The Cube: Saudi Arabia's Next Megaproject

First "The Line" and the "Oxagon", then the "Dubai Circle", now a giant

cube

. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia announced its latest project: the Mukaab. It is a

cube

so large that 20 Empire State buildings could fit inside. Saudi Arabia described it as a “gateway to another world,” with a holographic dome that transports visitors to other planets and magical worlds. But is this just a viral marketing stunt or will the Mukaab actually be built? And if so, when would it open to the public? In this video, we will see everything we know so far. Saudi Arabia is a rich country in the heart of the Middle East known for its vast oil reserves.

But it is precisely this oil that Saudi Arabia wants to become less dependent on.   That is why they have started announcing and building massive

megaproject

s under the Vision 2030 banner, to slowly shift their economy away from oil and towards tourism. The largest of these projects is NEOM, a $1 trillion

megaproject

that includes a 170-kilometer-long Line city, a floating port city called Octagon, and a massive ski resort in the Arabian desert called Trojena. We have already talked about NEOM in some of our previous videos. But in recent weeks there have been some important updates on these projects. In January, NEOM's CEO announced that the city's total infrastructure was now 20% complete.   An update video, which began with the words "NEOM is real", showed images of huge construction sites, including Line, Oxagon and Trojena.

Saudi Arabia has also partnered with some major companies, including Oracle and NVIDIA, which will help establish NEOM's AI technology across the city. As if the announcement of NEOM, including Line, Oxagon and Trojena, wasn't enough, now there's another brand new project: Welcome to New Murabba. This cube is the latest addition to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. NEOM has attracted a lot of attention. in recent months, but Saudi Arabia does not want to neglect the kingdom's other major cities. That is why the New Murabba will be built in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is already a rapidly growing city.

Fifty years ago, it was a city with less than half a million inhabitants, but now it has more than 7 million: the third largest city in the Middle East. And according to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the New Murabba project will become the largest modern center in the world. This new district is expected to take Riyadh's growth to another level. It will be equipped with more than 80 entertainment venues, several walking trails, a large museum and, at the center of it all: the colossal Mukaab: 'Mukaab' means 'cube' in Arabic, so the building will literally be called The Cube .

Building simple geometric shapes on an incredible scale seems to be a theme for Saudi Arabia's megaprojects after the Line and the Oxagon.   The Mukaab has been described as the “new face of Riyadh”. The exterior of the cube is inspired by Najdi architecture, a traditional style that has been used by the people of Saudi Arabia for hundreds of years. The beautiful surface will sparkle in the sun and dominate Riyadh's skyline. The scale of this cube will be impressive. At 400 meters tall, it will technically count as a supertall skyscraper. If it were located in Dubai, it would be the fourth tallest building.

But unlike other skyscrapers, the Mukaab is also 400 meters wide and would completely dominate the skyline. To put this in context, 20 Empire State buildings could fit inside the Mukaab. It would dwarf existing cube-shaped buildings in other parts of the world. The Berlin Cube, for example, is an impressive office block in Germany. Its mirrored sides are striking, but it is only 40 meters high; A thousand of them could fit inside the Mukaab. In terms of volume, this cube could become the largest structure in the world, easily surpassing the current record holder - the Boeing Everett factory in Washington. In fact, it would be so big that the Boeing factory would fit almost 5 times in the cube.

But what will all this space be used for? Setting foot inside the Mukaab cube is to feel like you are entering another world. A colossal dome will rise above its visitors and show different virtual realities.   These holographic images are supposed to make visitors to the Mukaab feel like they are in a different world. One second you could be at the bottom of the ocean, while another moment you're on the surface of Mars or in a magical fantasy world.   It is meant to be an immersive experience, unlike anything you have seen before. In the center of the dome will be a spiral tower, which looks almost like an anthill, or mushroom stands, rising from the floor to the ceiling.

This tower is destined to be a premium destination for tourists from all over the world. It will have restaurants, hotel rooms, observation platforms and also cinemas and theaters. The tower and dome will be surrounded by the enormous cube.   The four corners of the cube will also be filled with installations, stacked in skyscraper-like towers. The upper part will also be used, which will house lakes, grass and trees. Whether it makes sense to build a lake on it, or even whether it is possible, is another question. If you enjoy this video so far, please support us on our journey to 1 million subscribers and be sure to subscribe to Top Luxury.

So why is the Mukaab shaped like a cube? According to Mukaab designers, the cube-shaped design is the most efficient way to accommodate all the advanced technologies that will support the overall experience. It is not yet clear how they want to display the virtual worlds, but the technology will have to be hidden in the space between the bell dome and the outer cube. Between the dome and the shell, there will also need to be a sturdy series of beams and rafters to support the gardens on top of the cube. The skyscraper-like towers at each corner of the cube will also help for support.

Whether that is enough to support the world's largest roof and the garden on top is questionable. The cube-shaped design is also intended to make the Mukaab more iconic. ​​The Mukaab would give Riyadh a unique landmark that would make the city instantly recognizable among other major cities in the world. It's like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in New York. Every time someone sees a photo of the cube, they will immediately think of Riyadh. However, the shape has generated some criticism. Some people say that it bears a certain resemblance to the Kaaba, in Mecca;

Another city in Saudi Arabia.  The Kaaba is the holiest site in Islam;   When a Muslim prays, anywhere in the world, he makes sure to look that way. But others have dismissed the similarity and pointed out that the Kaaba is not the only cube in the world.  When the Berlin Cube was built in Germany, no one said it looked like the Kaaba, so why should the Mukaab be any different? These people also pointed out that the Saudi crown is Muslim; they would not deliberately build an offensive Kaaba-shaped building, so the similarity is probably a coincidence. Overall, the announcement of the Mukaab project has been met with excitement and intrigue.

But everyone has the same question: will the Mukaab really be built? Construction has not yet started, but will theoretically begin in the coming months. Saudi Arabia has promised that the project will open to the public in 2030, like the other Vision 2030 projects, including Line, Oxagon and Trojena. Compared to Line, this project is probably easier to do. However, it would still be virtually the largest megaproject ever built. That is why its result is difficult to predict.  So let's break it down into 3 different scenarios: The first possible scenario, which Saudi Arabia would probably enjoy the most, is that construction of the cube will begin in the

next

few months and the 400 meter high cube will be completed in 2030, exactly. just as they have announced.   Riyadh will receive its new icon and little by little it will attract more and more tourists from all over the world until it becomes one of the most visited places on the planet.

If all this seems too good to be true, it's because there are quite a few hurdles to overcome, which brings us to the second scenario: financial experts are already skeptical about the viability of the project. They can't see where Saudi Arabia will get the money to build another ambitious megaproject.   Dr Andreas Krieg, an expert in Middle East studies at Kings College London, said: "The finances of all this are not entirely assured." A few days after Mukaab's announcement, CNN asked the Public Investment Fund how they planned to finance the project. The PIF responded that financial details had not yet been revealed, but that more information would be released soon.

Much will depend on foreign investment. By 2030, Saudi Arabia hopes to raise more than $100 billion a year, which would help finance projects like Mukaab.   They are nowhere near that number yet, but if enough enthusiasm can be generated, foreign investment could begin to increase rapidly. But there is no guarantee that will happen. Amnesty International accused Vision 2030 of human rights violations, leaving a stain on the entire project and potentially scaring away foreign investors. But even if Saudi Arabia raises the money, there is a much more difficult challenge to overcome: is this megaproject even technologically possible? Holograms, like those described in Mukaab's ad, do not yet exist.

Some cutting-edge companies, such as Light Field Lab, have made significant progress in recent years, but holograms on the scale of Mukaab's dome still sound like science fiction. A similar effect could probably be achieved using giant LED screens.   That's what's happening at MSG Sphere, a project currently under construction in Las Vegas and expected to open this year. This immersive entertainment venue will be in the shape of a giant sphere, with a wraparound screen that will completely cover the interior wall. At 15,000 square meters, it will be the largest screen in the world: approximately the size of three football fields.  It is designed to transport audiences from the Sphere to immersive worlds, such as the Mukaab in Saudi Arabia.

But there is one important difference: the Mukaab's screen would have to be at least twenty times larger than the MSG Sphere's, and it's hard to know if a screen that big could actually be built. And let's not forget the giant lake on the roof of the cube. Millions of liters of water would significantly increase the stress on the structure. Therefore, the cube would have to be extremely strong and also be completely waterproof. If the lake were to leak, it would have a devastating effect on the expensive technology located directly below. In other words, the cube already faces some major challenges.

Without money to pay for it or technology to back it up, there's a chance it will never end. But there is a third option: perhaps the cube will be built one day, but in a reduced and less ambitious form. Its size could be reduced from 400 meters to 200 meters or less.  Even at 100 meters, it would still be the largest cube-shaped building in the world and an impressive sight to behold. It would be a disappointment compared to current designs, but surely better than nothing. It's impossible to know what will happen

next

, but one thing is for sure: it's shaping up to be a fascinating couple of years.

When 2030 finally arrives, the Mukaab, the Line and other innovative projects could open their doors to the public. Or maybe none of them are finished. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below. And if you want to know more about Vision 2030, you should watch our video about Trojena. Thanks for watching and see you in the next video!