As reported by Arab news, on August 19 Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz laid the foundation stone for the historic expansion project of the Grand Mosque, which covers 400 thousand square meters northwest and northeast of the mosque, and will increase its total capacity to more than 2.5 million. According to informed sources, the total area of the existing Grand Mosque is 356 thousand square meters accommodating 770 thousand worshippers, while the new expansion covering an area of 456 thousand square meters will accommodate 1.2 million. The new US$ 21.8 million project will comprise three parts: construction of a new building, expansion and development of courtyards around the mosque, including walkways, tunnels and toilets, and development of service facilities for air-conditioning, electricity and drinking water. A number of new multistoried hotels will establish at the end of the courtyards of the new expansion. Vast pathways will be created between the building for pilgrims and worshippers to reach the mosque. Al-Masjid al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Makkah, it surrounds the Kaaba, the place which worldwide Muslims turn towards while performing daily prayers and is Islam's holiest place. The mosque is also known as the Grand Mosque.

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has given the go ahead for the construction of the world's tallest tower in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah by signing a US$ 1.2 billion contract with Bin Laden Group on August 2. As reported by ctbuh.org, at over thousand meters and a total construction area of 530 thousand square meters, Kingdom Tower will be the centerpiece and first construction phase of the Kingdom City development on a 5.3 million square meter site in north Jeddah. The tower's height will be at least 172 meters taller than the world's current tallest building, Dubai's 828 meter-tall Burj Khalifa, which was designed by Adrian Smith. Kingdom Tower will feature a Four Seasons hotel, Four Seasons serviced apartments, Class A office space, luxury condominiums and the world's highest observatory. Design development of the tower is under way, with construction to begin imminently. Foundation drawings are complete and the piling for the tower is currently being tendered. Kingdom Tower will cost approximately US$ 1.2 billion to construct, while the cost of the entire Kingdom City project is anticipated to be US$ 20 billion. AS+GG is leading an interdisciplinary design team. The great height of Kingdom Tower necessitates one of the world's most sophisticated elevator systems. The Kingdom Tower complex will contain 59 elevators, including 54 single-deck and five double-deck elevators, along with 12 escalators. Elevators serving the observatory will travel at a rate of 10 meters per second in both directions. Another unique feature of the design is a sky terrace, roughly 30 meters in diameter, at level 157. It is an outdoor amenity space intended for use by the penthouse floor. AS+GG also designed the master plan for the 230 thousand square meters Kingdom Tower Waterfront District, which surrounds the tower and which will include residential and commercial buildings, a shopping mall, high-quality outdoor spaces and other amenities. The Waterfront District provides a cohesive and pedestrian-friendly setting for Kingdom Tower while creating a pleasant neighborhood experience along the Kingdom City lakefront.