The Kingdom Tower, the world's tallest tower project coming up north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will set another new world record by employing the world’s tallest construction crane.

The skyscraper, which will soar more than one kilometre, demands unique construction equipment, methods and materials. The cranes are custom-built and supplied by Germany’s Liebherr and  WolffKran.

The enormous yellow climbing cranes are designed to accompany the tower’s growth both externally and internally, in the latter case utilising any of the building’s 65 interior elevator shafts to make the climb, said Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic Company, the developer of the project.

With the tower’s foundation now in place, vertical, above-ground construction commenced in September. Plans call for the first 10 floors to be completed by the end of the year. The tower is on target for completion in 2018.

“Now that we have completed our subterranean work, we are airborne,” he said. “The unprecedented size and height of Kingdom Tower means we can only utilise the very best in equipment, material and methods. Liebherr’s and WolffKran very impressive and innovative cranes fit this bill.”

The largest of the six cranes Liebherr type 357 HC-L  can lift up to 18 tonnes at a speed of 44 m per minute with heights to parallel that of the tower. The cranes are attached to the body of the building but sit atop a phenomenally narrow tower support of only 2.4 m by 2.45 m.

"It is not just the size that makes these new cranes unique. They feature the latest in heavy-lifting technology that will allow them to withstand harsh weather conditions, in particular, the strong winds that can sweep across the spectacular heights at which the cranes will ultimately be deployed. To operate this type of cranes, special highly experienced and certified operators will be hired," said Hammoud.

The Kingdom Tower will feature 170 storeys,  seven  storeys of  which  will  be allocated for the  five-star  Four  Seasons Hotel  offering  200  rooms and 121 luxury serviced apartments, and seven storeys for offices.

The tower will also have 61 storeys that will offer 318 housing units of various types and amenities such as gyms, spas, cafes and restaurants. There will be two sky lobbies and the world’s highest observation decks located at 644-m height, enabling visitors to view the  city of Jeddah and the Red Sea. - TradeArabia News Service