Qatar, Saudi Arabia plan worlds tallest buildings

QATAR and Saudi Arabia look to have began a contest to build the tallest building in the world, following reports from both countries.Only last week, Saudi Arabias Kingdom Holding Company approved a plan to build the worlds tallest building, while Qatars Ezdan Real Estate chairman, Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Al Thani,  also revealed a similar plan.The 1,001m-high, $30 billion Kingdom Tower will be located in Obhur, just outside of the port city of Jeddah, reported The Saudi Gazette.If built, it will top out 173m higher than the current record holder, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which appears that Ezdan has upped the ante.We have plans in the pipeline to build the tallest tower in Doha, said Al Thani. He did not divulge any further details - and didnt mention the intended height the new building would reach.However, it is subject to obtaining land from the authorities concerned, said Al Thani.Today, Ezdan is one of the top companies in terms of market value in the GCC, and has emerged strongly in the business world and the investment sector, both locally and globally, said Al Thani.Last year the company signed an agreement with FIFA and the Qatar Bid Committee 2022 to build 50,000 housing units ahead of the World Cup. Ezdan reported a net profit of $33million in 2010.Only recently, Saudi Arabias Kingdom Holding Company approved a plan to build the worlds tallest building, according to a report.The $30bn Kingdom Tower will be located in Obhur, just outside of the port city of Jeddah, The Saudi Gazette said in its report, without revealing the source of the information.The Council of Tall Buildings and Habitat quotes the height oif the tower at 1001m, topping out 173m higher than Dubais Burj Khalifa, which currently holds the record as the worlds tallest building. It would take an elevator 12 minutes to get to the top of the Kingdom Tower, The Saudi Gazette added.According to the Saudi Gazette, an 8.9-square-mile city will also be built around the Kingdom Tower, which can accommodate 80,000 people and an additional one million visitors.According to the CTBUH, the project is being developed by the Kingdom Holding Company and Emaar - the Dubai-based company behind the Burj Khalifa.Kingdom Tower will be designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Smith designed the Burj Khalifa while working for SOM, and his new business venture with Gordon Gill has nine major projects on its books - including the 1000m high One Dubai Tower A, Abu Dhabi tower in Doha and Federation of Korean Industries Head Office Building in Seoul.UK firm Arup is charged with the structural engineering tasks for the Kingdom Tower.The building will have 12 million cubic feet of space for offices, a hotel and residential units. Its floor area will be a staggering 38 million square feet, according to the Saudi Gazette report.
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