Leaked architectural designs suggest that the Mirror Line, a city of 5 million people built on stilts as tall as the Empire State Building, would be the world's largest structure and would have to "bend" to follow the curvature of the Earth.
The Mirror Line is said to cost around $1 trillion and has no completion date, but experts say it could take up to 50 years. The kingdom is incredibly wealthy and currently enjoys huge revenues from high oil prices.
Not all of Saudi Arabia's dream construction projects have been completed. Plans for the world's tallest skyscraper were put on hold after the last oil boom ended.
The area where the Mirror Line building is planned to be built.
Mirror Line is just one part of the wider Neom megacity development that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), 35, hopes will attract foreign investment to the kingdom to diversify its economy away from oil.
The young prince, who has access to a $620 billion sovereign wealth fund, is said to have ever-changing ideas for his master plan and has led dozens of key staff to complain of a toxic work environment and massive overspending with little results.
Twenty-five current and former employees told Bloomberg they struggled to execute the nearly impossible plans for Neom, which has been in development for five years. Workers said there was a culture of fear about telling MBS — who has locked up many of his own families — that some elements of his vision were impossible.
Dozens of people have been laid off, while millions of dollars have been spent on architects, futurists, and production designers in Hollywood, according to Bloomberg. In addition to the Neom plan, the two twin towers that make up the Mirror Line are supposed to run parallel to each other for 120 kilometers, stand 487 meters high, house 5 million people, and cost an estimated $1 trillion.
Vertical farming will be integrated into the buildings so residents — who will pay a subscription fee for three meals a day — will have vegetables “self-harvested and packaged” and put into their “living kitchens,” the WSJ said.
A sports stadium will be located 300m above ground and a high-speed train will pass underneath the buildings. A marina where residents can dock their yachts will run between the two buildings.
Planning documents seen by the Wall Street Journal detail grand plans for the sci-fi-style skyscraper, but also highlight the myriad problems designers are facing in trying to meet MBS's wishes.
The crown prince revealed the concept to The Line last year, announcing that his project would be “a civilisational revolution that puts people first”.
Mirror Line will have full amenities like a miniature city.
The 169-km “straight city” will be carbon-free, car-free and pollution-free, he said.
During the initial stages of construction, the Al-Howeitat tribe was forced to leave the area, at one stage leading to a gunfight and one resident being shot dead by security forces.
Some of the most prominent foreign architects and designers have flocked to work on MBS's Vision 2030 plan, with many reportedly aware that their work may never be used because of the project's sheer ambition.
If completed, the Mirror Line would run from the Gulf of Aqaba through a mountain range that houses the Saudi government and into the desert plains.
