Shard firm lands deal for world's tallest skyscraper Published duration 22 February 2013

image caption Work on the Kingdom Tower is expected to start later this year

The company that built London's Shard skyscraper has been chosen to oversee the construction of a tower in Saudi Arabia set to be the world's tallest.

London-based Mace will team up with British firm EC Harris to create the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah.

When finished, the structure will stand around 3,280 ft (1km) high, more than three times taller than the Shard.

It will be around 558ft (170m) higher than the current tallest building, the 2,717ft (828m) Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Construction of the Kingdom Tower, which will overlook the Red Sea, is expected to cost around £780m and take more than five years to complete.

It will consist of a five-star hotel, apartments, office space and an observatory.

Mark Reynolds, chief executive of Mace, said: "Kingdom Tower is a project of international importance and immense ambition and we are delighted to be part of the joint venture team tasked with its delivery."

Keith Brooks, head of property and social infrastructure at EC Harris, said: "The Kingdom Tower is a landmark building that will clearly demonstrate Saudi Arabia's ambitions to the world."