Saudi's Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, unveiled plans recently to supposedly build the world's largest downtown development in Riyadh called New Murabba, covering more than 18 sq km.
Murabba's main character will be a massive 400m-high, cubed skyscraper called the Mukaab. It will be one of the largest structures – large enough to house 20 Empire State buildings.
Inspired by the Najdi architectural style, the Mukaab will comprise a first-of-its-kind 'immersive' experience, thanks to cutting-edge digital and virtual technology with the latest holographic, a press release said.
This means it could transport you to Mars one day and some other magical worlds the next day.
To top it all, the cube will encompass a tower on top of a spiral base. This tower will host tourist attractions, residential and hotel units, commercial spaces, and recreational facilities. The entire structure will be the tallest building in the city, a super-tall skyscraper 400 metres long on each side.
Funded by the Public Investment Fund, the New Murabba is one of the many mega projects currently being developed in Saudi Arabia. It is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan to diversify the country's economy.
Another day, another futuristic city in Saudi Arabia
The entire development will be located over 19 sq km at the intersection of King Salman and King Khalid roads to the northwest of Riyadh.
Meant to accommodate hundreds of thousands of residents, the New Murabba project will feature more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, and more than 980,000 sq m of retail space, as well as 1.4 million sq m of office space, 620,000 sq m of leisure assets, and 1.8 million sq m of space dedicated to community facilities.
The project is claimed to be built around the concept of sustainability, with green spaces and cycling paths, but one is yet to figure out how ecofriendly the architecture is.
Shockingly, the new Murabba Development Company will aim to develop the world’s largest downtown in Riyadh by 2030. Incidentally, Saudi Arabia's NEOM project and the Line have been widely criticised for their environmental impact and alleged human rights violations connected to the development.