A mirror facade 500 meters high, for the first smart city destined to 9 million inhabitants without cars or emissions, 100% powered by renewable energy
From 1st August the exhibition dedicated to the project at the Jeddah Superdome opened
(Suatainabilityenvironment.com) – After last year’s announcement of the construction of the first 170 km long community along the Arab peninsula, NEOM has finally unveiled the design of The Line.
The announcement was made by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NEOM. As already announced, the smart city The Line will be a belt of communities created to put the human being in the first place, in perfect symbiosis with the surrounding nature. A city without roads, cars, and emissions, powered by 100% renewable energy, where health and well-being will be at the heart of development. But what is surprising is the design that the future The Line will show the world: a 200-meter wide mirrored facade extended for all 170 km at 500 meters above sea level.
Zero Gravity Urbanism
At the end of its construction, The Line will host over 9 million residents, extending over an area of 34 square kilometers. This is a new approach to urban planning, called Zero Gravity Urbanism. The functions that we usually find spread along the city territory, in this community are superimposed, layered on top of each other to allow all residents, to reach any destination in less than 15 minutes. The design of The Line goes far beyond the concept of a skyscraper. Between one floor and the other there will be immense parks, schools, pedestrian areas, health services, offices, moving in fact along the three different dimensions.
To connect the 170 km of the smart city, will think the high-speed train that, according to the first rumors should complete the entire journey in just 20 minutes.
The project also plans to preserve 95% of the surrounding nature, transformed NEOM into a protected area.
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“At the launch of THE LINE last year, we engaged in a revolution of civilization that puts humans first on the basis of a radical change in urban planning. The projects revealed today for the city’s vertically layered communities will test traditional flat and horizontal cities and create a model for nature conservation and improved human liveability. THE LINE will address the challenges facing humanity today in urban life and shed light on alternative ways of living,” commented His Royal Highness at the launch of The Line.
Digitizing the construction process
From the project to the realization, the digital component will be strongly present. An international team of world-renowned architects and engineers will be called to design the smart city. Construction will take place using a large-scale industrialized process. The idea of a mirrored façade, designed to reflect the surrounding nature and blend in, cannot fail to arouse some perplexity. In such a warm environment, where the intensity of the sun’s rays is very high, the refraction of the light towards the external environment could perhaps create some problems of glare or even overheating.
The Line is part of the large-scale infrastructure project NEOM that already includes OXAGON, the manufacturing and innovative city reinvented, and Trojena the mountain tourist destination that will offer the first outdoor skiing in the Persian Gulf.
“NEOM will be a place where all people from all over the world can make their mark on the world in creative and innovative ways. NEOM remains one of the most important projects of Saudi Vision 2030 and our commitment to provide THE LINE on behalf of the nation remains resolute”.
