International architecture firms working on the Saudi Arabian megacity The Line include Adjaye Associates, Morphosis, Studio Fuksas, and Coop Himmelb(l)au, according to an exhibition in Riyadh. The 170-kilometer-long megacity is now reportedly constructed in Saudi Arabia, and it is being designed by multiple multinational studios, each of which is supposedly working on a 500-meter segment.
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The Line’s-Related Allegations
Architects’ Journal reports that The Line Exhibition, which occurred in January 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, confirmed the collaboration between twelve architecture firms. Morphosis, a firm based in the United States and headed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Thom Mayne, has been widely speculated to be in charge of the design for some time now. When asked if they were involved in developing The Line, the studio said they couldn’t respond.
In addition to Morphosis, eleven other firms were credited in the exhibition as contributors to the project. These include the American firms of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Tom Wiscombe Architecture, Oyler Wu Collaborative, and HOK; the British firms of Adjaye Associates and Peter Cook’s CHAP; the Austrian firms of Coop Himmelb(l)au and Delugan Meissl Associated Architects; the Italian firm Studio Fuksas; the Dutch firms of UNStudio and OMA.
However, officials from OMA and UNStudio acknowledged that their firms are not currently working on the project, despite having previously taken part in a preliminary concept contest. At the same time, it’s unclear what role the other studios have played.
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The Line, announced a year ago, is intended to shelter nine million people. With a length of 170 kilometers, it will encompass the whole Neom region in southwest Saudi Arabia but will only be 200 meters wide. It will be surrounded by reflective façades of 500 meters in height.
The project’s long-term viability and sustainability promises have been roundly criticized. Human rights organization ALQST reported that three men compelled to leave the Neom site were put to death. Therefore, there are concerns that the project may be linked to human rights breaches.
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The Line is part of the larger Neom project, which will ultimately span ten areas. Luca Dini Design and Architecture, an architecture firm, plans an octagonal floating harbor town and a vacation rental island to coexist with The Line.
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Additionally, UNStudio, Zaha Hadid Architects (UK), Aedas (USA), LAVA (Germany), and Bureau Proberts (Australia) will each design a ski resort as part of the endeavor.
