{"id":148846,"date":"2026-06-25T03:55:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T06:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/engineer-of-worlds-tallest-skyscraper-reveals-detail-we-dont-talk-about\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T03:55:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T06:55:34","slug":"engineer-of-worlds-tallest-skyscraper-reveals-detail-we-dont-talk-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/engineer-of-worlds-tallest-skyscraper-reveals-detail-we-dont-talk-about\/","title":{"rendered":"Engineer of World\u2019s Tallest Skyscraper Reveals Detail \u2018We Don\u2019t Talk About\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

One of the most unique aspects of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Jeddah Tower, the world’s tallest building, is something barely visible to the eye\u2014a significant portion of it will extend beyond the part of the atmosphere where most weather happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that’s unique about Jeddah Tower is that really about a third of it is above the atmospheric boundary layer,\u201d engineer John Peronto, managing principal at Thornton Tomasetti and project manager for the tower, told Newsweek<\/em>. \u201cWe don’t talk about that a lot in tall buildings because not many have really achieved these levels of height.\u201d<\/p>\n

This rarely discussed feature underscores just how far the project pushes the limits of skyscraper design.<\/p>\n

\n

Read More on <\/span>World<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

Once topped out, the Jeddah Tower\u2014designed by architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG)\u2014will rise above 1,000 meters (around 3,281 feet), surpassing Dubai\u2019s Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world<\/a>, which stands at around 2,717 feet. Smith also designed the Burj Khalifa while at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), before co-founding AS+GG.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The ambition of such supertall buildings also raises questions about their environmental impact.<\/p>\n

Buildings are responsible for 39 percent of global energy-related carbon emissions\u201428 percent from operational energy and 11 percent from materials and construction, according to the World Green Building Council. A significant portion of this comes from embodied carbon, defined by the U.S. Green Building Council as \u201cthe millions of tons of Earth-warming carbon emissions\u201d generated throughout the life cycle of building products, from extraction and manufacturing to construction, maintenance, and eventual disposal.<\/p>\n

Gill previously acknowledged that supertall skyscrapers must contend with this reality, particularly in their structural systems, warning that the real challenge lies in refreshing existing buildings<\/a> and making them more sustainable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of embodied carbon that we’re seeing is primarily in the infrastructure and the structure of these buildings,\u201d he told Newsweek<\/em> earlier this month<\/a>, comparing it to the unseen systems beneath a city. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like a city\u2026underneath the asphalt, there’s a whole other world under there that’s driving the embodied carbon of cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, efficiency remains a central goal. Gill described the Jeddah Tower as \u201cextremely efficient,\u201d adding that the balance between form and performance is critical. \u201cWhen we talk about form and performance,<\/a> these are the kind of things we strive for,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The World Green Building Council has warned that \u201cupfront carbon\u201d\u2014emissions released before a building is operational\u2014could account for half of the entire carbon footprint of new construction by 2050, stressing that addressing these emissions is an \u201curgent\u201d priority for the sector.<\/p>\n