Saudi Arabia recently revealed its plans for a USD 1 trillion, 120 km long mirrored building as a part of its Neom desert megacity. Conceptually touted as the world’s largest structure, Mirror Line will reportedly be 500 m tall and use vertical farming to feed its residents. Here is a detailed report by SURFACES REPORTER (SR).
Conceptually touted as the world’s largest structure, Mirror Line will reportedly be 500 m tall and use vertical farming to feed its residents.
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly directed the authorization to create land in the northwest dry part of the kingdom. With the demand of creating something as ambitious as Egypt’s pyramids, the Mirror Line will comprise two buildings up to 1,600 ft tall and run parallel to each other at 75 miles across the mountain and desert terrain. The two linear structures will be connected through walkways and are expected to house nearly 5 million people. Reports suggest that a high-speed train will run under the mirrored buildings. Vertical farming will be integrated into the buildings to feed its residents. As for entertainment, Mirror Lane will also have a sports stadium, nearly 1,000 ft above the ground. The structures are also expected to have a beautifully constructed marina for yachts that will lie underneath an arch.
Being a part of the high-profile Neom megacity, which is a development the size of Massachusetts, Mirror Line is the brainchild of Prince Mohammed to diversify the kingdom’s economy from its reliance on oil. Additionally, Neom which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund also wants to attract foreign investment and create job opportunities.
Upon completion, Mirror Line is expected to stretch from the Gulf of Aqaba and bisect a mountain range that extends alongside the coast.
In 2021, Prince Mohammed unveiled his idea for a linear city with zero pollution. Mirror Line is reportedly being designed by the US-based Morphosis Architects and includes nearly nine other design and engineering consultants including Montreal-based WSP Global and New York’s Thornton Tomasetti, to name a few. The design teams have proposed to build the structure in stages by creating 2,600 ft long structures that would connect along a line with changeable heights of 1,600 ft, which is higher than the Empire State Building.
The project, however, is raising significant concerns and challenges. Mirror Line is challenged by the urban planners who are designing it. They are facing a completion deadline of 2030 that had been imposed by the Prince’s national transformation plan, whereas during an initial assessment it was observed that the development would have to be constructed in phases and could easily take 50 years to complete. The structure of the buildings would affect the dynamics of groundwater flow in the desert and restrict the movement of birds and animals. The biggest challenge for the project would be limited sunlight. Since the two tall buildings will run parallel to each other, a shade will be created, thereby causing a lack of sunlight which could be detrimental to health. Another prime challenge is the curvature of Earth. As the Earth arches every 8 inch per mile, the challenge for the designers would be to leave a gap at the top of the 2,600 ft modules to bend the structure around the world.
The design teams have proposed to build the structure in stages by creating 2,600 ft long structures that would connect along a line with changeable heights of 1,600 ft, which is higher than the Empire State Building.
But if Saudi Arabia succeeds in building its Mirror Line, the structure would surely be one of the wonders of the world. Upon completion, Mirror Line is expected to stretch from the Gulf of Aqaba and bisect a mountain range that extends alongside the coast. The 105 mile parallel buildings will run east through a mountain resort and complex housing the government to an aerotropolis in the desert plains.
Image credits: Wall Street Journal