Saudi Arabia Plans World's Tallest Skyscraper
Saudi Arabia is planning on building the world's tallest skyscraper , the Jeddah Tower. It will be the first building in the world to reach a height of over 1000 metres, even higher than the 827-metre Burj Khalifa , which is the world's tallest architectural structure at the moment. The 200-storey skyscraper should be finished by 2020 and will cost 2.2 billion dollars. The first 26 floors of the mega-structure have already been completed.
The Kingdom Tower , as it is also called, will be the centrepiece of Jeddah Economic City , a new tourist centre with shopping malls, modern hotels and seaside promenades. The world's tallest skyscraper will accommodate a hotel with 200 rooms, luxurious apartments and office space, as well as the world's highest observatory.
However, construction engineers will face several problems during the building phase. Salt water from the Red Sea may possibly damage the foundations of the building over time. In addition, the upper floors of the skyscraper will be exposed to very strong winds.
The world's tallest skyscraper will be financed by two investment companies, the Jeddah Economic Company and Alinma Investment, which are prepared to invest over a billion dollars.
By constructing such a large skyscraper Saudi Arabia wants to show that it is not only the largest country in the Middle East, but also an economic superpower. The announcement comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is making less money due to lower oil prices. They are also leading a costly war against rebels in Yemen.
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Words
- accommodate = to have space for something
- announcement = when you say something in public or on TV
- architectural = the style and design of a building
- billion = a thousand million
- centrepiece = the most important part of an area
- costly = very expensive
- damage = to break something so that you cannot use it again
- due to = because of
- engineer = person who designs and builds houses and skyscrapers
- expose = here: not safe from
- face= deal with
- foundation = layer of cement, stones and bricks that you put under a building
- invest = to spend money on a project in order to make a profit out of it
- height = how high something is
- however = but
- luxurious = very expensive and valuable
- mall = large area with a lot of stores
- mega-structure = very big building
- observatory = place where you have a great view over a city or the sea
- over time = as time goes on
- rebel = person who is against the government
- seaside promenade = wide road next to the beach where people can walk and enjoy themselves
- several = many
- skyscraper = very tall and modern building in the city
- structure = building
- superpower = very powerful country