This Day in History (1977): Aramco's Highest Building Rises

From the Jan. 12, 1977, edition of The Arabian Sun

Dhahran's future new office building, a few months ago only an architectural rendering on a drafting table, is now steadily rising into view over the fence of the construction site, about 75 yards west of the present administration building.

A central force behind the steady progress -- and recently a topic of conversation -- is the crane being utilized on the site: the 100-plus-foot-high Linden Tower Crane.

What makes the crane such an efficient one is the portable controls. Equipped with a harness, the control box can be operated while being carried or from a stationary position. Thus, the operator of the crane is free to move to any vantage point on the construction site.

According to Aramco Project Engineer Boaz, the system offers two advantages.

Always working at the level of construction, the operator has a more accurate judgment of both vertical and horizontal distance. And since he is working at the same level as the crew, he is able to keep a watchful eye on the operations.
— Jim Boaz

Like the crane that is assisting in its construction, the new office building will be a topic of conversation: when completed, the 10-story building will be Aramco's highest.

The north and south wings and a core containing eight elevators will encompass about 400,000 square feet of office and operational space.

Caption for top photo: The Linden Tower Crane, center, lends a strong arm to the construction of the north wing of the new Dhahran office building.

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475 — Byzantine Emperor Zeno flees Constantinople as his general, Basiliscus, gains control of the empire.