His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Arabian crown prince, first revealed plans for a utopian-looking “linear” city that would run entirely on clean energy about a year and a half ago. He promised that Saudi Arabia would invest between $100 billion and $200 billion to make the project a reality. The Line, a new metropolis where citizens would live without automobiles or streets inside a 100-mile-long futuristic “belt,” was depicted in a way that resembled the setting of a post-apocalyptic YA novel. In NEOM, the green hub of the kingdom, people would travel autonomously and quickly, and artificial intelligence makes life better by utilizing data to improve infrastructure.
Visuals of the project were noticeably absent when it was originally publicized. Instead, the audience was encouraged to imagine what this unique metropolis may look like using only buzzy descriptions filled with cliched tech terms. But as the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words—and for those eager to better understand The Line.
His Royal Highness published images of The Line’s design towards the end of July, which helped to clarify the intended outcome. The Line will have a mirrored exterior that mirrors the surrounding desert and be 656 feet wide and 1640 feet tall. Most city services will be layered, meaning that parks, schools, offices, and other infrastructure will be built on top of one another, encouraging vertical and horizontal travel.
HRH bin Salman stated, “during The Line’s debut last year, we committed to a civilizational revolution that puts humanity first based on a dramatic reform in urban design.” The city’s vertically tiered settlements would “challenge the typical flat, horizontal cities and offer a paradigm for ecological preservation and increased human liveability,” according to today’s plans.
The Crown Prince stated, “NEOM is one of the most significant projects of Saudi Vision 2030, and our commitment to delivering The Line on behalf of the people remains steadfast.”
The Line “rethinks our urban life”
The Line is a massive, mirror-clad linear megastructure intended to span a 170-kilometer section of the Saudi Arabian desert.
It may contain nine million people if it is constructed, as Qaddumi believes it will be.
It will play a significant role in NEOM, an area fueled by renewable energy that is now being developed in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt.
The Line, in the words of Qaddumi, “rethinks our urban existence from the bottom up” and provides an alternative to conventional city plans that radiate outward from a central location. This implies that it will have a 34 square kilometer footprint, making everything you need within a five-minute walk.
The director said that this linear design would help address contemporary cities’ problems, including vehicle hegemony, air pollution, and urban sprawl.
Neom has the chance to create a brand-new metropolis that won’t have these issues from the beginning, stated Qaddumi.
Without automobiles, pollution, and unprecedented access to people and businesses, “The Line” will revolutionize transportation.
Neom exploring carbon sequestration
The Line is “dedicated to being a net-zero carbon city,” said Qaddumi.
A building must completely remove all emissions throughout its lifespan to be considered net zero. This covers operational and embodied carbon emissions, which are brought on by a structure’s use and the building supply chain.
According to academic Philip Oldfield, the massive embodied carbon associated with creating The Line will “overwhelm any environmental benefits that a tiny footprint gives,” as he previously told Dezeen.
According to Qaddumi, Neom has a staff devoted to researching “green building material” to ensure the least-embodied carbon-intensive items are chosen. Renewable energy sources will also be used to power the city.
The development will also use carbon-removal technology for the carbon emissions that cannot be prevented.
He claimed that any carbon emissions brought on by the production and delivery of the structural parts would be completely offset.
Along with carbon offsetting and carbon sequestration, such as CO2 capture, “The Line construction will be complemented.”
“Nature corridors” to be built into the design
Oldfield expressed similar worries about how the building might affect biodiversity, but Qaddumi emphasized that the design of the linear city also prioritizes protecting local animals.
In contrast to traditional cities, he added, “The Line will ensure that nature is not diminished as it traverses the urban fabric and that it is instead preserved, witnessed, experienced, and cherished.”
“For instance, water flows and terrestrial creatures will pass in selected channels on the ground level.”
The Line’s reflective facade is one element of the architecture that inspires concern for animals. This is because it is believed that one of the main reasons for bird mortality each year is shiny surfaces.
According to Qaddumi, The Line would be built in such a way as to avoid collisions, with “natural corridors” that coincide with migratory bird routes and facade treatments that prevent them.
He added that a committed team of experts would map these precise migratory routes and patterns over the next years.
Birds flying at various altitudes will also have designated natural pathways built in conjunction with the appropriate glass treatment, he said.
Ceramic frits, one of the most popular techniques to make buildings more bird-friendly, are among the glass treatments that Qaddumi anticipates using in the project.
Piling work for the first phase has begun
It has been questioned by several observers if The Line will ever actually be constructed.
Qaddumi asserted that the feasibility studies were finished and that the first phase’s piling construction had already started.
“There is no doubting about the project’s scope and ambition,” he said. The financial and construction feasibility studies for The Line are finished, however.
He also added that the team is currently collaborating with “the world’s top universities and urban research organizations” to enhance the design using digital twins, creating a virtual replica of a project to help decision-making.
The team at Neom is also investigating digital and modular building methods to reduce construction time and its negative environmental effects.
He said, “Moving the building process from normal contracting to a more reliable delivery mechanism more typically employed in manufacturing is one way the design will change.
“We are speeding up the industrialization of the building process and the digitalization of design utilizing tailored platforms.”
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is planning to build The Line, which is said to have been designed by US studio Morphosis, though this has not yet been publicly confirmed.
THE Line city
Neom’s futuristic urban landscape offers a different perspective on the kingdom’s self and future
The unveiling of THE LINE’s designs is a continuation of NEOM’s advancements in the creation of its flagship initiatives, including OXAGON, its reimagined manufacturing, and innovation city; TROJENA, it’s an international mountain tourism destination that will provide the first outdoor skiing in the Arabian Gulf; and the debut of two NEOM subsidiaries: ENOWA, its energy, water, and hydrogen company; and the NEOM Tech & Digital Company.
