Saudi Arabia plans to build world’s largest buildings in NEOM
June 1, 2022, 9:11 am

Saudi Arabia plans to build world’s largest buildings in NEOM

Photo shows a rendering of the upcoming TROJENA project in NEOM as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. (File photo)

Saudi Arabia is planning to build the world’s largest buildings in its megacity project NEOM, sources told Bloomberg, the Alarabiya Engliash reported.

Sources also told Al Arabiya that there are plans for two skyscrapers around 500 meters tall that extend horizontally for tens of miles.

The skyscrapers would stretch from the Red Sea coast inland towards the desert and would house a mix of residential, retail, and office space.

They would be larger than the world’s current biggest buildings, which are mostly factories or malls. The world’s current tallest man-made structure is the 828-metre-tall (2,717 ft) Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Designers have been asked to work on a half mile-long prototype, current and former NEOM employees told Bloomberg, asking not to be identified as the information is private.

NEOM was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 as part of the Kingdom’s drive to diversify its oil-reliant economy.

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The Crown Prince intends NEOM to be a futuristic, sustainable community joined together by The Line – a 170 kilometer stretched of car-free communities linked by public transport.

“The Line is an out of the box idea,” NEOM CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr told Bloomberg, without commenting on specifics. “What we will present when we are ready to will be very well received, and will be viewed as revolutionary.”

He added, the massive buildings would be “different heights as you go,” adapting to the landscape, with their final size determined by engineering considerations and the terrain.

Saudi Arabia also began construction on the Jeddah Tower in 2013 – poised to be taller than the world’s current tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

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The Kingdom is currently home to the world’s fourth-tallest building: The Abraj al-Bait clock tower hotel in Mecca, which is 601 meters tall.

Ali Shihabi, a member of NEOM’s advisory board told Bloomberg, said: “When people talk about The Line, they see a futuristic Hyperloop, Star Wars type of entity. But when The Line was presented to the board, I saw a highly intelligent, well thought-out sustainable modern city that will accommodate from laborers to billionaires and that will be built in stages, so it will follow demand.”

Source: alarabiyaenglish

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”