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Architecture

Work begins on gigantic Saudi skyscraper that can fit 20 Empire States

By Adam Williams
October 23, 2024
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The Mukaab will feature a huge interior that will host a twisting tower, rendered here in cutaway view but the outer walls of the cube will be solid when construction is complete
New Murabba Development Company
Saudi Arabia's extraordinarily ambitious cuboid skyscraper, the Mukaab, is expected to be completed by 2030
New Murabba
The Mukaab will reach a height, width and length of 400 m (1,312 ft), forming a supertall cuboid skyscraper
New Murabba Development Company
The Mukaab will feature a huge interior that will host a twisting tower, rendered here in cutaway view but the outer walls of the cube will be solid when construction is complete
New Murabba Development Company
View gallery - 3 images

As if the Line wasn't enough, Saudi Arabia is currently busy constructing yet another amazing skyscraper, named the Mukaab. Taking the form of a supertall cube, new information has been released that details the build progress so far and the sheer scale of the project.

The Mukaab will reach a height of 400 m (1,312 ft) in the Saudi capital Riyadh, but more impressively it will also be just as long and wide, making it so large that, according to the Saudi Government's Public Investment Fund, it could fit 20 Empire State Buildings inside of it. Additionally, Bloomberg says it will actually be the world's largest building.

Its decorative exterior is inspired by traditional Islamic architecture, while its interior will have a floorspace of around 2 million square meters (0.77 square miles). At its center will be another large twisting tower – think of it like a big box with a large twisting structure inside.

The Mukaab will also feature some kind of holographic system that will be used to depict underwater and strange otherworldly scenes inside the cube structure, which all sounds a little reminiscent of the Sphere's fancy "4D" immersive cinematic experience, but we've no further details yet.

Saudi Arabia's extraordinarily ambitious cuboid skyscraper, the Mukaab, is expected to be completed by 2030
New Murabba

Excavation work is almost complete and 10 million cubic meters [roughly 350 million cubic ft] of earth has been moved to date. The excavation process has required the daily use of roughly 250 excavators and over 400 pieces of equipment to manage all the soil, with construction workers putting in a total of around 3 million hours of labor so far. Additionally, a bridge is being constructed to allow everything to move smoothly.

"New Murabba will also construct a temporary bridge that will serve as a critical enabler, connecting the construction site by crossing King Khalid Road," explains developer New Murabba's press release. "This connection will facilitate ongoing development and pave the way for the initiation of Mukaab piling in the coming months. The bridge is expected to reduce approximately 800,000 truck movements on public roads for earthworks alone, showcasing a positive impact on the surrounding infrastructure. With around 900 workers on-site daily, work is advancing rapidly, bringing the destination closer."

Completion of the Mukaab is expected by 2030.

Source: New Murabba

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ArchitectureBuilding and ConstructionSaudi ArabiaSkyscrapers
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Adam Williams
Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.
9 comments
Captain Obvious
What will these guys do when the oil money runs out?
Thud
I see that they have reached the "This is where we want to build" it phase.
paul314
Is this what's going to be left of modern-day civilization in another few centuries?
CAVUMark
And what will all these people feed on? Soylent green?
sgdeluxedoc
Not soylent green, but insects. There's enough biomass of insects worldwide to comfortably feed every man and woman on earth, once we get over the thought of consuming them. After processing, they won't appear like insects anymore, but whatever foodsources the processors have chosen to emulate. OK, we're a long way from that yet, but it's clearly headed in that direction by some researchers.. I don't know just how far, though. The alternative is we keep cutting down all the rainforests for cattle grazing land, and pine nut groves, which ldestroy the worldwide climate, to say nothing of destroying thousands of vital species of plants and animals, which could have led to lost cures for deadly diseases and harming the ecological balance. We've already seen how these superstorms are picking up... Maybe .learning to consume insects is a good step in the right direction.
michael_dowling
Captain Obvious : They are probably paying for it with interest on their oil money.
SplineDoctor
@Captain Obvious: They are owners of vast amount of profitable businesses and properties worldwide. Maybe more than we think, via obscure front companies.

@sgdeluxedoc: Do Islamic laws permit the eating of insects?
Jinpa
Imagine the cost of cooling a space this large. No word on how it will produce enough income to amortize the construction, financing or maintenance costs. But it could hide a lot of mischief.
ReservoirPup
Can't imagine myself not only living in it, but spending a night. They are building Mars on Earth, sort of
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