ALBAWABA — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced Monday a bold new project that will form the centerpiece of Riyadh’s downtown area of New Murabba.
The New Murabba project will have more than 25 million square kilometers of floor area, 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, 980,000 square meters of retail space, 1.4 million square meters of office space, 620,000 square meters of leisure assets and 1.8 million square meters of community facilities, according to the developers.
The project, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to become a model for sustainable urban development, with green areas and walking and cycle paths designed to promote healthy lifestyles, where residents will have access to living, working, and entertainment spaces within a 15-minute walking radius.
The project, home to a museum, a technology and design museum, a theatre and more than 80 entertainment and cultural venues, will have its own transport system and located within a 20-minute drive from the airport.
The crowning jewel of New Murabba will be The Mukaab — a 400-meter-tall, 400-meter-wide cube based on the modern Najdi architectural style — enclosing a tower on top of a spiral base and a structure featuring 2 million square meters of floor space that will be a hospitality destination with retail, cultural, and tourist attractions, featuring residential and hotel units, commercial spaces and recreational facilities.
The Mukaab, large enough to hold 20 Empire State Buildings, would offer “ever-changing environments” using digital and virtual technology to create holographic displays that interact with the surrounding urban landscape.
The project’s completion will be a major milestone in the ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia’s economy, as the country looks to diversify away from its reliance on oil and gas exports, with developers saying that it would create more than 350,000 jobs and significantly contribute to the economic growth of the region.
