Saudi Arabia to construct world's largest building stretching miles

 

According to those acquainted with the topic, Saudi Arabia is preparing the world's largest skyscrapers in a mostly unpopulated portion of the nation as part of a totally new $500 billion development called Neom.

According to the sources, Neom, the brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, plans to erect twin buildings that would reach a height of 500 meters (1,640 feet) and spread horizontally for dozens of kilometers.

The skyscrapers, which would span from the Red Seashoreline into the desert, would house a mix of residential, retail, and office space, according to the persons, who asked not to be identified since the material is confidential. According to the persons, the idea is a departure from the concept presented last year of constructing a series of developments linked by underground hyper-speed rail into a one long structure.

According to current and former Neom personnel, designers were directed to work on a half-mile-long prototype. If built in its entirety, each project would be larger than the world's current tallest structures, which are mostly factories or shopping malls rather than residential communities.

Prince Mohammed's idea to transform a rural section of the kingdom into a high-tech semi-autonomous state that reimagines urban life was announced in 2017. It's part of his strategy to entice international investment and diversify Saudi Arabia's economy away from oil revenues. The Line, the car-free linear city that would serve as Neom's backbone, might cost up to $200 billion to create, according to the prince last year, but that was before the concept was revised to include massive horizontal skyscrapers.

"The Line is an out-of-the-box concept," Neom CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr said in an interview, declining to discuss on the plan's specifics. "When we're ready, we'll deliver something that will be very well accepted and seen as revolutionary."

According to current and former employees at the Saudi project, Neom collaborated with Morphosis, a California-based architecture firm, to plan The Line. Morphosis, which was created by Thom Mayne, the "bad boy" of American architecture, did not reply to calls for comment.

According to Al-Nasr, the buildings would be "various heights as you go," responding to the landscape, and their final scale would be dictated by engineering considerations and the topography.

The world's tallest structure, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, is already located in the Middle East. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal declared intentions to build the world's tallest structure near Jeddah long before Prince Mohammed rose to power. The skyscraper is still in the early stages of construction.