World’s biggest building will be 1,300ft tall and at heart of new futuristic city
Saudi Arabia is undertaking a new mega-development, redefining the saying, ‘The bigger the better.’
Announced in 2023 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the New Murabba district will span 11 square miles to create a new city district in the capital Riyadh.
At the heart of the project lies the Mukaab – a cube-shaped skyscraper that will be big enough to fit 20 Empire State buildings.
Once completed, the centerpiece of New Murabba is set to be the largest building in the world.
Promising ‘unique living and working’, the superstructure is being promoted as a beacon of Saudi Arabia’s ‘new era of immersive urban experiences.’
Construction has only just started – yet with every square foot dug up, there are increasing concerns from human rights groups over labor practices.
Metro has collated everything you need to know about Saudi Arabia’s Mukaab – the good, the bad and the grand.
What will the Mukaab look like?
Perhaps it is a throwback to the first skyscraper being built in Chicago in 1885, or even a nod to Dubai’s towering accomplishments.
Whatever the inspiration, one thing is clear – when Saudi Arabia goes big, it is not just about size, but also an attempt to set a new global standard.
Inspired by the Najdi architectural style, the Mukaab looks like nothing else built in history, with its planners hailing it ‘an icon of innovation’.
Spanning 2 million square metres of floor space, the building will be shaped like a cube and it will include residential units, hotels, and retail space, as well as leisure assets and community facilities.
Inside the 1,300ft high cubic superstructure, a futuristic skyscraper will be erected which will be larger than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Atop a spiral base, the tower will showcase cutting-edge technologies and latest holographics to create an immersive experience.
The development by the New Murabba Development Company will also offer an internal transport system and will be located just a 20-minute drive from the airport.
Top 10 tallest buildings in the world
- Burj Khalifa in Dubai – 2,717 ft, 163 floors
- Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur – 2,227 ft, 118 floors
- Shanghai Tower in Shanghai – 2,073 ft, 128 floors
- Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca – 1,972 ft, 120 floors
- Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen – 1,965 ft, 115 floors
- Lotte World Tower in Seoul – 1,819 ft, 123 floors
- One World Trade Centre in New York City – 1,776 ft, 94 floors
- Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in Guangzhou – 1,739 ft, 111 floors
- Tianjin CTF Finance Centre in Tianjin – 1,739 ft, 97 floors
- CITIC Tower in Beijing – 1,731 ft, 109 floors
The building will feature 10 attractions, and construction has already begun with more than 10 million cubic metres of land having been excavated.
Michael Dyke, chief executive officer of New Murabba, confirmed that the Mukaab will be be the largest building in the world, adding that it will probably be also the ‘most complicated ever’.
‘When people step inside, they will enter another world. Within the Mukaab, we will have the world’s largest immersive experience by a long long way,’ he said.
‘The particular callout will be the investment in holography. They will position the capital at the centre of holographic development globally.
‘The central tower of the Mukaab is larger than the Eiffel Tower in terms of height and span.
‘It is the only high-rise in the building world of a skyscraper size that actually lives inside a building.’
How much will it cost?
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince is sparing no penny to transform his kingdom into the most futuristic tourist destination by 2030.
New Murabba is set to cost $800 billion, while $50 billion have been budgeted to construct the Murabba.
How does New Murabba fit into Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030?
Vision 2030, first announced in 2016, is the brainchild of the Crown Prince to ease the kingdom’s dependency on crude oil and instead become a hub for everything from entertainment to tourism to manufacturing.
Beyond economic goals, the initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s intention to become a regional leader in sustainability, technology, and innovation.
New Murabba is designed to create a vibrant downtown area within Riyadh that promotes sustainable development, innovation, and quality of life.
It is expected to create 334,000 jobs and contribute $48 billion to the country’s non-oil GDP by 2030.
Michael Dyke, chief executive officer of New Murabba, said the vision for the city is to create ‘place like no other on Earth’.
‘New Murabba represents a pivotal moment in Saudi Arabia’s economic journey,’ he added.
Other elements of Vision 2030 include NEOM, a high-tech futuristic city and Red Sea luxury tourism resorts.
What are the human rights concerns?
Saudi Arabia is spending billions to turn its global image from a kingdom known for strict religious restrictions and human rights abuses into an entertainment and tourism hub.
But the European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) said Vision 2030 is only aiming to ‘whitewash’ the numerous abuses that are still occurring while stimulating the economy by diversification.
One example is the NEOM project, part of Vision 2030, which is under scrutiny for alleged human rights violations against the Howeitat tribe.
‘The Dark Side of Neom’, a 2023 report from human rights group Alqst, said that 47 members of the tribe have been arrested or detained.
It has been reported that more than 6,000 people have been evicted from their homes in the Gulf, with harrowing repercussions for those who refuse to obey orders.
Since the Crown Prince took power in a palace coup in 2017, he has faced censure for cracking down on dissent and for his alleged ordering of the killing of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
The Saudi government has denied any involvement by the prince and has maintained that Khashoggi’s killing was carried out by a rogue group.