Architecture

Is Saudi's vision of a 170-km-long mirrored skyscraper a desert mirage?

Is Saudi's vision of a 170-km-long mirrored skyscraper a desert mirage?
The Line's initial phase will be completed by 2030 and will have a length of 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
The Line's initial phase will be completed by 2030 and will have a length of 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
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The Line's initial phase will be completed by 2030 and will have a length of 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
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The Line's initial phase will be completed by 2030 and will have a length of 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
The Line would reach a maximum height of 500 m (1,640 ft), but have a total width of just 200 m (656 ft)
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The Line would reach a maximum height of 500 m (1,640 ft), but have a total width of just 200 m (656 ft)
The Line will take the form of a mirrored rectangular building in the Saudi Arabian desert
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The Line will take the form of a mirrored rectangular building in the Saudi Arabian desert
Work is currently being carried out on the Line 24/7
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Work is currently being carried out on the Line 24/7
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Given the mind-boggling size of Saudi Arabia's planned 170-km (105 mile)-long skyscraper the Line, perhaps it was inevitable that there would be some kind of reality check. Now a new report suggests that the initial phase of the project will be much more modest than originally planned.

According to Bloomberg, which cites an unnamed source familiar with the project, authorities are getting nervous about the vast sums of money being thrown at the project and the lack of hoped-for outside investment to help pay for it all, since even Saudi Arabia's deep pockets aren't quite bottomless.

As things currently stand then, the Line will take the form of a massive mirrored building that will reach a height of 500 m (1,640 ft), making it almost as tall as the USA's tallest skyscraper. Its width will be 200 m (656 ft), however, its initial length will now be "just" 2.4 km (1.5 miles), to be completed by 2030.

It's important to note that the plan was always to build this thing in phases, so the relatively modest first phase length isn't necessarily all that significant a setback in itself. However, more tellingly, it was also supposed to host a population of 1.5 million by 2030 and, according to the report, this has now been reduced to under 300,000 people. The idea is that the Line will then potentially keep growing like any normal city, adding new residential areas, businesses, and tourist attractions as needed, all under the watchful eye of AI systems and heavy surveillance to help monitor energy requirements.

The Line will take the form of a mirrored rectangular building in the Saudi Arabian desert
The Line will take the form of a mirrored rectangular building in the Saudi Arabian desert

Assuming there are no further setbacks, the Line is still a very ambitious project, as seen in the recent construction video. However, there's no sugarcoating it: the reported revision is a huge reduction in scope, at least initially, and doesn't bode well for Prince Mohammed bin Salman's utopian – some might say dystopian – vision of a mirrored city in the sand for 9 million people.

As for the wider Neom development, work is still ongoing and the Treyam, Xaynor and Gidori are safer bets, since they will be relatively easier and cheaper to achieve. It remains to be seen whether Foster + Partners' rumored 1.2-mile-tall skyscraper will still be officially announced in the new cost-conscious climate or if that too will fall foul of Saudi's bean counters.

We've reached out to Neom for official comment.

Source: Bloomberg

View gallery - 4 images
12 comments
12 comments
acudoc1949
The new Tower of Babbel….
paul314
If you figure that conventional big skyscrapers have podiums in the 100-200 meter range, the revised version would be roughly equivalent to construction of 10-40 supertalls over the coming 6 years. Not impossible. I'm guessing a significant reduction in final height and also some kind of highly-open near-atrium construction, just because otherwise the internal rooms would be 100m away from light and air.
Ric
Am I missing something? Isn’t the Saudi desert hot enough without a quarter mile plus of vertical mirror reflecting additional searing hot sunshine onto an already parched (and getting hotter every year) patch of Earth? Will this building be like a bunker, protected from a harsh outdoors? If there’s any advantage to a city layout like this it would be the generous availability of wide open space to all despite the urban density of the building. If the only hospitable natural spaces are within the building’s walls this will feel like a luxurious prison; a post apocalyptic dystopic/utopic bunker.
Crazy thing is that no matter how much you strip the humanity from developments, people still flock to the promise of luxury, no matter how soulless.
BT
I’m willing to bet it will end up a bit longer than square, .3miles(1700-1800ft) by 1640ft tall. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a line if square or less, and MBS wouldn’t allow that to be a representation of his economic might. Still even square would be very impressive looking, visible from space and a major modern marvel. Hopefully as a change of pace it can be built without a myriad of human’s rights violations. I’ll definitely be checking in yearly on it’s progress.
vince
My guess is with such a huge mirrored surface they plan to install solar panels nearby to collect the solar rays emanting from the mirrors?

My biggest concern is wind. Having a 1650 foot tall building 1.5 mikes long is asking for trouble if hit by 200 mph wind shear it could literally topple over
Rusty
Just think...all of that OIL that could be pumped out of the ground elsewhere, comes from the middle east to allow them to build stupid stuff like this.
KaiserPingo
Pathetic idea, but let them use the time and money...
Unsold
Just a hot mess. No differentiation. No consideration for breezes or migration paths. In order to achieve all these lofty goals, you'll need large amounts of circulating sea water through organic pathways with dedicated vistas and wildlife preserves, Planted organic design forests, and about half a century for nature to take advantage of the new context. At that point you'd have a paradise everyone would want to immerse themselves in. The secret is to see how WELL you can make it happen versus how FAST you can make it happen. Not the easiest thing in an atmosphere of entitlement. The project wants enlightened guidance.
mediabeing
The short answer to the article's question is Yes, it sure is! It's going to go through many changes before it reaches finality. It will be little like the original when it's all done...if it ever is.
Aross
This is what happens when small minds have access to toooo much money. It would be far better spent on solving the environmental issues we all face today with global warming, extreme weather, not to mention starvation and poverty.
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