Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister, HRH Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, has announced the launch of New Murabba Development Company (NMDC) which aims to develop the world’s largest modern downtown in Riyadh, contributing to the city’s future development in line with Saudi Vision 2030. The Crown Prince also serves as chairman of NMDC.
The New Murabba project will be built around the concept of sustainability, revealed NMDC, featuring green areas and walking and cycling paths that enhance the quality of life by promoting healthy, active lifestyles and community activities. It will also comprise an iconic museum, a technology and design university, a multipurpose immersive theatre, and more than 80 entertainment and culture venues.
Situated at the intersection of King Salman and King Khalid roads to the north west of Riyadh, the project covers an area of 19 sq km to accommodate hundreds of thousands of residents. It will offer more than 25 mil sq m of floor area, featuring more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms and more than 980,000 sq m of retail space, as well as 1.4 mil sq m of office space, 620,000 sq m of leisure assets and 1.8 mil sq m of space dedicated to community facilities.
NMDC said the New Murabba will provide a living, working and entertainment experience within a 15-minute walking radius and will have its own internal transport system. It will be approximately 20-minute drive from the airport.
The iconic ‘Mukaab’
At the heart of the project is the ‘Mukaab’, an iconic landmark featuring the latest innovative technologies. It will be one of the largest built structures in the world, standing 400 m high, 400 m wide and 400 m long, according to NMDC. The cubic shape of the Mukaab will ensure the ultimate utilisation of space to accommodate the technologies necessary to develop the icon.
Inspired by the modern Najdi architectural style, the Mukaab is set to be the world’s first immersive destination offering an experience created by digital and virtual technology with the latest holographics, said NMDC.
The Mukaab will encompass a tower atop a spiral base, and a structure featuring 2 mil sq m of floor space that will be a premium hospitality destination with a multitude of retail, cultural and tourist attractions, along with residential and hotel units, commercial spaces, and recreational facilities.
The launch of NMDC is part of the Saudi Arabia-based Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) strategy to unlock the capabilities of promising sectors, enable the private sector and increase local content, contribute to the development of real estate projects and the local infrastructure, and diversify sources of income for the Saudi economy. It is expected to add SAR180 billion to non-oil GDP and create 334,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030. The project is due for completion in 2030.
All images and videos: NMDC/PIF
