THE MUKAAB

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is planning to build a mega project called The Mukaab. Its going to be a 400m tall and 400m wide cube city that will be large enough to hold 20 Empire State Buildings.

It will be part of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s New Murabba development plan in Riyadh. It will be a combination of residential, commercial, entertainment and cultural facilities. In this article we explore "THE Mukaab" in deep.

It’s a cube

Saudi Arabia has launched one of its most ambitious projects, a cube-shaped skyscraper called The Mukaab that can hold 20 Empire State Buildings. It’s part of the New Murabba project announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and is set to be the central feature of a new downtown in Riyadh.

The cube’s design is inspired by traditional Najdi architecture, which was perfected over generations to withstand the region’s harsh desert climate. It’s said to be the world’s first immersive, experiential destination with a range of technology that includes digital and virtual technology and holographics.

The development will cover 19 square kilometers and be home to a museum, design university, theatres, residential properties, commercial spaces, tourist attractions, green areas and walking and cycling paths. It will be a major tourism hub for the country.

It’s a tower

One of Saudi Arabia’s latest giga-scale projects, the Mukaab is the crowning jewel of New Murabba, a modern downtown area in Riyadh. It’s a 400-metre-high, cube-shaped skyscraper whose designers are promising to be the world’s first “immersive destination.”

It’ll enclose a tower on top of a spiral base and a structure that’ll feature 2 million square metres of floor space – a hospitality destination with retail, tourist and cultural attractions. It will also include residential and hotel units, commercial spaces, and recreational facilities.

In addition to being one of the world’s biggest built structures, The Mukaab will also be designed with sustainability in mind – featuring green areas, paths for cycling and walking, and promoting an active lifestyle. It’ll also be home to a museum, technology and design university, a multipurpose immersive theatre, and more than 80 entertainment outlets.

It’s a city

Saudi Arabia is a country known for challenging the boundaries of urban design with projects like NEOM, and this year they’ve announced another mega project

The building’s developers claim that it will offer “ever-changing environments” using digital and virtual technology to create holographic displays. The structure will enclose a tower on top of a spiral base and feature two million square meters of floor space which will be a hospitality destination with retail, cultural, tourist and commercial attractions.

Visitors will be able to experience virtual reality and holographics that can take them to Mars and the floating Hallelujah Mountains from “Avatar.”

It’s a symbol

In Saudi Arabia, The Mukaab is a symbol of the country’s plans to diversify its economy away from oil. It is a part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for Vision 2030, which seeks to shed the country’s image as a closed-off, conservative state and position it as an international tourism and investment hub.

The cube-shaped structure will be the centerpiece of a new downtown development in Riyadh, called New Murabba. The project will include 2 million square meters of floor space, a tower atop a spiral base, and more than 80 entertainment venues.

Its creators claim that The Mukaab will be the world’s first immersive, experiential destination. Inside, visitors will be able to step into a climate-controlled environment where incredible holographic images transport them to Mars one day and magical worlds the next. The soaring structure will also be home to a technology and design university, a multipurpose theatre and over 80 entertainment and cultural venues.