Saudi Arabia recently announced plans for an ambitious urban project called The Line—a one-building city in the desert that will stretch 170 kilometers (106 miles) long and only 200 meters (656 feet) wide.
Part of a mega-development dubbed Neom, The Line reportedly will house 9 million residents on a footprint of just 34 square kilometers (13 square miles). “This will reduce the infrastructure footprint and create never-before-seen efficiencies in city functions,” according to an official statement. The narrow footprint will preserve 95% of the Neom development’s land.
The Line’s design aims to challenge the traditional design of urban environments. Unlike cities that comprise horizontal buildings spread across fairly flat terrains, The Line will vertically layer homes, schools, workplaces, public parks, and pedestrian areas. This design will allow residents to access all of the structure’s facilities within a five-minute walk. In addition, a high-speed rail will allow occupants to travel from one end of The Line to the other in only 20 minutes.
“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,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also chair of the Neom board of directors, said in the July 25 statement. “The Line will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live.”
At 500 meters above sea level, The Line also will boast a mirror façade that reflects the desert, blending the building with the surrounding landscape. With a year-round controlled climate, the Line also intends to run on entirely renewable energy.
Related Stories
| May 15, 2012
One World Trade Center goes to new height of sustainability
One of the biggest challenges in developing this concrete mixture was meeting the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey’s strict requirement for the replacement of cement.
| May 14, 2012
SOM to break ground on supertall structure in China
The 1,740-feet (530-meter) tall tower will house offices, 300 service apartments and a 350-room, 5-star hotel beneath an arched top.
| May 14, 2012
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture design Seoul’s Dancing Dragons
Supertall two-tower complex located in Seoul’s Yongsan International Business District.
| May 1, 2012
Time-lapse video: World Trade Center, New York
One World Trade Center, being built at the site of the fallen twin towers, surpassed the Empire State Building on Monday as the tallest building in New York.
| Apr 27, 2012
China Mobile selects Leo A Daly to design three buildings at its new HQ
LEO A DALY, in collaboration with Local Design Institute WDCE, wins competition to design Phase 2, Plot B, of Campus.
| Apr 25, 2012
McCarthy introduces high school students to a career in construction
High school students from the ACE Mentoring Program tour the new CHOC Children’s Patient Tower in Orange, Calif.
| Apr 25, 2012
J.C. Anderson selected for 50,000-sf build out at Chicago’s DePaul University
The build-out will consist of the construction of new offices, meeting rooms, video rooms and a state-of-the-art multi-tiered Trading Room.
| Apr 24, 2012
ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast, projects improvements for the real estate industry through 2014
Survey is based on opinions from 38 of the nation’s leading real estate economists and analysts and suggests a marked increase in commercial real estate activity, with total transaction volume expected to rise from $250 billion in 2012 to $312 billion in 2014.
| Apr 23, 2012
Innovative engineering behind BIG’s Vancouver Tower
Buro Happold’s structural design supports the top-heavy, complex building in a high seismic zone; engineers are using BIM technology to design a concrete structure with post-tensioned walls.
| Apr 10, 2012
Moriarty & Associates selected as GC for Miami’s BrickellHouse Condo
Construction of the 46-story development is schedule to get underway this summer and be completed in 2014.
