We tell you about the largest and most unusual skyscrapers and entire cities that are currently being built around the world
Today, there are many large-scale architectural projects being realised all over the world – ultra-high skyscrapers, green highways, futuristic cities and green islands.
We tell you about seven of the most interesting of them, which are being built in different countries – from Saudi Arabia to South Korea and the USA.
A skyscraper city in the desert
A city called The Line is being built in Saudi Arabia’s futuristic business centre NEOM. In 2021 it was reported that it would be a horizontal skyscraper 170 kilometres long and almost 500 metres high. It was planned that the city would consist of three levels. The first two are underground for superfast public transport and lorries, while the upper level is designed for pedestrians.
The project envisaged that artificial intelligence will control all processes in the innovative city. The buildings here will be energy-efficient, running on clean renewable energy, thanks to which the city will not emit hydrocarbons into the atmosphere at all. Funds for the construction were provided by Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s public investment fund, as well as local and international investors.
It was recently revealed that due to financial problems, The Line will not be able to be as originally announced. Now it is expected that by 2030 Saudi Arabia will have time to build only a skyscraper 2.4 kilometres long (instead of 170 kilometres). At the same time the city will be inhabited not by 1.5 million people as planned, but only 300 thousand. According to Bloomberg, the construction company Neom, engaged in the creation of The Line, has already dismissed most of the workers who previously worked at the site.
Floating city in South Korea
South Korea’s Busan will build a prototype of a unique floating city Oceanix Busan, which can survive without communication with the outside world, by 2025. The estimated investment in the project is $200 billion, and its implementation will be supported by the United Nations. The developers of the city include UN-Habitat, Bjarke Ingels Group, SAMOO (Samsung Group) and Oceanix.
The main goal of the project is to combat the effects of climate change, primarily sea level rise. The city will be located on three huge floating platforms. Each of the islands will be hexagonal in shape and covered with a layer of limestone, three times stronger than concrete.
All buildings here will be constructed of environmentally friendly materials, no more than seven storeys high, to avoid the effects of strong winds. The neighbourhoods will be supplied with electricity from solar panels and water consumption will be minimised. There will be residential buildings, public spaces with restaurants, and research and development areas.
Hotel in Mecca
Another megaproject under construction is a hotel called Abraj Qudai, which is being built in Mecca in western Saudi Arabia. The estimated investment in the project is $3.5bn. The project has been designed by British architectural firm Areen Hospitality.
The building will consist of 12 towers with height from 30 to 48 floors and will occupy an area of 1.4 million ‘squares’. The hotel will include 10 thousand rooms, 70 restaurants, four helipads, as well as a ballroom under the dome. Five floors are allocated exclusively for the stay of the Saudi royal family.
It is planned that after completion of construction the hotel will be the largest in the world. It was planned to realise the project by 2017, but in 2015 the construction was frozen due to lack of funding. Now the construction has been resumed again.
The tallest skyscraper in the world in Saudi Arabia
The tallest skyscraper in the world is under construction in the suburbs of the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on the coast of Sherm Bihar Bay. The height of the building will be 1007 metres. It is the first skyscraper in the world, the height of which will exceed 1 kilometre. The architect of the building is Adrian Smith’s bureau, which previously designed the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, which is still the tallest building in the world (828 metres).
The Jeddah skyscraper was initiated by Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. To finance the construction, the Jeddah Economic Company was specially established in 2009. It was reported that the project will cost $2.2 billion. Inside the skyscraper will house offices, a hotel, residential apartments and the highest observatory in the world. Around the tower will be created a district called ‘Jeddah City’, which is designed for 80 thousand residents.
Work on the tower began more than a decade ago, but construction has been frozen since the beginning of 2018 due to funding problems. In September 2023, construction work was resumed. The project is scheduled to be completed in five years.
The world’s longest green motorway in the UAE
The world’s longest green motorway called Green Spine is under construction in Dubai. The project was designed by the URB architectural studio. The construction is planned to be completed by 2040. The 64 kilometre long highway will have 100% renewable energy sources to power the infrastructure.
Solar panels, which contribute to generating more than 300 megawatts of clean renewable energy, will be installed directly on the tram tracks. This will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 1 million tonnes a year, according to URB architects.
The project includes the creation of a special drainage system that will help recycle rainwater. More than 1 million trees of local species will be planted around the motorway. In addition, urban farms and gardens will be created here, where residents will be able to create flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. Vertical gardens will adorn the facades of buildings located near the motorway. A park with recreational areas will be set up near the Green Spine, according to the publication.
The new capital of Egypt
Due to overcrowding in Cairo, Egypt is building a new capital, while formally it is called NAC (New Administrative Capital). The city will be similar to Dubai and will combine government, business and sports facilities. It will create a separate neighbourhood for ministries, the Egyptian House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition, the presidential palace will be located there.
An octagonal building called Octagon is being built there for the Egyptian Ministry of Defence. It will be the largest urban military complex in the world, now its construction is being finalised. In addition, the largest mosque in the Middle East has already been erected in NAC. There will also be universities and office blocks in the city. One of the main office buildings will be a skyscraper, visually referring to the times of the pharaohs, in height will be exactly 1 km. This high-rise, as well as Jeddah in the UAE, claims to be the tallest building in the world.
The city will also erect a whole complex of buildings for sports competitions, including a stadium for 90 thousand seats. Twenty new districts will be built for the residents of the new capital. The estimated amount of investment in the project will be from $40 to $50 billion.
Eco-city in the USA
The construction of a city called Telosa has been underway for a year in the western United States. The project was developed by the Danish architectural firm BIG, and the initiator of the construction is American entrepreneur Mark Lohr. The city is being built on a 60.7 thousand hectare plot.
According to the architects’ idea, Telosa will consist of several towers that rest on high piles and are connected by a network of bridges. It is planned that it will be a completely environmentally friendly city. Green materials will be used for construction, and the facades of the buildings will be partially covered with vegetation.
The transport system here will include bicycles, silent drones, a suspended monorail and, in the future, air taxis. It is planned to complete the first stage of construction by 2030, then the first 50 thousand residents will be able to move here. At the same time, according to the authors of the project, by 2070 the population here will reach 5 million people.
