OREANDA-NEWS. August 5, 2011. We've speculated about the Kingdom Tower (which, at over 1,000 meters high, would dwarf the current world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa), and now it seems the rumors are true.

We received word this morning from American architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill that they will indeed be spearheading the design of the supertall tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which will cost USD 1.23 billion dollars and be funded in part by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

The Kingdom Tower will be home to a Four Seasons Hotel, luxury condos, luxury office space and “the world’s highest observatory.” Fifty-nine elevators and 12 escalators will service the tower and floor 157 will host a sky terrace, accessible to the penthouse. The tower will also have some green features such as a high performance exerior wall to minimize thermal loads and the need for interior cooling.