In January last year, Saudi Arabia announced THE LINE, a 170-kilometre long city, as part of Saudi Vision 2030 project. Now, we have a more detailed look into the design of the world’s first zero-gravity vertical city. His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors, has unveiled that NEOM is at the forefront of delivering new and imaginative solutions to address environmental crises.
ARCHITECTURE
The first renders were revealed yesterday and show what The Line could look like once it’s done.
The Line is located in NEOM, in the Tabuk Province, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It will be only 200 meters wide, 170 kilometers long and 500 meters above sea level and will be connected without the need for cars or roads.
At THE LINE’s launch last year, we committed to a civilizational revolution that puts humans first based on a radical change in urban planning. 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. THE LINE will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live. – HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.
The Line is planned to accommodate 9 million residents and will be built on a footprint of 34 square kilometers, so the infrastructure footprint is significantly reduced. Its ideal climate all year round will ensure that residents can enjoy surrounding nature when traveling on foot. Residents will also have access to all facilities in THE LINE within a five-minute walk, in addition to a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes. – from Neom.
The environment free from roads, cars and emissions will run on 100% renewable energy putting nature ahead of development and will contribute to preserving 95% of NEOM’s land.
Based on a concept referred to as Zero Gravity Urbanism, The Line layeres city functions vertically while giving people the possibility of moving seamlessly in three dimensions (up, down or across). It is nothing like the skyscraper concept, as it layers public parks and pedestrian areas, schools, homes and places for work, so all daily needs are within five minutes away.
NEOM will be a place for all people from across the globe to make their mark on the world in creative and innovative ways. NEOM remains one of the most important projects of Saudi Vision 2030, and our commitment to delivering THE LINE on behalf of the nation remains resolute. – HRH added.
The outer facade will be made of mirror glass that, besides creating a unique design, allows it to blend with nature. The interior, created by a team of world-renowned architects and engineers, will provide extraordinary experiences.
The Saudi government expects the project to create 380,000 jobs of the future and contribute $48 billion to GDP by 2030.
The city’s design will be completely digitized, and the construction industrialized to a large degree by significantly advancing construction technologies and manufacturing processes. At the same time, Neom is developing its flagship projects such as OXAGON, its reimagined manufacturing and innovation city; and TROJENA, its global mountain tourism destination that will offer the Arabian Gulf’s first outdoor skiing; as well as the launch of two of NEOM’s subsidiaries: ENOWA, its energy, water and hydrogen company; and the NEOM Tech & Digital Company.
Construction of The line has already started in 2021, making it the most complex and challenging infrastructure projects in the world at the moment.
Visit www.neom.com for more info.
