PROJECTS
From a linear city that will run on 100% clean energy and skyscrapers that challenge the norms of architecture to a subterranean digital settlement carved into the mountains, here are select projects from Saudi Arabia’s ambitious $500-billion NEOM project that we are excited to see.
By Arshan Hussain
21 July 2024
The Line, being constructed as a linear desert settlement under NEOM, aims to be a template for future cities with its minimized footprint | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Oil is the fulcrum on which the economics and the politics of the Middle East rests. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the largest country in the region, is dependent on this “black gold” for almost 40% of its GDP. To reduce this dependency, the Saudi Arabian government in 2016 launched the Saudi Vision 2030, a program aimed at creating alternate sources of revenue while inviting global investments.
A key part of the Vision involves real estate projects, which the country hopes helps towards promoting economic, social and cultural diversification. And the poster child for this strategy is the super-ambitious NEOM, a moniker given to a range of architectural and urban design projects being developed in the northwestern Tabuk province, which has been making waves in real estate corridors for its $500-plus-billion budget. Once complete, the project will cover a footprint of approximately 26,500 square kilometers across a diverse range of topographies and offer facilities such as a floating industrial city, a linear settlement, mountain destination hotels, subterranean community housing and more with a futuristic take.
Aquellum, a subterranean digital city under NEOM, will explore new dimensions of urban living | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Slated to be ready by 2039, the project aspires to run on renewable energy, conserve pristine natural landscapes across all its development regions, and set a precedent for reimagining urbanism with the help of technology. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for the project goes to the extent of having flying cars and robots replacing humans for various jobs across the region.
With a vast area under development and an extravagant budget, the project has offered an open laboratory for leading architects and designers from all over the world, including ”starchitect” firms such as BIG, Zaha Hadid Architects, and OMA, all of which have been reeled in. With initial renders released for some of the designs reminiscent of the extraterrestrial cities in Frank Herbert’s Dune and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, here we look at select buildings and cities from NEOM that may take us into a new era of architecture and urban design.
The Line Promises a Revolution in Urban Living
Announced in January 2021 as the first and most anticipated project from NEOM, The Line is a linear settlement that seeks to defy the norms associated with a traditional city. The settlement — labeled by the program as a “revolution in civilization” — aims to eradicate the woes of urban sprawl by placing a series of interconnected modules separated by a mere width of 200 meters and running along a stretch of 2.4 kilometers.
The offices of acclaimed architects such as Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Wolf D. Prix and others working to bring this utopian vision to reality claim that the car-free city, set to accommodate 300,000 people, will be a model in sustainability running on 100% renewable energy sourced from solar, wind, and hydrogen-based sources.
The Line will be wrapped in mirrored glass that will merge the settlement with its environs | Image Courtesy of NEOM
The Line follows the concept of zero-gravity urbanism where all city functions will be layered vertically in three dimensions (up, down or across) for people to access. Reaching a height of 500 meters, these stacked modules will have residences, urban parks, offices, schools, hospitals, leisure spaces, and pedestrian zones separated by a walking distance of five minutes.
A peek into the interiors of The Line with hovering gardens and swimming pools | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Punctuated with public parks for natural views, the settlement will maintain a temperate microclimate throughout the year and encourage a sense of community by promoting walking and interaction around its parks. On the outside, the high walls of The Line will be wrapped in mirrored glass that will merge the settlement with its environs.
Trojena Will Give the Middle East Its First Winter Sports Destination
NEOM’s mountain tourism destination Trojena has been masterplanned by German studio LAVA Architects. The site, located at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 2,600 meters, enjoys a cooler temperature as compared to the rest of the project’s development regions, and is intended to attract global crowds for its alpine sports and ski resorts; it will also host the first ever winter sporting event in an Arabian country with the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
Guests at the family resorts and hotels in Trojena will be able to relish the views of a scenic artificial lake | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Envisioned by Zaha Hadid Architects, Discovery Tower will be the pièce de résistance of this stunning 60-square-kilometer development. Perched atop its highest level, the tower will overlook an artificial lake and be surrounded by an outdoor ski village, family resorts, a health and wellbeing center, and retail spaces.
Discovery Tower will be perched atop Trojena’s highest peak overlooking the entire mountainous region | Image Courtesy of NEOM
The renders for the 330-meter-high tower show a crystalline, iceberg-like structure with a slender peak. Alongside other facilities, three different levels on the skyscraper will house observation decks to let the visitors enjoy panoramic views of Trojena.
Treyam Will Feature the World’s Longest Infinity Sky Pool
Located 10 kilometers north of The Line will be Treyam, a luxury lagoon hotel that is strategically placed at the confluence of desert and coastal landscapes. The scenic, azure lagoon is part of the Gulf of Aqaba, another region that the Saudi government is set to develop under NEOM.
Treyam will float over the lagoon like a gateway into NEOM | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Designed by US-based Mark Foster Gage Architects, Treyam will be created as a bridge hotel hovering 36 meters above the sea, in line with NEOM’s principle of minimum land intervention in its projects. The 450-meter-long bridge will accommodate a 250-room luxury resort topped by an infinity swimming pool (which will be the world’s longest sky pool once complete), all wrapped in a futuristic golden-blue facade. Inside, partial glass floors and ceilings in the hotel rooms will lend the effect of underwater living to the guests. Apart from the rooms and the swimming pool, Treyam will also offer wellness and fitness amenities, luxury spa treatments, restaurants, and entertainment venues at the base of the bridge.
Boutique Hotels in Leyja Will Set New Benchmarks for Adventure & Wellness Tourism
The central coast of the Gulf of Aqaba is marked by a ravine-like wadi (Arabic for river valley), a work of nature carved over ages. NEOM chose this historical site for its three high-end boutique hotels in the district of Leyja: the Adventure Hotel, the Oasis Hotel, and the Wellness Hotel. Together, they will offer 120 boutique rooms along with hanging gardens, infinity pools, observation decks, and a helipad.
The Adventure Hotel is designed as ascending blocks in order to intervene little with the wadi land | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Designed by Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) partner Chris Van Dujin, the Adventure Hotel will embrace the sinuousness of the wadi in the form of contoured blocks. With its Brutalist design, it will seemingly hang on the 400-meter-high ravine wall to offer adrenaline-packed adventures to its guests.
Leyja district’s Oasis hotel will emerge from the valley as rocky outcrops | Image Courtesy of NEOM
The Oasis hotel, designed by Italian architect Mario Cucinella, will emerge in the image of outcrops from the ancient wadi. Sitting on top of the ravine, the castle-like hotel will merge in the surroundings with its rough, rock-like skin. On the other hand, Dubai-based Killa Design has created the Wellness Hotel as two giant volumes draped in mirrored facades that will reflect the surrounding terrain, as if a mirage in the desert.
Mirrored facades of the Wellness Hotel will create a mirage-like effect | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Aquellum Teases a Subterranean Digital City
Plugged at the interface of sea and mountains on the Gulf of Aqaba, Aquellum is another step that NEOM takes towards tech-infused urban living. Imagined by UK-based NAME architecture and German studio LAVA Architects, the project will feature the world’s first sunken marina and a futuristic digital city.
LAVA Architects founder Alexander Rieck describes the subterranean settlement as an “upside-down skyscraper.” It will be accessed from the sunken marina on the gulf, from which point special boats on an underground canal will lead to a square — the center of a 100-meter-high digital city in the mountains.
Aquellum will give the world its first floating marina and a subterranean digital city | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Aquellum’s interiors will bring together rock-cut architecture and cutting-edge technology. A boulevard, acting as the central spine and cutting through the central courtyard, will connect residences, hotels, art galleries, museums, restaurants, cinemas, and retail spaces. A special zone known as The Generator will be home to research labs on varied subjects to attract scientific talent from all over the world. At the top of the central square, residents and visitors will be able to enjoy a rooftop garden named as the Cloud Garden of Aquellum.
The designers’ impression of an indoor performance arena at Aquellum | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Epicon Towers Will Challenge the Norms of Architecture
Rising from the desert landscape, Epicon will evoke the effect of walking into a sci-fi flick with its shimmering skyscrapers. Two towers, one an ultra-premium hotel and the other a luxury beach resort, will stand at a short distance from each other, soaring to the heights of 275 meters and 225 meters respectively. Created by UK-based 10 Design, steel plates jutting out of the mirrored towers are intended to enhance the neo-futuristic aesthetic. While the hotel’s guests would enjoy far-reaching views of the sea from the sky, those at the resort would have a closer look at beach life in low-lying villas.
The shimmering skyscrapers of Epicon will evoke the effect of walking into a science fiction film | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Oxagon Reveals a Floating Industrial City
Announced right after The Line, the industrial city of Oxagon was one of the first NEOM regions unveiled by the Saudi Arabian government. The name Oxagon comes from the octagonal planning employed by architectural studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) for the city’s urban form.
Oxagon, set to be the world’s largest floating city, is planned in the shape of an octagon | Image Courtesy of NEOM
Incorporating the existing Duba port, the new port development intends to be at the forefront of manufacturing and industrial R&D with net-zero carbon, automated port facilities that will connect Saudi Arabia to global markets through the Suez Canal. The most striking feature of the city, however, will likely be the floating sector with more than half of the industrial complex set to be located on water.
