In the world of architectural ambition, few projects have captured imaginations quite like the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia and the legendary, though never realized, Tokyo Tower of Babel. As the Jeddah Tower rises ever higher on the shores of the Red Sea, it stands not only as a testament to human engineering but also as a symbol of national ambition, echoing the dreams—and challenges—of the world’s most audacious skyscraper proposals.
According to Newsweek, construction of the Jeddah Tower, which began in 2009, hit a significant milestone in December 2025 when more than 80 floors were completed. The structure is expected to soar to around 130 floors and ultimately exceed 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in height, making it the first human-made structure to reach a full kilometer. This would dethrone Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest building at 828 meters, and set a new benchmark for what’s possible in vertical construction.
But why does this milestone matter? The Saudi government’s decision to revive the Jeddah Tower after years of delay signals a renewed commitment to economic diversification. As Newsweek reports, the tower is a centerpiece of Saudi Arabia’s broader national development strategy, which includes a slew of high-profile megaprojects designed to reduce the kingdom’s reliance on oil. The visible progress on Jeddah Tower has not only restored confidence in the project but also in Saudi Arabia’s vision for the future.
The tower’s design, by renowned architect Adrian Smith—also responsible for the Burj Khalifa—boasts a mixed-use plan unlike any other. Spanning an astonishing 57 million square feet, Jeddah Tower will host a luxury hotel, office spaces, serviced apartments, high-end condominiums, and the world’s highest observation deck. The structure will feature an advanced elevator system: 59 elevators (54 single-deck and five double-deck) and 12 escalators, ensuring efficient movement throughout its dizzying height. Its exterior wall system, engineered to reduce thermal loads, is expected to significantly lower energy consumption—a crucial consideration in the harsh Saudi climate.
“Jeddah Tower, Saudi Arabia’s landmark megatall mixed-use tower, made significant construction progress in 2025, surpassing 80 floors in December. When completed, it will exceed 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), becoming the first human-made structure to reach a full kilometer,” Thornton Tomasetti, the structural engineering firm involved, stated this week. The project’s expected completion date is currently set for 2028, a timeline that—if met—would see the tower finally claim its place at the top of the world.
The road to this point has been far from smooth. Construction ground to a halt in 2018 following political upheaval in Saudi Arabia that affected key contractors. For years, the unfinished skeleton of the tower stood as a stark reminder of stalled ambition. The government’s decision to restart work in 2025 has breathed new life into the project, transforming it once again into a symbol of progress and possibility.
Yet, Jeddah Tower is not the only record-breaking project on Saudi Arabia’s horizon. Plans are underway for a Trump Tower in Jeddah and the $5-billion Rise Tower in Riyadh, both aiming to further cement the kingdom’s position as a leader in architectural innovation. These projects, while ambitious, are grounded in lessons learned from both completed and conceptual skyscrapers around the globe.
But as impressive as Jeddah Tower’s ambitions are, they pale in comparison to the almost mythical Tokyo Tower of Babel. Proposed 34 years ago, around 1992, by Professor Toshio Ojima of Waseda University, the Tokyo Tower of Babel was a concept so grand that it bordered on the fantastical. The plan envisioned a skyscraper reaching 10,000 meters—taller than Mount Everest by 1,150 meters—with 1,969 floors and a base covering 110 kilometers. According to Malevus, the structure was designed to house a staggering 30 million people, essentially creating a vertical city by the Yamanote Line in Tokyo.
The proposal was unveiled at the Brazil Earth Summit in 1992, inspired by the biblical Tower of Babel, where humanity’s unified ambition led them to build a city that reached the heavens. Professor Ojima’s vision, however, was not simply a flight of fancy; it was a response to Tokyo’s chronic space shortages and the desire to push the boundaries of what cities could become. The tower would have been divided into residential, commercial, and even space development center territories, making it a self-contained metropolis.
Yet, the challenges were as monumental as the dream itself. The estimated cost was a mind-boggling £23 trillion, a sum that alone made the project nearly impossible. The construction was projected to take between 100 and 150 years—spanning generations. Airspace restrictions, the constant threat of earthquakes (a harsh reality in Tokyo), and the practicalities of maintaining habitable conditions at such extreme altitudes all posed insurmountable hurdles. Temperatures on the upper floors would have plummeted to -55°C, and the logistics of keeping air pressure and oxygen levels safe for millions of residents bordered on science fiction.
As one Reddit user wryly commented, “The amount of money to keep the air pressure breathable, food being able to be cooked properly, all 'stupid safe' so no one ends up depressurizing the upper floors and killing off people from hypoxia is just laughably stupid.” Another joked, “Imagine being on the top floor and there’s a fire drill.”
Despite these obstacles, the Tokyo Tower of Babel remains a topic of fascination and debate. After Japan’s economic collapse in 1994, the Japanese Hyper Building Study Group was formed to continue research into ultra-tall structures, keeping the dream—if not the literal plan—alive. The project’s sheer scale, its vision for a new kind of city, and its willingness to challenge the limits of engineering continue to inspire architects and urban planners worldwide.
Comparing Jeddah Tower and the Tokyo Tower of Babel highlights the tension between ambition and reality in the world of skyscrapers. The Jeddah Tower, grounded in current engineering capabilities and economic strategies, is on track to become the tallest building ever constructed. The Tokyo Tower of Babel, by contrast, serves as a cautionary tale and a wellspring of inspiration—a reminder of both the power and the peril of dreaming big.
As Jeddah Tower inches ever closer to completion, it stands as a monument to what humanity can achieve when vision, resources, and determination align. And while the Tokyo Tower of Babel may never rise above Tokyo’s skyline, its legacy endures in every bold blueprint and every new record set on the world’s ever-changing architectural horizon.
