Saudi Arabia plans to develop a megacity that will comprise two 500-meter tall buildings that are 120 km long and parallel, Wall City. The project’s primary goals are to diversify the country’s economy and attract foreign investment.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, announced plans to build an ambitious NEOM City project on the Red Sea in the country’s northwest region. The project will consist of two 120 km long, and upto 500 m tall buildings built parallel to each other. The building will be covered in the mirror from the outside, giving it a one-of-a-kind appearance.
In a statement, the Crown Prince said that this massive undertaking would revolutionize civilization and serve as a model for improved human livability and the preservation of nature. He also stated that it would address the issues people face in urban life and provide an alternate way of living. The NEOM City, regarded as the world’s largest structure, is anticipated to cost up to one trillion dollars. It will be about the size of Massachusetts.
The ideation
Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman wanted to create something as incredible as the pyramids of Egypt. The city has two 1600-foot-tall skyscrapers that run parallel to each other for 120 km from the NEOM Mountains to the Red Sea. The two large parallel structures will be linked by walkways and potentially accommodate up to 5 million people. Vertical farming will be done in the buildings. A high-speed train will run under the buildings, allowing people to travel from one end to the other in under 20 minutes. Also, the city will have no cars, no traffic jams, and no streets. In addition, there will be a sports stadium at the height of 1000 feet above the ground for the entertainment of the residents.
Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s main aim in developing the city is to diversify the economy and reduce the country’s economic dependence on oil. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns the megacity and aims to attract foreign investment and create numerous job opportunities.
The design of the city was prepared by a US-based company named Morphosis Architects and included nine other consultants, such as New York’s Thornton Tomasetti and Montreal’s WSP Global. The design team has suggested that the structure be built in phases using 2600 ft long structures that would connect along a line at adjustable heights of 1600 ft.
Expected date
The mega project has raised numerous challenges, the most notable of which is the city’s design. The Crown Prince set a deadline for the project’s completion of 2030, but an assessment indicated that it may take up to 50 years to complete and that work would need to be done in phases. The completion of the building would have an impact on the flow of groundwater in the desert, as well as the movement of birds and animals. In addition, since the two buildings will be built parallel to each other, the sunlight will be limited inside due to the formation of a shade.
If Saudi Arabia is successful in building the NEOM’s wall city, it will be among the wonders of the world.
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