For a while, it looked like Saudi Arabia wanted to put a science fiction cube right in the middle of its capital. Now that dream is on ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials have suspended work on the planned 400 meter by 400 meter skyscraper known as The Mukaab, a metal cube large enough to swallow around twenty Empire State Buildings inside its shell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The structure was meant to anchor the new downtown district of New Murabba<\/a> in Riyadh, with a spiraling tower, hotels, apartments and an enormous immersive digital dome at its core. Work beyond basic excavation and pilings has now been halted while its backers reassess financing and feasibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On paper, the numbers were staggering. New Murabba was priced at around 50 billion dollars and was expected to host 104,000 homes, add about 180 billion riyals to national GDP and create more than 330 thousand direct and indirect jobs in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The cube itself would have offered roughly 2 million square meters of interior floor space and ranked among the largest single buildings anywhere on Earth. So why pull the plug now, and what does this have to do with climate and sustainability?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decision does not come in a vacuum. Saudi leaders have spent years promoting Vision 2030 as a blueprint that mixes economic diversification with cleaner growth, including a pledge to reach net-zero emissions around 2060 and a push to expand renewable power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Urban scholars had already warned that a windowless mega cube in one of the world\u2019s hottest regions sat awkwardly with those climate goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An analysis from the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington<\/a> noted that megaprojects like the Mukaab could drive up resource use, emissions and habitat loss, and pointed out that a fully-enclosed entertainment space would demand year round cooling and artificial lighting in a city that is trying to add more green, open areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there is the simple question of materials. Globally, buildings and construction account for about one third of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions<\/a>, with cement and steel alone responsible for roughly 18 percent. Every extra ton of concrete poured into a mega cube shows up somewhere in the climate ledger, even if the lights inside run on solar power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Add water to the list. A cube of this size in a desert city would require huge amounts of water for cooling, amenities and maintenance. In the Gulf, most drinking water already comes from energy-intensive desalination plants that return salty brine to the sea and stress marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many residents who are already dealing with rising summer heat and higher electric bills, the idea of a glowing indoor city that must be cooled day and night felt like the opposite of climate smart design.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRead More: Earthquakes could be behind the formation of giant gold nuggets<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
A futuristic cube that clashed with climate promises<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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