Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Neom project is in full swing, with early grading work beginning along the 100-mile-long “The Line”. Additionally, construction of Oxagon and essential support infrastructure has begun.
A 4-day meeting concluded this week with attendees exploring NEOM Logistics Park, home to new construction villages with capacity for up to 30,000 laborer communities as well as offices and construction service establishments spanning 12 square kilometers – one of the largest temporary logistics complexes worldwide.
The Line
The Line is a 170-kilometer network of hyperconnected smart communities located within the NEOM project and comprised of 170-kilometers. It gets its name due to infrastructure being easier to construct along a straight line; The Line was intended as a spine (get it?) of sorts for the rest of the region. Work has already begun on it and will open by 2024 followed by Oxagon port city and onshore townships and resorts before Trojena ski resort opens and the whole thing should be complete by 2030.
The Line, created by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as founder of NEOM, has been described as a direct response to humanity’s current challenges. It offers a new model for living that prioritizes walking and personal electric mobility devices while seamlessly incorporating nature. NEOM will accommodate nine million residents at an average population density of 260,000 per square kilometer in this incredibly dense and tall community.
Unlike most cities, The Line will be constructed upward, rather than sprawling out across the land, so its ecological impact should be minimal. The design team has taken steps to use sustainable building materials that won’t harm wildlife during construction; additionally, they’ve taken into account bird migration patterns so birds won’t become trapped between glass facades.
Architecture and planning firms involved in The Line’s development have yet to be disclosed; however, US firms such as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Tom Wiscombe Architecture, Oyler Wu Collaborative, and HOK could all play key roles. UK studios Adjaye Associates and Peter Cook’s CHAP; Austrian practices Coop Himmelb(l)au Associated Architects as well as Italian practice Studio Fuksas could all play important roles. Following Jamal Khashoggi’s murder on October 2, British architect Norman Foster decided not to remain involved with The Line project advisory board as an advisor. Drone footage by OT Sky Drone shows construction has started on The Line while YouTube hosts presentation videos about its progress.
Oxagon
NEOM’s mission is to build an innovative industrial development that will diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil. This city will include hyper-connected, cognitive towns and cities; ports and business zones; research centers, sports entertainment venues, and tourism destinations. Furthermore, an advanced and sustainable logistics infrastructure will connect it to global trade routes.
Construction projects at NEOM have already commenced in earnest. Grading work for The Line and Oxagon has already commenced, with major contracts awarded to Bechtel, AECOM, and China Railway Construction Corporation for these efforts. Furthermore, Neom Bay Airport was completed, its first permanent villages for on-site staff were constructed, and Neom Bay Airport also serves Neom. NEOM’s support infrastructure now includes roads, utilities, a water innovation hub, a volumetric mass modular manufacturing facility as well as essential support infrastructure such as roads utilities water innovation hub & the world’s largest volumetric mass modular manufacturing facility.
NEOM’s vision is to develop an innovative supply chain that prioritizes sustainability and transparency. Using cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, and employing data analytics to optimize processes to increase efficiency while decreasing costs; in addition, the company will foster responsible sourcing practices while investing in its local community.
NEOM plans to establish a network of supply chains that will allow it to deliver products at lower costs while providing greater quality. Furthermore, it will invest in research and development as well as establish an innovation center; all this will position it as the leader in this new era of logistics.
Oxagon City will serve as a port and logistics hub in the south of NEOM and will connect by canals to provide businesses, residences, an oceanographic research center, a cruise terminal, a floating section with businesses, restaurants, and an underwater observatory. Due to opening its doors in 2030.
NEOM City
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman envisions his mega-project to be home to nine million people living together with robots in an artificial intelligence society called NEOM. This futuristic society includes hyperconnected smart cities, global trade hubs, floating industrial complexes, and tourist resorts – all powered by renewable energy.
NEOM project is currently under construction in Tabuk Province of northwestern Saudi Arabia, east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba and south of Jordan. It aims to construct an ultramodern city of the future that will attract significant international investment capital.
Since it launched in 2017, NEOM has made several important announcements. The Line will be an ambitious 170 km linear city that will span from now to 2045 and eventually house one million residents by 2030. Other regions planned are Trojena in the mountains, Oxagon – an industrial city that will become the world’s largest structure – and Enowa as a water innovation hub.
Construction for some aspects of NEOM has already started, including The Line’s transport and logistics backbone development and initial grading work in Oxagon. Other ongoing activities include permanent village building, marine works construction, new ports/airports opening for business, island tourism destinations, and social infrastructure – with NEOM also working towards creating its first volumetric mass modular manufacturing facility.
As evidence of their commitment to driving logistics innovation, NEOM and DSV have agreed to form a joint venture company and develop and deploy sustainable next-generation logistics solutions. The JV will focus on design, implementation, and management of end-to-end supply chain management while allocating part of its revenues towards funding innovative technologies; there will also be a dedicated innovation center supporting such endeavors.
