[Jack Aylmer]

SAUDI ARABIA HAS BROKEN GROUND ON WHAT IS SET TO BE THE WORLD’S LARGEST BUILDING, THE MUKAAB, RIGHT IN THE HEART OF RIYADH (REE-AD).

THE MUKAAB IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL SKYSCRAPER.

IMAGINE A ONE-THOUSAND-300-FOOT-TALL, ONE-THOUSAND-200-FOOT-WIDE CUBE, SO MASSIVE IT COULD FIT 20 EMPIRE STATE BUILDINGS INSIDE.

THIS 50-BILLION-DOLLAR PROJECT IS PART OF A LARGER INITIATIVE TO BRING FUTURISTIC CONSTRUCTION TO SAUDI ARABIA, ALL UNDER CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN’S‘SAUDI VISION 20-30’.

MORE THAN A BUILDING, THE MUKAAB IS BEING DESIGNED AS A ‘CITY-IN-A-BOX,’ COMPLETE WITH FINE DINING, LUXURY RETAIL, OFFICES, AND ENOUGH RESIDENTIAL SPACE TO HOUSE OVER ONE-HUNDRED-THOUSAND PEOPLE.

THERE WILL ALSO BE NINE-THOUSAND HOTEL ROOMS AND EVEN GREEN SPACES ACCESSIBLE WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF ANY LOCATION IN THE CUBE.

AND IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH, THE MUKAAB WILL ALSO OFFER IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES POWERED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS, VIRTUAL REALITY ON THE EXTERIOR WALLS, AND SCENES THAT COULD MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN ANOTHER TIME OR PLACE.

BUT IT’S NOT JUST FUTURISTIC. THE DESIGN DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM LOCAL NAJDI (NAJ-DEE) ARCHITECTURE, WITH A CUBE SHAPE THAT SOME CRITICS SAY RESEMBLES THE KAABA (KA-BAA) IN MECCA. WHILE SUPPORTERS VIEW IT AS A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE, THERE ARE CONCERNS OVER THE COMPARISON.

HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ARE RAISING OTHER CONCERNS, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE DISPLACEMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND POTENTIAL EXPLOITATION OF MIGRANT LABOR.

PAST PROJECTS, LIKE THE NEOM DEVELOPMENT, HAVE SEEN SIMILAR CRITICISM AND REPORTS OF FORCED EVICTIONS.

FOR ALL THE AMBITION AND VISION HERE, THE MUKAAB IS EXPECTED TO ADD 51-BILLION-DOLLARS TO SAUDI ARABIA’S NON-OIL GDP AND CREATE OVER 300-THOUSAND JOBS.

WITH CONSTRUCTION SET TO FINISH BY 20-30, ONLY TIME WILL TELL HOW THESE PROJECTS WILL SHAPE SAUDI ARABIA’S FUTURE

WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON EVERY MILESTONE AS THE MUKAAB TAKES SHAPE.

FOR SAN, I’M JACK AYLMER