London’s Tallest Building Stands Without Equal for Now

The contest for the tallest building in the world is taking place in the Middle East where the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia hopes to rise 50 stories higher than the current titleholder, the 2,722-foot (830-meter) Burj Khalifa in Dubai. That’s been an extended competition: Dubai’s tower has held the title since 2009; the Jeddah edifice has been under construction since 2013, including a five-year stoppage because of labor problems. It seems to be back on track as of the end of last year, though it may be five more years before it’s finished. By then, the Riyadh tower — a pet project of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — may eclipse all others. It is projected to be twice the height of the Burj — that is, rising just about a mile (1.6 kilometers) into the sky.

Here in London, the skyscraper contest can barely get off the ground. The proposal to build a tower to equal the British capital’s tallest building — the Shard — was delayed once again earlier this month. On the drawing boards since 2015, it’s been revised a couple of times — lower at one point because of concerns about planes flying from a nearby airport. The 73-story building, which will be called 1 Undershaft, had been approved back in 2016 but adjustments to the design (including plopping one more floor back on top) required reapplying. That’s when the neighbors got into the act — at the ground level.