Saudi Arabia wants its economy to depend less and less on oil: last year it signed the highest percentage of non-oil based economic activitywhich already represents 50%. A fundamental pillar in this direction are mega-constructions, such as their new and pharaonic project: the futuristic New Murabba district.
Announced last year, has almost completed the excavation phase. Its cornerstone is what will become, or so they intend, the most immense construction in the world: Mukaaba mammoth and futuristic city-sized cube-shaped building.
A building with a surface area of 2 million m² that could fit 20 Empire Estates
The crown prince Mohammed bin Salmanthe highest Saudi authority, has taken steps towards opening up the country. For example, it has allowed women to drive and get their license: a right that has taken decades to achieve. Its other objective is to reduce dependence on oil as the kingdom’s economic engine.
He is doing it based on macro projects such as The Line, the 175 km mirror city, intelligent and sustainable, without cars or roads, which they intend to conceive in the middle of the desert. Although has lowered its claims and its subsequent investment. And another example is New Murabba. Both are framed in its Vision 2030 strategy.
A cube as big as a city. This new neighborhood in Riyadh wants to become the nerve center of the capital of the Arab country. Starting with Mukaab, the epicenter of this district. It is a gigantic cube-shaped building 400 m wide by 400 m long: to put these dimensions in context, As Bloomerg points outits interior could house 20 Empire Estates.
In his 2.0 million m² of total area will house shops, hotels, gardens…it will even have its own internal transportation system and the intention is for it to be completely self-sustaining. A city in itself. It will also be technologically advanced: it will have a dome where holographic images will be projected. Its exterior design will be in the Najdi architectural style.
New Murabba Developmentbelonging to Public Investment Fund (the Saudi sovereign fund) and therefore to Mohammed bin Salman himselfis the company that signs this macroproject. and just announced which has already completed 86% of the excavation phase to make this Mukaab possible.
More than 10 million m³ of earth have been removedwhich 250 excavators and more than 400 pieces of equipment have achieved daily after 3 million hours of work, they point out. This will allow the beginning of the construction of the foundations of Mukaab.
To do this, they will also build a temporary bridge, which will allow access for trucks and machinery, so that industrial traffic does not interfere with the city’s roads.
View of the already leveled land area where New Murabba will be conceived. Photo: New Murabba Development.
New great engine of the Saudi economy. Although Mukaab is the main protagonist, it is integrated into the New Murabba district: a 15-minute city, they promise. This new neighborhood of Riyadh will extend 19 km² and will house more than 100,000 homes, 980,000 m² of shops, 1.4 million m² of offices, 9,000 hotels, a university and 1.8 million square meters of cultural and recreational spaces. Among them its own Broadway, with cinemas and theaters and other entertainment venues.
It will therefore be home to residents (many foreigners and wealthy people) and will also be very focused on tourism. It is projected that the first phase of New Murabbaincluding the Mukaab building, will be ready in 2030, coinciding with Expo 2030 that the Arab country will host.
With all these ingredients it will contribute to the aforementioned economic transformation of Saudi Arabia: its creators affirm that will generate more than 330,000 direct jobs and will contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to GDP of the country. “A new dawn for urban development in Riyadh, the Kingdom and beyond.” Although the investment to make it possible obviously depends on oil, which continues to be a fundamental part of its activity.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
