Saudi Arabia is known for its architectural designs crazy, ambitious and futuristic, but the latest idea in the pipeline far surpasses anything we've seen so far. We're talking about a 2 km high skyscraper which will be built near King Khalid International Airport, north of the capital Riyadh. A building will defy the laws of physics and gravity, between the wind and the weight of the structure.
A record-breaking skyscraper
As reported by The architects' journal, the prestigious architectural firm Foster + Partners has already won the contract for the design of this record building. If it sees the light of day, the Saudi skyscraper will far surpass Dubai's Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest skyscraper, which reaches a height of 829,8 meters (2,723 feet). Also there Jeddah Tower, currently under construction, will be only half the height of the new Saudi skyscraper.
An architectural hell
Building a skyscraper of this size will pose numerous challenges, both structurally and logistically. First of all, gusts of wind at such heights they will be extremely severe, and could put the stability of the structure to the test. Still, weight the building itself could be a problem, as the ground may not be able to support it. Finally, the cost of the entire project will be astronomical, and will require significant investment from the Saudi government.
I'll be honest: if the project were planned anywhere else in the world, I would be skeptical about its realization. But it's Saudi Arabia, baby. And he has already shown that he is capable of creating things that make people prick up their ears. I cannot rule out that this new project may not become reality.
A future of ever taller skyscrapers
If you take a look at a relatively recent list of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, it almost makes you laugh. The new Saudi skyscraper represents just the latest in a series of increasingly ambitious architectural projects, which aim to overcome the limits of physics and gravity. In the not too distant future, we may see the construction of even taller buildings, which will challenge our imagination and change the skylines of our cities forever. This 2 km high Saudi skyscraper is still in its infancy, and it will take years before we see whether it will be built or not. Saudi Arabia's ambition already seems record-breaking, however. In every sense.
