Building on kilometre-high tower set to begin

Materials that will be the backbone of the kilometre-tall Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia are being quality tested ahead of building work commencing.

Summary

• Materials for use on kilometre-high Kingdom Tower are being tested
• Building will be the tallest in the world when completed in 2018, overtaking Dubai’s Burj Khalifa
• Tower part of 5.2 sq km Kingdom City on Red Sea coast

Testing on the materials set to make the tallest building in the world is due to get underway, to ensure they can cope with high elevations.

Half a million cubic metres of concrete and about 80,000 tonnes of steel will be used in the construction of the first kilometre tall tower – the ambitious Kingdom Tower Project in Jeddah.

These materials will be tested for quality control as the construction company behind the project has employed Advanced Construction Technology Services to test them.

Around 100 expert staff will carry out the tests, as the extreme height of the project requires high strength, high performance concrete and special equipment to pump it to great heights.

If all goes to schedule, the tower will be completed in 2018 and will overtake the recently completed 828m high Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world’s tallest building.

Work on the tower is valued at 4.6bn Saudi riyals (AED 4.5 billion or £0.73 billion) and the Kingdom Tower will form the centrepiece of a 5.2 sq km Kingdom City along the Red Sea coast.

Khaled Awad, Chairman of Advanced Construction Technology Services, said: “We will be investing our experience and knowledge to provide accurate, traceable and reliable test information in the largest mega-tall building in the world.”

The projects are set to boost both investment and tourism in the region and highlight the growing level of development that is occurring across the Middle East.

via:http://www.selectproperty.com/2014/02/material-testing-building-kilometre-high-tower-set-begin/