Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to turn a stretch of dessert in Saudi Arabia, roughly the size of Belgium, into a high-tech linear city that will be contained within a mirrored wall. Here’s what we know…
From what we have seen from the hotel development plans in Saudi Arabia recently, the country is keen to make a statement on the hospitality design map – and it is not afraid to invest.
The most recent concept that has been picked up by the world’s media is known as The Line and is part of the Neom development, which, for some, is a step too far. Nonetheless, its unconventional approach to city design has got us thinking about the future, especially as this month Hotel Designs is focusing its editorial gaze on weird and wonderful hotel concepts.
It is being widely reported that it will cost $500 Billion to design the mirrored wall city that will stretch 106 miles into the distance in the northwest of the Gulf country. See how this project has changed two years on.
While on the outside The Line will reflect dessert landscape, inside the urban city is expected to contain residential, hospitality, and leisure spaces as well as vertical gardens and educational buildings. Each building will be stacked and layered in an arranged that the visionaries behind its concept are calling ‘Zero Gravity Urbanism’.
Within the space of just 200 metres, the city in between two perfectly parallel mirrored walls, is said to house nine million people. The structure, reaching 500 metres tall and stretching over 106 miles, if built, will become the 12th tallest – and by far the longest – building in the world.
“The designs revealed today for the city’s vertically layered communities will challenge the traditional flat, horizontal cities and create a model for nature preservation and enhanced human livability,” said Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Line has been designed, we believe, by US-based studio Morphosis. Its aim is to “tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live,” added the crown prince.
In addition to funky sci-fi buildings, the plans for The Line will include a transport system that will connect either ends of the city in just 20 minutes.
Neom, which this bold concept is linked to, is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 drive that will ’embody the future of innovation in business, liveability and sustainability’.
> Since you’re here, why not read about more hotel concepts that have entered our radar recently?
Main image credit: Neom