Kingdom Tower, the world's tallest tower, located in northern Jeddah, has reached an important milestone in the project that will set another new world record - the world's tallest construction crane. The singularly soaring skyscraper that will ultimately earn the accolade of world's tallest building, with a height of more than 1 kilometer, demands equally unique construction equipment, methods and materials, including the custom-built cranes supplied by Germany's Liebherr & WolffKran. The enormous yellow lifting devices, known as climbing cranes are designed to accompany the tower's growth both externally and internally, in the latter case utilizing any of the building's 65 interior elevator shafts to make the climb. The largest of the six cranes Liebherr type 357 HC-L can lift up to 18 tons at a speed of 44 meters/minute, with heights to parallel that of the tower. The cranes are attached to the body of the building but sits atop a phenomenally narrow tower support of only 2.4 meters X 2.45 meters. But 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. With the tower's foundation now in place, vertical, above-ground construction commenced in September. Plans call for the first ten floors to be completed by the end of the year. The Kingdom Tower features 170 stories, seven stories of which will be allocated for the five-star Four Seasons Hotel offering 200 rooms and 121 luxury serviced apartments, and seven stories for offices. The tower will also have 61 stories that include 318 housing units of various types' amenities, gyms, spas, cafes and restaurants, two sky lobbies and world's highest observation decks, located on the 644 meter-height, enabling visitors to view Jeddah and the Red Sea from high in the sky.

The plan to turn Gyumri into a technological center can now be considered a reality in part, as Armenia's second largest city on Saturday launched its industrial park in a ceremony attended by high-ranking guests. The Gyumri TP is part of a larger project aimed to making Gyumri an industrial center equipped with high technologies, says Bagrat Yengibaryan, the director of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation. "This is an exceptional opportunity for Armenia in terms of training high-quality human resources and making investments based on them. International organizations' presence in Gyumri will, in turn, help create a highly-paid workforce which will have its impact on raising not only the education level but also the living standards," he told reporters covering the event. The ceremony was attended by President Serzh Sargsyan, Minister of Economy Karen Cshmarityan, Mayor of Gyumri Samvel Balasanyan and many other guests. Construction of the project started in 2012. The total floor area is 6500 square meters. Here are situated "Armtab" laboratory and educational laboratory room, laboratory of engineering and mechanics, rooms of companies "D-Link" and "E-Works", a multimedia studio and the auditorium.

Construction has begun on a giant observation tower in the heart of the Amazon basin to monitor climate change. The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory is expected to rise 325 meters from the ground. Its instruments will gather data on greenhouse gases, aerosol particles and the weather in one of the largest continuous rain forests on the planet. Brazilian and German scientists hope to use the data to better understand sources of greenhouse gases and answer questions on climate change. The tower is being constructed out of steel that was brought thousands of kilometers from the south of Brazil to the site, about 160 kilometers from the Amazonian city of Manaus. Because of its height, the tower will make it possible to investigate the alteration and movement of air masses through the forest over a distance of several hundred kilometers. The Amazon jungle is one of the world's most sensitive ecosystems, with a powerful influence on the intake and release of carbon into the atmosphere. ""The tower will help us answer innumerable questions related to global climate change," said Paulo Artaxo, from the University of Sao Paulo and project coordinator for the Brazilians. The tower will be integrated into an existing structure of smaller measuring towers in the region. When finished, it will complement a similar observatory built in 2006 that already stands in Central Siberia (lower photo).

An open competition could be launched for the restoration and future use of Moscow's 1922 Shukhov Tower after it was saved from demolition. A campaign led by some of the biggest names in architecture has persuaded Moscow city council to overturn plans to dismantle the 150 meters steel lattice radio tower to make way for a new development. Now Moscow city council has announced it is to give the structure protected status, citing its dominance on the skyline, its 3D design - it features five interlocking hyperboloids - and the method of its construction as key reasons. And, in conjunction with the national government, it wants to hold an open international competition to restore the tower and find future uses. But there is some doubt about whether an international competition would be legal because the legislation requires special certificate from The Ministry for Culture of Russia for cultural heritage works, according to a report in the Izvestia newspaper. Properly called the Shabolovka radio tower and designed by the engineer, academician Vladimir Shukhov, it was described by Foster as a work of "dazzling genius".

Architecture practice RMJM's Shenzhen office just won a design competition for a new observation tower in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai. Inspired by Doumen district's traditional water culture, the architects designed the skyscraper in the image of a jumping fish by covering the twisting structure in a scaly facade. The iconic tower will serve as a major city landmark and will be prominently located at the confluence of two major rivers in the center of the city's new promenade development. Measuring nearly 100 meters in height, the Zhuhai Observation Tower will be clad in 1,400 perforated aluminum panels that will give the building its fish-like look and protect the tower from the sun. Composed of twelve two-dimensional curves, the skyscraper's likeness to a jumping fish symbolizes the prosperity and rapid transformation of Zhuhai. Since the tower will be integrated in an urban promenade, RMJM minimized the building's footprint in order to make room for pedestrian-oriented landscape elements and recreational activities. Cafes and restaurants will also be located on the first floor of the tower to help spur activity in the plaza square. The mixed-use tower is split into three main activity zones: the ground podium with retail and restaurants, the leisure activity zone in the middle, and an observation deck on the top floor that will offer 360-degree views.