Construction begins in Saudi Arabia on Mukaab, expected to be the world’s largest building in 2030

Mukaab will be 1,300 feet high and 1,200 feet wide, and it will be extensive enough to contain 20 Empire State buildings. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

In Saudi Arabia, construction has begun on the $50 billion Mukaab project, which, upon its completion, is expected to be the world’s largest building.

It will also use artificial intelligence and green technology in its design.

Located in Riyadh, Mukaab will be 1,300 feet high and 1,200 feet wide, and it will be extensive enough to contain 20 Empire State buildings.

With 2 million square feet of floor space, the structure is expected to be a “downtown in a box” and will house office space, apartments, hotels, restaurants, and retail space.

The massive, high-tech cube will also contain 104,000 residential units and 9,000 hotel rooms.

Mukaab will use artificial intelligence to create immersive experiences for guests and residents and will use ecology and traditional architecture to enhance the aesthetics.

The building will recreate the experience of walking through wadis or riverbed formations, giving visitors the feeling that they are roaming past desert streams cascading off craggy rocks.

The square design is a tribute to the Najdi architecture style, characterized by mudbrick buildings, triangular or rectangular windows and door openings, and centralized outdoor courtyards.

Mukaab is estimated to add $51 billion to non-oil-related GDP and will generate over 330,000 jobs.

The project will employ 900 workers and is expected to be completed by 2030 as part of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s  Saudi Vision 2030, a project to reduce dependence on oil and expand the nation’s economy, including the public service sector.

Mohammad bin Salman has planned other projects as part of Saudi Vision 2030, including a floating port city called Oxagon, located on the Red Sea coast, a mountain tourist destination called Trojena, and a futuristic city called NEOM powered by renewable energy.

In addition, plans are in place for “The Line,” a 105-mile-long development that could house 9 million people while running entirely on renewable energy.