For five years, it stood silent, a concrete stump in the desert. In 2026, the cranes are moving, the lights are on, and the race to build the world’s first kilometer-high building is officially back on.
For the residents of Obhur, North Jeddah, the silence was deafening. For nearly half a decade, the massive concrete core of the Jeddah Tower stood frozen at the 63rd floor, a monument to stalled ambitions.
But in early 2026, the silence has been replaced by the roar of machinery.
Following the official resumption of work last year, the Jeddah Tower construction update 2026 confirms that the project has entered its most aggressive phase yet. With the Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) fully remobilized and backed by a fresh credit facility from the Ministry of Finance, the tower is rising at a rate of one floor every six days.
The “Ghost Tower” has woken up, and it is hungry for the record.
The Milestone: Passing the 80th Floor
As of this week, site engineers confirmed that the central core has surpassed the 80th floor milestone. While still far from its final projected height of 1,008 meters (167+ floors), the psychological impact of this progress is immense.
“The skepticism is gone,” says Ali Al-Ghamdi, a real estate consultant monitoring the project. “For years, investors treated Jeddah Tower as a ‘maybe.’ Now that they see the glass cladding rising and the core jumping three meters a week, the surrounding land prices in Jeddah Economic City have spiked by 25%.”
The Contractor: SBG 2.0
The resumption is largely due to the restructuring of the main contractor. The Saudi Binladin Group, once plagued by financial issues, has been revitalized.
In a strategic move late last year, the Saudi Ministry of Finance converted its debts into equity, effectively taking a controlling stake in the construction giant. This “nationalization” of the contractor has de-risked the project. The Jeddah Tower construction update 2026 is no longer just a private developer’s ambition; it is a state-backed priority.
“We have 400 workers on the night shift alone,” a site supervisor told The Telegraph. “The mandate is clear: finish the structure by late 2028.”.
The Height War: Watching Dubai
The revival comes at a critical time. Rumors of a new “Mega-Tall” tower in Dubai (the Creek Tower redesign) have accelerated the timeline. Saudi Arabia is determined to secure the title of “World’s Tallest Building” before any competitor can break ground.
Once completed, the Jeddah Tower will stand at least 172 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa. It is designed by Adrian Smith, the same architect who designed the Burj, effectively competing against his own legacy.
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Jeddah Economic City: The Wider Context
The tower is the anchor for the wider Jeddah Economic City, a 5.3 million square meter district that aims to be the “New North” of Jeddah.
With the tower rising, infrastructure tenders for the surrounding city, including canals, bridges, and a district cooling network—have been awarded. The district is positioning itself as a hub for the “Red Sea Riviera,” complementing the tourism projects happening further north at the Red Sea Project and NEOM.
Read More: NEOM Green Hydrogen Export 2026: The First Shipment Analysis
The 2028 Finish Line
While the Jeddah Tower construction update 2026 is positive, the finish line remains two years away. The technical challenges of pumping concrete to a height of one kilometer are unprecedented.
However, the mood on the ground has shifted from caution to confidence. The lights on the cranes are visible from the Corniche 20 kilometers away, a nightly reminder that the Kingdom’s vertical ambition is very much alive.
