Installation phase begins at next world's tallest building

The first phase of elevator installations at the future tallest building in the world, Kingdom Tower, has got underway in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The Kingdom Tower, which is owned and developed by Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), will be the world's tallest building once completed in 2018 and is expected to rise to a height of more than one kilometre.
KONE, a global leader in elevator and escalator manufacturing, has started the first phase of its elevator installations at the gigantic tower's construction site.
"I am delighted we are now at the stage of taking the next leap with KONE in the construction of the Kingdom Tower," said Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic Company, owner and developer of the Kingdom Tower and Kingdom City.

The company will manufacture and install a total of 57 elevators and eight escalators in the tower which is set to be taller than Dubai's Burj Khalifa which stands 829 meters.
"With the use of KONE UltraRope, which is one-third of the weight of traditional ropes, we will be able to fit the DoubleDeck elevators with normal machines, a huge advantage that will enhance the sustainability of the Kingdom Tower by consuming much less power," Hammoud added.
KONE's Saudi Arabian joint venture, KONE Areeco, has been involved in the planning and design of all vertical transportation systems for the tower over the past two years in collaboration with the company's global experts.

The project team is currently working on pre-installation activities concerning the fitting of the elevator system's guide-rails, which is expected to begin toward the end of this year.