Neom names Delugan Meissl Associated Architects and Gensler as The Line architects

Austrian studio Delugan Meissl Associated Architects and global studio Gensler have been named as the architects for phase one of The Line megacity, which is being built as part of the controversial Neom project in Saudi Arabia.

Neom announced that Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA) is the urban planner for phase one of the project, while Gensler will act as city planning consultant. UK engineering studio Mott MacDonald was also revealed as city infrastructure engineer.

The announcement is the first official confirmation of the architecture studios designing The Line.

The city is the most high-profile element of the controversial Neom development, which has been criticised widely on human rights and sustainability grounds. In an article earlier this year, we asked if it was time for architecture studios to walk away from the project in the face of mounting pressure from campaigners.

First official announcement of The Line architects

It is understood that US studio Morphosis designed the concept for the city, which is planned to stretch for 170 kilometres across northeastern Saudi Arabia and will made from two parallel 500-metre-high skyscrapers.

Individual studios will be responsible for designing 700-metre-long sections of the megastructure, with phase one consisting of three of these sections starting at the Red Sea.

Several studios have been attached to the project, with DMAA being one of 12 studios included in The Line Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2022. Until now, the studio had not spoken publicly about the project.

"The Line is a pioneering, visionary project that really changes how we think about city planning," said DMAA founder Roman Delugan.

"We're putting sustainability and adaptability first," he continued. "It's the first time in the history of urban development that a city is being realized based on a parametric model. Due to its construction method, The Line is quickly adjustable to people's needs, which we desperately need for a sustainable future."

Under DMAA's overall lead, Neom will appoint numerous studios to design neighbourhoods within the city in early 2025. Gensler will coordinate the city planning and act as "city asset design architect" responsible for designing infrastructure including transport hubs and the public spaces.

"The Line presents an extraordinary opportunity in the history of urban development to redesign and reimagine a new future for our cities," said Gensler's managing principal for Europe Duncan Swinhoe.

"At Gensler, we are working around the globe to design places for people and to shape the cities of tomorrow," added Swinhoe.

"We look forward to bringing our design values and expertise and collaborating with the greatest minds from across the world to develop one of the most transformative, resilient, and innovative architectural projects of our time."

Neom criticised by human rights groups

Neom is one of 14 giga projects being developed in Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan to shift the country's economy from a reliance on oil. A recent ITV documentary titled Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia stated that 21,000 migrant workers from Nepal, Bangladesh and India had died in Saudi Arabia since 2016, which was when the country launched its Vision 2030 plan.

The Neom project has been criticised on human rights grounds, with human rights organisation ALQST reporting that three men were sentenced to death after being "forcibly evicted" from the Neom site.

UN Human Rights Council later expressed "alarm" over the imminent executions. Saudi Arabia responded to the UN by denying abuses had taken place.

The main image is courtesy of Neom.

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