilities.

For now, the latest record is a construction milestone, not a change in the global title: the Burj Khalifa remains the world’s tallest completed building. If Jeddah Tower reaches its planned height and opens as intended, it would become the first building to exceed one kilometre, shifting the record from Dubai to Saudi Arabia and giving Jeddah a landmark closely tied to the kingdom’s ambitions for tourism and urban development.