The next satellite development of NEOM has been announced as a new lagoon straddling resort called Treyam. News of its announcement follows last week’s update from NEOM detailing the golf course and resort concept Gidori from Aedas architects Ignacio Gomez and Lama Al-Kharboush in the Saudi Gulf of Aqaba region.
This latest destination will be developed in the same coast region and is promoted as being an “audacious design with minimal land intervention." This is the tenth project to be announced for the region since last October.
Plans call for a 250-room hotel connected to either shoreline via a long skybridge whose facade embellishes a sunset-like illusion when viewed from a distance. Mark Foster Cage and Bashayer Bamohsen appear in a “Meet the Architects” video as Treyam’s lead designers along with the founder of Dubai’s JT+Partners, Joe Tabet.
A 450-meter (1,476-feet) long rooftop infinity pool invites guests to a further “awe-inspiring” experience elevated 36 meters (118 feet) adobe the sea and harbor below. NEOM refers to this effect as an “elevated haven.” Ground-level entertainment venues complete the design, connected to each base of the bridge’s towers.
Bamohsen added that it is designed to offer a “new perspective on how architecture engages with nature.”
Treyam becomes the eleventh satellite development following Gidori, Leyja, Epicon, Siranna, Utamo, Norlana, Aquellum, Zardun, Xaynor, and Elanan (which is also from Gage and Bamohsen). No construction timelines for either recent project have been released yet. NEOM’s first official residents are expected to start inhabiting 90,000 person Sindalah island later this year.
THE LINE, which is planned to house up to 9 million residents by 2045, has also recently progressed to the preliminary stages for the first phases of its construction. NEOM says they expected those to culminate in 2030.
7 Comments
Boo MFG! BOO!
Totally environmentally and demographically tone deaf... The population of Saudi Arabia is currently 36.4 million of which Saudi's make up 18.8 million (58.4%) and non-Saudi's 13.4 million (41.6%). Growth projections (ChatGPT) suggest a population of 37 million by 2030 with their growth rate reducing significantly down to 0.277% by 2060.
If NEOM stays true to its design intent of 9 million people living and working in location by 2045, where do these people come from, and who is all this development for? Is royal decree going force half of the true native Saudis to move to NEOM (I can't imagine they are building any of it for non-Saudis)? Also, who will occupy these 11 additional satellite developments? Particularly in light of the other giga developments planned for the Oxagon, Trojena, Sindalah, Roshn, the Red Sea project, Masar, Jeddah Central, New Murabba, and so on.
When you add all this up its hard to believe the sheer waste of money and hubris behind it. To the extent any of this gets built (in whole or in part), large chunks will be relegated to wasteland or theme parks that can't be maintained after oil revenue runs dry.
Good short-term work for environmentally irresponsible architects, designers and planners though.
There are quite a lot of non-saudis moving to the kingdom now (ala Dubai, Abu Dhabi etc) - mostly for better $$$ opportunities, but yes I cant imagine 9 million people being added to the kingdom in this time frame. Perhaps they are imagining a lot of these to not pan out at all (again, Dubai style)....
Hope is never a strategy. The answer to "if you plan it will it happen? and "if you build it, will they come?", is a giant maybe, but never a certainty. Besides the infrastructure, energy costs and environment consequences of desalinating water (hyper increased seawater salinity) are mind boggling. Never mind the sheer hubris of swimming pools in the desert.
I agree, but at the same time Dubai is a great example of "if you build it". Very wasteful and in bad taste, but people have certainly flocked to the Emirates en masse.
No doubt, but colleagues there have often told me the clientele for these projects are Russian Oligarchs and Saudis who want to have a lifestyle not allowed in KSA. Both of whom want to minimize their financial investments in the west.
My understanding is that the primary clientele for showcase projects in Dubai and Abu Dabi are Russian oligarchs and Saudis. Both cohorts invest there to assure safe refuge from their home countries, while also having the freedom to do what would otherwise be frowned upon at home. And a quick escape venue should such be necessary.
Plus, the added advantage that such investments protected from the eyes of western democracies.
The larger question remains, how can KSA development at this scale attract an investment of 9 million future residents? Second homes, tourism and such won't fill such planned development.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.