Mohammed bin Salman A few years ago, the Saudi crown prince ordered the authorities to build the largest building in the country, its “Egyptian pyramids”. No details were discussed at the time, except that the goal was to make the investment luxurious and to be built in the arid desert regions. Now, however, the plan is beginning to bear fruit: two complexes will be planned 120 kilometers long and 500 meters high, and can accommodate up to 5 million people, he writes The Wall Street Journal Based on hundreds of pages of plans.
The parts of the two mirror buildings, which cross coastal, mountain and desert areas, parallel to each other, will be connected by a long corridor, and a high-speed underground train will also be running, which can be used to travel from one end of the area to the other in a few minutes. The designers were making food for the residents possible with vertical farms built into the buildings. Leisure and luxury are also a serious consideration: a stadium will be built 300 meters above the ground, and a yacht harbor is also planned.
The goal of the project, according to the portal, is to diversify the kingdom’s wealth and reduce dependence on oil. NEOM, which is owned by the Saudi state wealth fund, will achieve this by attracting foreign investors, which will create thousands of jobs. However, this will not be easy, given that many Western countries and companies are boycotting the kingdom and the emir due to human rights violations in the country.
Joe Biden But his visit last week is likely to pave the way for more foreign investment.
The designer of the Mirror Line will be US-based Morphosis Architects, who together with nine other architectural firms can realize the dream of the Saudi prince. However, this seems almost impossible with the current deadline of 2030. Especially since designers have to find solutions to many problems. The path follows the migration path of millions of birds, and the architects have to take into account the curvature of the Earth within 120 kilometers when designing the horizontal skyscraper. In addition, the dynamics of groundwater flow in the region will also change, for which they also need to find a solution.
Prince Mohammed first presented his plans for a car-free, pollution-free city in January 2021. The prince said their goal at the time was to enable residents to meet with up to five minutes of walking per day, and to travel the entire route within 20 minutes. According to the plans, the project will be entirely powered by renewable energy. Shading is one of the biggest challenges for a structure that consists of two tall buildings parallel to each other. According to researchers, a lack of natural sunlight can be harmful to health.
