NEOM Updates

One of the strongest reactions to learning about The Line, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's proposed 170-kilometer-long linear city extending from the Red Sea to the desert interior of Saudi Arabia, in early 2021 was doubt. How could such a large construction be labeled sustainable? Why build a mirrored supertall, superlong “building” in the desert? How much will it cost? Will any of it be built? The question of cost is complicated by the fact that The Line is just one of ten components in NEOM, whose grand total is reported to be more than $500 billion.

The last question is addressed in a statement from NEOM earlier this week that Delugan Meissl Associate Architects (DMAA), Gensler, and Mott MacDonald have been named respectively as “design, development and project delivery teams to provide urban design, planning consultancy and infrastructure design for the first phase of the city.” We glimpsed that approximately half-kilometer-long first phase in the NEOM exhibition in Venice last year, anchored at the marina where The Line meets the Red Sea. Reports from earlier this year indicate that might end up being the full extent of The Line.

This first section, the Hidden Marina, appeared to be designed by Morphosis, who developed the concept for The Line, but then departed earlier this year alongside other firms, potentially in response to human rights violations tied to realizing the project. DMAA's involvement was tipped at the time but not confirmed until this week's announcement. DMAA has been officially appointed as urban designer, leading the concept and detailed masterplan for the first phase, while the “planning and design of the neighborhoods within phase one […] will be undertaken by a suite of architects starting early 2025,” after which “DMAA will later support NEOM in maintaining the design vision of Phase One, as neighborhood architects are appointed.”

One day after the announcement of DMAA and other firms for the first phase of The Line, NEOM revealed that Aiman Al-Mudaifer has been named Acting CEO, assuming the leadership of NEOM following the departure of Nadhmi Al-Nasr, NEOM's long-time CEO. Al-Nasr's reasons for departure are omitted, not surprisingly, though reports indicate some of NEOM's ten schemes have had to be scaled back and are now focused on elements that have a higher chance of success. The statement merely indicates that “new leadership will ensure operational continuity, agility and efficiency to match the overall vision and objectives of the project.”