Construction of Kingdom Tower set to begin
Ground works and testing for the planned $1.23-billion Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have started recently to determine whether the construction of the 1-kilometer high structure is even possible. Testing on the materials set to make the tallest building in the world is due to get underway, to ensure they can cope with high elevations.
Half a million cubic meters of concrete and about 80,000 tonnes of steel will be used in the construction of the tower. These materials will be tested for quality control as the construction company behind the project has employed Advanced Construction Technology Services to test them.
Around 100 expert staff will carry out the tests, as the extreme height of the project requires high strength, high performance concrete and special equipment to pump it to great heights.
The foundations of the tower will be 60 meters deep and have to withstand salt water from the Red Sea, meaning that testing the materials has to be the first item on the building agenda. The company will looks at the strength of different high performance concretes, as well as which steel to use.
Once they have decided upon the exact materials to use, engineers will have to work out how to pour each floor on top of the last one and it is likely that teams of people will pump millions of tonnes of concrete though a thin, pressurised pipe so that it can be spread out by builders above.
If all goes to schedule, the tower will be completed in 2018 and will overtake the recently completed 828m high Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world’s tallest building. The Kingdom Tower will form the centerpiece of a 5.2-square kilometer Kingdom City along the Red Sea coast.
The projects are set to boost both investment and tourism in the region and highlight the growing level of development that is occurring across the Middle East.
Ground works and testing for the planned $1.23-billion Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have started recently to determine whether the construction of the 1-kilometer high structure is even possible. Testing on the materials set to make the tallest building in the world is due to get underway, to ensure they can cope with high elevations. Half a million cubic meters of concrete and about 80,000 tonnes of steel will be used in the construction of the tower. These materials will be tested for quality control as the construction company behind the project has employed Advanced Construction Technology Services to...
Ground works and testing for the planned $1.23-billion Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have started recently to determine whether the construction of the 1-kilometer high structure is even possible. Testing on the materials set to make the tallest building in the world is due to get underway, to ensure they can cope with high elevations.
Half a million cubic meters of concrete and about 80,000 tonnes of steel will be used in the construction of the tower. These materials will be tested for quality control as the construction company behind the project has employed Advanced Construction Technology Services to test them.
Around 100 expert staff will carry out the tests, as the extreme height of the project requires high strength, high performance concrete and special equipment to pump it to great heights.
The foundations of the tower will be 60 meters deep and have to withstand salt water from the Red Sea, meaning that testing the materials has to be the first item on the building agenda. The company will looks at the strength of different high performance concretes, as well as which steel to use.
Once they have decided upon the exact materials to use, engineers will have to work out how to pour each floor on top of the last one and it is likely that teams of people will pump millions of tonnes of concrete though a thin, pressurised pipe so that it can be spread out by builders above.
If all goes to schedule, the tower will be completed in 2018 and will overtake the recently completed 828m high Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world’s tallest building. The Kingdom Tower will form the centerpiece of a 5.2-square kilometer Kingdom City along the Red Sea coast.
The projects are set to boost both investment and tourism in the region and highlight the growing level of development that is occurring across the Middle East.
