Currently under construction, the Mukaab (meaning cube in Arabic) will be that rarest of architectural events: a visionary global icon that defines a city. When complete, it will form the centrepiece of a new downtown – New Murabba – in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
Taking the form of a cube, the Mukaab skyscraper, which is 400 meters tall, deep, and wide, will be one of the largest built structures in world history.
Externally, it will present an awe-inspiring design. Internally, visitors will discover an immersive experience, a Gateway to another world created by digital and virtual technology and the latest holography.
Dazzling in its technological capabilities, the futuristic cube will provide a unique visual, sensory, and interactive experience offering new realities. The Mukaab houses a tower atop a spiral base within 2m sqm of floor space that features exceptional hospitality, retail, cultural and tourist attractions, residential and hotel units, commercial spaces, and recreational facilities.
As the Kingdom transforms itself through Vision 2030, the Mukaab is destined to be an international symbol of Riyadh.
MRC’s highly curated invited competition positioned experiential design and technological innovation at the core of the project. But competitors also had to balance this with another objective. To enable the initiative to be true to its setting and meaningful to local as well as global audiences, it was essential that an appreciation of local culture and identity was intrinsic to the design. The Mukaab’s façade of repeating triangular forms is inspired by the Najdi architectural vernacular that symbolises Riyadh.
For this unique initiative, MRC devised a competition process seeking an exceptional interdisciplinary design team combining experiential design, architecture, masterplanning, landscape design and technological innovation. The competition also encompassed the design of the masterplan for the dynamic New Murabba downtown, a destination that will have 27 million square meters of floor area, combining housing, offices, and hospitality with a range of new entertainment cultural venues, including an iconic museum.
MRC developed a competition brief and programme to ensure delivery to the Public Investment Fund’s – the KSA sovereign wealth fund – expectations. The process enabled frequent and structured interaction between client and competitors, including regular design workshops and staged submittals.
The AtkinsRéalis-led team was selected as the winner with a futuristic icon attuned to local context that blended Riyadh’s cultural heritage with its future ambitions. The icon will offer new realities at an unprecedented scale.
