Episode Overview

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Episode: Short Stuff: Jeddah Tower
Date: March 18, 2026
Hosts: Josh & Chuck

In this episode, Josh and Chuck explore the story of the Jeddah Tower, a hugely ambitious skyscraper project underway in Saudi Arabia. The duo breaks down the building’s history, its architectural innovations, the challenges it's faced—including financial and political upheaval—and what makes it so extraordinary in the history of human construction. The episode blends historical context, engineering challenges, fun comparisons, and a few jaw-dropping facts about both the project and its setting.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Ambition of Jeddah Tower

• The story begins with 2008 plans by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to best the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and create "the first skyscraper to reach over 3,280 ft or higher"—a full kilometer (02:02).
• The tower was to be the centerpiece of "Jeddah Economic City," a planned metropolis that Chuck jokes has a "terrible name" (01:41).
• The underlying motivation: "I think his goal was to make the Burj Khalifa look like poop...I want to build one taller" (Josh, 01:37).

2. Engineering and Design Innovations

• Architect: Adrian Smith, the American architect who designed both the Burj Khalifa and Jeddah Tower (03:46).
• Structural Design: The Jeddah Tower uses a triangular (Y-shaped) core, a design that’s "a lot safer" at massive heights due to wind tunnel testing results (Josh, 03:56).
  • "Making a building that tall as a triangle...instead of a box or rectangle is a lot safer for...wind" (03:56).
• Inspirations: Adrian Smith was inspired by palm leaves: "how palm leaves stick up from the top of a tree before they unfurl, cool and bend over...I'm like, yep, that looks like the Jeddah Tower" (Chuck, 05:33).

3. Construction Timeline and Challenges

• Start and Stops:
  • Ground broke in April 2013; just laying the foundation took over a year (10:59).
  • Construction halted in 2018 due to political turmoil and later the COVID-19 pandemic (02:55, 09:02, 11:23).
• Political Impact: Major construction backer Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was arrested in a broad anti-corruption sweep led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which also entangled the Saudi Binladin Group (financial and building partners) (11:23).
  • "Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a big anti corruption purge where he arrested 11 Saudi princes, one of which was the financial backer of the Jeddah Tower" (Josh, 11:23).
• Engineering Safeguards: Foresight led to installation of underground sensors to monitor structural integrity during the long pause—a rare move in the region (12:00).
  • "Apparently they had the foresight to install these underground sensors...and they could get readings that apparently said, like, we're all good down here." (Josh, 11:59).
• Restart: Work resumed September 2023, and by January 2026, 80 of the 167 planned floors are complete (12:33).

4. Mind-Boggling Comparisons and Fun Facts

• Size: Would be about twice as tall as the original World Trade Center’s Twin Towers (03:21).
• Elevators: Planned to have 59 ultra high-speed elevators and 7 double-decker elevators, zipping people up at 32 ft per second (09:55, 10:01).
• Observation Deck: Originally planned as a helipad, but architects rejected that as "not a good idea" due to wind and height (08:15).
  • "It'll be at 2,187ft...They were gonna have a helipad on it...can't land a helicopter on something that high" (Josh, 08:15).

5. Local Context and Legends

• Jeddah’s Unlikely Fame: The city is said to be the burial place of Eve ("Eve of Garden of Eden fame") and Jeddah’s name may be derived from "jara," meaning grandmother (09:02, 09:28).
  • "It's claim to fame...is that it holds the tomb of Eve...Jeddah is...a derivation of jara, which means grandmother" (Chuck, 09:28).

6. Ongoing Status and Cautionary Commentary

• The project is now being pursued at "breakneck pace," which the hosts note is concerning for safety in such a complex build (Josh, 13:06).
  • "You don't really want to do that when you're building the world's tallest building, but who knows?" (Chuck, 13:12).
• "We’ll see what happens with the Jeddah Tower...but we'll see." (Josh, 13:40).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ambitions to outdo Dubai:
  "Yeah, it's going to make the Burj Khalifa look like poop."
  —Chuck (01:31)

• Engineering insight:
  "Making a building that tall as a triangle...instead of a box or rectangle is a lot safer for...wind"
  —Josh (03:56)

• Architectural inspiration:
  "Inspired by how palm leaves stick up from the top of a tree before they unfurl...looks like the Jeddah Tower."
  —Chuck (05:33)

• Unexpected historical nugget:
  "Its claim to fame...is that it holds the tomb of Eve...Jeddah is...a derivation of jara, which means grandmother."
  —Chuck (09:28)

• Construction and political drama:
  "Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a big anti corruption purge where he arrested 11 Saudi princes, one of which was the financial backer of the Jeddah Tower."
  —Josh (11:23)

• Pragmatic skepticism:
  "You don't really want to do that when you're building the world's tallest building, but who knows?"
  —Chuck (13:12)

Important Timestamps

• 01:31: Ambition to surpass Burj Khalifa and build a new city
• 02:02: Target height: one kilometer (3,280 ft)
• 03:46: Adrian Smith, architect of both Jeddah Tower and Burj Khalifa
• 05:33: Inspiration from palm leaves
• 08:15: Observation deck at 2,187 ft, failed helipad plan
• 09:28: Jeddah's legend as location of Eve's tomb
• 09:55: Technical specs: tons of steel, high-speed elevators, apartments, hotel
• 10:59: Political crisis halts construction
• 11:59: Underground sensors ensure structural integrity
• 12:33: Construction resumes, status updates (80 of 167 floors)
• 13:12: Sprint to finish "at breakneck pace"
• 13:24: Mohammed bin Salman links and parallel news events

Final Thoughts

Josh and Chuck’s discussion blends curiosity, skepticism, humor, and genuine awe at feats of engineering and ambition. The Jeddah Tower’s story is told as a parable of human aspiration—marked by political complications, technical breakthroughs, and cultural curiosities—while also hinting at the challenges of sustaining such outsized dreams in an unpredictable world.

Useful For:
Anyone seeking quick, comprehensive insight into the Jeddah Tower project, its significance, and why it continues to capture the world’s attention.

Short stuff is out!