London, Mar 30 : The multi-billionaire owner of the Savoy hotel in London is planning to construct a mile-high tower in the desert.

Masterminded by British-based engineers, the building will be constructed in a “mini-city” near the Red Sea port of Jeddah and would be twice the height of the world’s tallest building.

The Mile High Tower, almost seven times the height of the Canary Wharf tower, will overtake skyscrapers planned or under construction in Dubai and Kuwait, reports Times Online.

The project is the brainchild of Prince al-Walid bin Talal, a member of the Saudi royal family, who has a fortune estimated at 11 billion pounds and is the world’s 19th richest person, according to Forbes magazine.

The 51-year-old’s Kingdom Holdings has appointed a joint venture set up by Hyder Consulting and Arup, the London enginerring firms, to build the 5 billion pounds tower.

The logistics of carrying out construction at such a height will make the project technically and financially difficult. The tower must be capable of conquering extremes of temperature as well as powerful desert winds.

The building will be fitted with a giant computer-operated damper stretching down several floors – to counter the nausea-inducing sway caused by the wind.

The structure will also be stabilized by two mini-towers, flanking the building’s base and attached to the main structure by arched sky-bridges. (ANI)