meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Arabia plans 2km megatall tower in Riyadh

7 December 2022

 

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is considering plans for a 2-kilometre megatall tower as part of an 18-square-kilometre masterplanned development to the north of Riyadh.

The proposed tower will be more than double the height of the world’s tallest building – Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which is 828 metres tall. Contractors that have priced megatall towers in the region say that depending on the final design, a 2km-tall structure could cost about $5bn to construct.

A design competition with a participation fee of $1m is underway for the record-breaking tower, according to multiple sources close to the contest.

The sources add that about eight firms have been invited to participate in the competition. The firms involved include some of the world’s leading names in architecture, which have been selected based on their experience working on other megatall towers and iconic designs around the world.

The prospective participants include US-based firms Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and Gensler; 10Design, which is part of France’s Egis; and Dubai-based Killa Design.

The project site is located west of the existing King Khalid International airport, and EY conducted the feasibility study for the development.

For the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the cost of the tower was justified because it enhanced the land values of the surrounding Downtown district.

The developer of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai-based Emaar, used the strategy again when it launched The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour in April 2016 to boost property sales of the surrounding Dubai Creek Harbour development. That tower, planned to be at least 928 metres tall, has not progressed beyond the raft foundation.

Riyadh’s proposed tall tower is just one major project planned for the northern outskirts of Riyadh. On 28 November, a masterplan for an expansion to the airport was announced.

It will be known as King Salman International airport, and if completed on time in 2030, it will become the largest airport in the world in terms of passenger capacity. It will cover an area of about 57 square kilometres, allowing for six parallel runways, and will include the existing terminals at King Khalid International airport.

Other tall buildings are planned elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, and the scale of the structures reflects Riyadh’s confidence as it moves to deliver the objectives set out by Vision 2030 with a series of self-styled gigaprojects. 

WATCH: Saudi Arabia gigaprojects market outlook

At Neom, the first modules of the 170km-long buildings known as The Line are 500 metres tall. Other structures, such as the two hotel towers for the Gas Station Hotel at the Gulf of Aqaba, are planned to be 500 metres tall.

Saudi Arabia has planned tall buildings before. PIF was considering plans for a tower of up to 1.2km in height at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) on a plot known as KAFD X. Consultants were preparing designs for the project in 2019.

Another tall tower planned for Saudi Arabia is the 1,008-metre Jeddah Tower Scheme. Construction work on that tower began about 10 years ago and subsequently stalled after the structure reached about 70 storeys.

Attempts to revive the project have not proceeded as companies are reluctant to take on any liabilities from contractors and consultants that had previously worked on the scheme.

According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a supertall building is over 300 metres tall, while one that measures over 600 metres is considered megatall. Currently, there are 173 supertalls and only three megatalls completed globally, says the CTBUH.

According to tall building database Emporis, only two completed structures in the Middle East are megatall: the Burj Khalifa and the 601-metre-tall Mecca clock tower.

The PIF did not respond to a request to comment on the 2km-tall tower plans.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10416216/main.jpg
Colin Foreman

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Bahrain retenders Hawar desalination works

    25 September 2026

     

    Bahrain’s Electricity & Water Authority (EWA) has retendered a contract to develop a seawater intake and outfall system for a planned seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant on Hawar Island.

    The scope includes constructing a seawater intake facility with a capacity of 1,515 cubic metres an hour and a seawater outfall structure with a diffuser system.

    The bid deadline is 21 October.

    The original tender received just two bids from Noble Development (UAE) and Al-Hassanain Company (Bahrain). These were opened in December 2025.

    The reissued tender is expected to attract bids from Al-Hassanain Company, Noble Development, UK-based engineering consultancy HR Wallingford, Bahrain Mechanical & Diving Services and Ocean Diving & Marine Services (Bahrain).

    As previously reported, the marine works project is linked to two other contracts: one covering the main Hawar desalination plant and another involving the construction of two ground storage tanks and the installation of water transmission pumps.

    Malaysia-based Sparco Engineering recently won the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the desalination plant project after submitting the lowest bid last year.

    The plant is designed to produce 1 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) of potable water.

    The Hawar Islands form an archipelago of 16 desert islands and islets located approximately 26 kilometres southeast of Ras Al-Bar in Bahrain. The desalination plant is intended to support water supply requirements on the islands.

    The third package linked with the SWRO project was tendered last November, with Greece-headquartered Ergotem submitting the lowest bid of $1.92m.

    This contract covers the construction of two steel ground storage tanks with a capacity of 1 million gallons each, pumping stations, motors, pipelines and associated facilities.

    As of August, the contract had not yet been awarded.

    It is understood that Sparco Engineering will be required to ensure that the plant’s design and construction align technically and operationally with these two projects so that all three components function together as one integrated system.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19993971/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Dubai property bubble risk rises as price growth stalls

    25 September 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Dubai’s residential property market remains in elevated bubble-risk territory after a sharp slowdown in price growth, according to UBS.

    The emirate’s housing boom came to an abrupt halt at the onset of the regional conflict, the Swiss bank said in its Global Real Estate Bubble Index 2026 report. Inflation-adjusted house prices have fallen back to mid-2025 levels, after real growth of more than 10% in 2025.

    Dubai scored 1.16 on the index, up on last year, placing it fourth among the 23 cities covered. Only Zurich and Tokyo, at 1.69 and 1.54 respectively, are classed as high risk. Miami, Seoul, Geneva and Lisbon join Dubai in the elevated category, which covers scores between 1.0 and 1.5.

    Real prices in Dubai rose by 0.4% in the year to Q2 2026, while real rents fell by 4%. UBS said bubble risk remained elevated despite some easing since March.

    Ownership costs

    UBS said existing tenants were likely to take advantage of the pause in price growth and, in some cases, price concessions to buy homes. Despite elevated mortgage rates, Dubai remains one of the few markets where ownership is relatively attractive given the high cost of renting, according to the bank.

    A skilled service worker in Dubai needs about five years of average income to buy a 60-square-metre apartment near the city centre, compared with about 15 years in Hong Kong and 11 years in London. It takes 16 years of rent to pay for an equivalent apartment, one of the lowest ratios in the study. UBS attributed the low price-to-rent ratios in Dubai, Sao Paulo and the US cities surveyed to less regulated rental markets and higher interest rates, as well as elevated risk premiums in Dubai and Sao Paulo.

    The bank said uncertainty over whether the inflow of high-income earners would recover was weighing on the premium segment. It added that Dubai’s structural advantages, including its strategic location and its appeal as an international business hub, remained intact, and that an improvement in the geopolitical environment was likely to support a rapid recovery in market sentiment and price expectations.

    Supply is a further source of uncertainty. Some developments have stalled, and others may be delivered later than planned, although UBS said the market remained exposed to heightened volatility because of persistent concerns about structural oversupply.

    Global slowdown

    Across the cities analysed, real residential prices rose by an average of 0.5% in the year, down from 1.4% in mid-2025. Seoul recorded the strongest real growth, at 11%, while Toronto and Vancouver fell by about 10%.

    The report also points to Gulf capital supporting other markets. UBS said interest from Middle Eastern buyers could further lift prices in Geneva, and that investors from the Middle East, the US and Asia had supported London’s prime segment.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19987757/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman
  • UAE vehicle manufacturing push moves into production

    25 September 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Chinese-linked carmaker Rox has begun vehicle production at Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad). The start-up represents the most significant output so far from the UAE’s efforts to build an automotive manufacturing industry.

    The first three Rox Adamas vehicles, carrying the Made in the Emirates mark, came off the production line at the company’s new Abu Dhabi facility in early September. The 10,000-square-metre plant is expected to reach an initial capacity of 20,000 vehicles a year by 2027, rising to 300,000 vehicles a year by 2030.

    The facility can sub-assemble more than 80 types of vehicle components and also carries out complete vehicle assembly, calibration, rain and road testing, and final inspection. Rox moved its global headquarters to the UAE last year and plans to supply local and export markets.

    The project forms part of Rox’s partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio) and is supported by the UAE Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology. Kezad Group signed the lease agreement for the facility in May.

    Programme targets

    The Rox plant is the first major output of a state-led strategy that has gathered pace over the past 18 months. Adio launched its automotive programme at the Make it in the Emirates forum in May 2025, with the aim of creating a hub for vehicle manufacturing and assembly, research and development, restoration, auctions and luxury cars.

    The programme is projected to contribute AED100bn ($27.2bn) to Abu Dhabi’s GDP by 2045, attract more than AED8bn ($2.2bn) in foreign direct investment and create 7,000 skilled jobs. Adio has also introduced an automotive artificial intelligence curriculum with universities to develop Emirati talent in the sector.

    In October last year, Adio and AD Ports Group agreed to work with Netherlands-based Stellantis to develop the emirate’s automotive ecosystem. The memorandum of understanding covers expansion into Middle East and Africa markets, an ecosystem for autonomous taxi services, and research into next-generation mobility technologies.

    Under the agreement, Stellantis will explore investment opportunities in Abu Dhabi, while Adio and AD Ports Group will provide market intelligence and logistics support. The announcements did not include a commitment to build a production facility.

    Kezad already hosts smaller electric vehicle (EV) operations. In 2024, UAE-headquartered NWTN signed a lease for a Kezad facility with capacity to assemble 5,000-10,000 semi-knocked-down EVs a year, with plans to expand to 50,000 units in a second phase.

    Trading hub

    Dubai has focused on vehicle trade rather than manufacturing. In November last year, Dubai Municipality signed a partnership agreement with DP World’s Economic Zones division to establish and manage the Dubai Auto Market, a 22 million-square-foot complex with more than 1,500 showrooms that is designed to handle over 800,000 new and used vehicles a year.

    Enabling works are under way, carried out by local contractor Rad International Road Construction, with US-based Aecom serving as project consultant. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, first deputy ruler of Dubai, said at the launch that the project would foster a cluster of light industries for vehicle assembly and trade.

    The market builds on an established base. Jebel Ali Free Zone hosts more than 940 automotive and spare-parts companies, including Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen. In 2022, M Glory Group laid the foundation stone for a AED1.5bn ($408m) EV plant at Dubai Industrial City, with a planned capacity of 55,000 cars a year.

    Regional competition

    The UAE is not alone in pursuing automotive manufacturing. In Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns 70% of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Middle East, which will roll out its first vehicle by Q4 2026 and targets annual production of 50,000 vehicles. Ceer, the kingdom’s first EV manufacturer, intends to roll its first vehicle off the production line in late 2026.

    Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Strategy aims to attract three to four manufacturers capable of producing more than 300,000 vehicles a year within a single automotive cluster. In Qatar, JTA International Investment Holding said last month that it was working with the UK’s Watt Electric Vehicle Company to set up a factory.

    The two leading Gulf economies are taking different approaches. Saudi Arabia has relied on direct PIF shareholdings in manufacturers. In the UAE, investment offices, port groups and economic zone operators have led the effort, using land, logistics and incentives to attract privately owned carmakers.

    Scaling up is the next test. Rox’s plan to increase output fifteen-fold between 2027 and 2030 will show whether Abu Dhabi’s model can support volume manufacturing. Achieving it would give the UAE production capacity comparable to the level Saudi Arabia is targeting across its entire automotive cluster.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19986887/main.jpeg
    Colin Foreman
  • SAR prepares phosphate rail second section contract award

    25 September 2026

     

    Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR) is preparing to formally award another multibillion-riyal contract to double the tracks on the existing phosphate transport railway network connecting the Waad Al-Shamal mines to Ras Al-Khair in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.

    The contract covers construction works on the second section of the railway line, spanning more than 150 kilometres (km).

    The scope of work includes civil works, alignment modifications, track and loop construction, and associated infrastructure such as bridges and culverts, as well as enhancements to signalling and telecommunications systems.

    SAR floated the tender in February, and bids were submitted in April.

    SAR is making significant progress on its Phosphate 3 rail programme. Last month, MEED exclusively reported that SAR had awarded an estimated SR4bn-plus ($1.1bn) contract to add another track to the first section of the existing phosphate transport railway network.

    The contract was awarded to local firm Alomaier Trading & Contracting Company.

    The scope includes track doubling, alignment modifications, utility bridges, culvert widening and hydrological structures, as well as the conversion of the AZ1 siding into a mainline track. It also covers support works for signalling and telecommunications systems.

    The existing railway runs from the Waad Al-Shamal mines to Ras Al-Khair. The first-section works will cover about 100km, connecting the AZ1/Nariyah Yard to Ras Al-Khair.

    Switzerland-based engineering firm ARX is the project consultant.

    Formerly known as the North-South Railway, the North Train is a 1,550km freight line running from the phosphate and bauxite mines in the far north of the kingdom to the Al-Baithah junction. From there, it diverges into a line south to Riyadh and another line east to downstream fertiliser production and alumina refining facilities at Ras Al-Khair on the Gulf coast.

    Adding a second track and freight yards will significantly increase the network’s cargo-carrying capacity and support growth in industrial production. Project implementation is expected to take four years.

    State-owned SAR is also considering increasing the localisation of railway materials and equipment, including developing a cement sleeper manufacturing facility.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19983928/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Meraas awards $272m Nad Al-Sheba Gardens villas deal

    25 September 2026

    Dubai-based real estate developer Meraas Holding, part of Dubai Holding, has awarded a AED1bn ($272m) contract for the construction of the seventh phase of the Nad Al-Sheba Gardens community.

    The contract, which covers the delivery of 272 villas and townhouses, was awarded to local firm GCC Contracting.

    The scope of work includes 130 villas, 142 three-bedroom townhouses, and associated utilities and infrastructure.

    Construction has started, and the project is slated for completion in 2028.

    Last year, Meraas awarded a AED690m ($188m) contract for the construction of the fourth phase of the Nad Al-Sheba Gardens community in Dubai.

    Meraas awarded the contract to local firm Bhatia General Contracting.

    The scope of that contract covers the construction of 92 townhouses, 96 villas and two pool houses.

    In December last year, Meraas announced the eleventh and final phase of its Nad Al-Sheba Gardens residential community. This phase includes the development of 210 new villas and townhouses, as well as a school, located in the northwest corner of the development.

    According to UK analytics firm GlobalData, the UAE’s construction industry will register annual growth of 3.9% between 2025 and 2027, supported by investments in infrastructure, renewable energy, oil and gas, housing, industrial and tourism projects.

    The residential construction sector is expected to record an average annual growth rate of 2.7% between 2025 and 2028, supported by private investment in residential housing, along with government initiatives to meet rising demand.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19983032/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal