Saudi Arabia’s ambitious futuristic city, The Line, continues to advance, with authorities sharing new updates on its construction and revealing the teams of architects and engineers transforming this vision into reality.
Part of the larger Neom project, The Line aims to stretch 170 kilometers (105 miles) through the desert. For now, the first stage will focus on a smaller, 2.4-kilometer (1.5-mile) section. This initial segment will still be a massive undertaking, ultimately housing 300,000 people in a climate-controlled, high-tech urban space.
Renowned international firms have joined the project to lead its design and infrastructure efforts. Gensler, the American design firm behind the Shanghai Tower, will focus on city planning and public areas, ensuring a cohesive integration of transit hubs, parks, and communal spaces. Austria’s Delugan Meissl Associated Architects will develop the master plan, paying special attention to ecological sustainability, microclimate considerations, and urban mobility. Meanwhile, UK-based Mott MacDonald will engineer the city’s critical infrastructure—designing essential systems like sewage, water, and energy management, which are key to sustaining a desert metropolis. Saudi authorities have confirmed that AI and heavy surveillance will be used to monitor and optimize these systems for maximum efficiency.
Construction has been moving steadily, with over 1,000 of the planned 30,000 foundation piles already completed. Each week, around 120 new piles are added to support The Line’s foundation, which has made it a massive consumer of global steel resources—reportedly utilizing a fifth of the world’s steel production. The first phase is on track to be finished by 2030, though there is no timeline yet for future expansions.
Neom’s Chief Development Officer, Denis Hickey, praised the unique collaboration behind The Line, highlighting how this pioneering partnership demonstrates new possibilities for sustainable city planning. “This reflects Neom’s vision and global ambition,” Hickey stated, underscoring the role of innovation in reshaping urban design on such a scale.
The Line is just one component of Saudi Arabia’s extensive plans for futuristic urban centers. Elsewhere under the Neom initiative, the luxury island Sindalah was recently completed.
Additional projects like Treyam, Epicon, and Mukaab also reinforce the country’s ambition to lead globally in sustainable, high-tech urban living.
Source: Neom