Plans were unveiled to develop the world’s largest modern downtown in Riyadh when Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman announced the launch of the New Murabba Development Company (NMDC), for which he is Chairman.
The New Murabba project will be designed around the notion of sustainability, with green areas, walking and cycling pathways, and other amenities that will improve the quality of life by fostering healthy, active lifestyles and community activities. It will also include an iconic museum, a university of technology and design, a multipurpose immersive theater, and over 80 entertainment and culture venues.
The project will be located near the intersection of King Salman and King Khalid roads to the north-west of Riyadh, covering an area of 19 square kilometers and housing hundreds of thousands of residents. The project will have more than 25 million square meters of floor space, with more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, and more than 980,000 square meters of retail space, as well as 1.4 million square meters of office space, 620,000 square meters of leisure assets, and 1.8 million square meters of community facilities. The project is scheduled to be finished in 2030.
The project will have more than 25 million square meters of floor space
Within a 15-minute walking radius, the New Murabba project will provide a one-of-a-kind living, working, and entertainment experience, as well as its own internal transportation system. It will take about 20 minutes to drive from the airport.
NMDC will develop the project and build the ‘Mukaab’, an extraordinary iconic landmark featuring the latest state-of-the-art technologies. The design of the ‘Mukaab’ includes first-of-its-kind facilities and will be one of the largest built structures in the world, standing 400 meters high, 400 meters wide, and 400 meters long. The cubic nature of the ‘Mukaab’ will ensure the definitive utilization of space to accommodate the technologies required to develop the icon.
It will be one of the largest built structures in the world, standing 400 meters high, 400 meters wide, and 400 meters long
The ‘Mukaab’, inspired by the modern Najdi architectural style, will be the world’s first immersive destination, giving an experience developed by digital and virtual technology with the most advanced holographics. The ‘Mukaab’ will include a tower atop a spiral base, as well as a structure with two million square meters of floor space that will be a premium hospitality destination with a variety of retail, cultural, and tourist attractions, as well as residential and hotel units, commercial spaces, and recreational facilities.
The creation of NMDC is part of PIF’s goal to unlock the possibilities of promising sectors, enable the private sector and expand local content, contribute to the development of real estate projects and local infrastructure, and diversify the Saudi economy’s sources of income. It is expected to boost non-oil GDP by SR180 billion and create 334,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030.