Japan & Saudi Arabia battle to build world’s tallest building

Tokyo's Sky Mile Tower

The race is set between Japan and Saudi Arabia for who will build the world’s tallest skyscraper that will dwarf the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the world’s tallest building.

Architects and designers have concluded plans to build a residential skyscraper in Tokyo, Japan to house 55,000 occupants.

Aptly tagged the Sky Mile Tower, the building will be 1,600 metres, or one whole mile high – double the height of the Burj Khalifa, which stands at 2,716 feet, or 827 metres.

The residential skyscraper is part of "Next Tokyo 2045," a joint-proposal by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) and Leslie E. Roberson Associates (LERA) for research and developmental purposes. Its intent is to imagine a mega-city that contains resilient infrastructure.

Tokyo, a coastal city, is faced with factors like rising sea levels and increased typhoon risks. The eco-district would be located on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay and developed for a half-million residents.

“Next Tokyo is a vision for future cities based on challenges we face today,” KPF Principal David Malott told CNN. “It was important for the design team that the vision be real: that Next Tokyo can be realized utilizing today's technologies projected slightly forward into the future.”

Saudi authorities are also constructing the Jeddah Tower at a cost of $1.23 billion. In a press release in December 2015, the Saudi government said the project is currently built up to the 26th floor. The 3,280-feet (1 kilometre) skyscraper is scheduled for completion in 2020.

A Saudi government press release in December 2015 said Jeddah Economic Company and Saudi Arabia's Alinma Investment had signed a financing deal for 8.4 billion Saudi riyals (or $2.2 billion) to build Jeddah City, including the sky-piercing tower.

“With this deal, we will reach new, as yet unheard of highs in real estate development, and will fulfill the company's objective of creating a world-class urban center that offers an advanced lifestyle, so that Jeddah may have a new iconic landmark that attracts people from all walks of society with comprehensive services and a multitude of uses,” said Mounib Hammoud, Chief Executive Officer of Jeddah Economic Company.

Jeddah Tower, Saudi Arabia

Previously dubbed Kingdom Tower, the building will boast 200 floors and overlook the Red Sea. Constructing it will require about 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel, while the foundations will be 200 feet deep, according to the Saudi Gazette.