Plans for a new floating city design that’s part of the NEOM project in Saudi Arabia have been revealed recently, offering a glimpse at the Gulf state’s full vision for a megadevelopment program that includes Trojena ski resort, an artificial island called Sindalah, and centerpiece 110-mile-long smart city dubbed The Line.
The ‘Oxagon’ as it is so-named, is formed by a series of floating squares connected by a network of canals and will contain factories and logistics centers along with housing accommodations for up to 90,000 residents by the time it is completed in 2030. It is strategically located in proximity to the Suez Canal in order to give the country an enhanced position within the global supply chain
According to a press release: “At Oxagon’s core will be the adoption of the most advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), human-machine fusion, artificial and predictive intelligence, and robotics, all of which are coupled to a network of fully automated distribution centers and autonomous last-mile delivery assets to drive NEOM’s ambitions.”
The development will be powered entirely by renewable energy and be formed by a seven-part “nucleus” of industrial tracts with space for sustainable energy; autonomous mobility; water innovation; sustainable food production; health and well-being; technology, and digital manufacturing industries.
"By creating a floating city we limit coastal sprawl, while creating waterfront communities that can be efficiently cooled and controlled using the ocean’s natural moderating affects," Oxagon's CEO Vishal Wanchoo said in an interview last year. "And by moving research and technology offshore, Neom will leverage the power of the Red Sea to drive innovation in ocean exploration, marine transportation, food production, and tourism."
The development's first residents are expected to move in by the end of 2023, with the logistical build-out set for completion sometime in 2025.
3 Comments
The marketing video is very corny with corporate and cult-like overtones!
However, they are improving the design, infrastructure, and mechanically autonomous systems, and creating upper working-class lifestyles and amenities (the real estate component.)... This project has adopted full automation. A plug-in company town with the potential of adding module after module as needed. Saudis have money to do this. For me, it's very easy to sit back and watch this succeed or fail. These pre-planned cities are logistics cities which are happening at the moment in many places in the world and the technology of moving and manufacturing goods is really advanced. This project isn't unrealistic. I think Egypt needs to supersize the Suez.
The Silk Railroad project isn't moving along due to wars on its route so the hype for these kinds of ventures is higher than ever.
why is archinect continuing to cover these propaganda “projects”, especially since they will likely never be built?
As cringeworthy as this shit is (for example, no brown folk in the video, whereas there will be thousands who perish if it ever gets built) - this is probably the most realistic of all the "giga projects" in the Kingdom, as Orhan says.
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