Construction starts on world's largest building in Saudi Arabia

Construction has begun on the 400-metre-high, cube-shaped Mukaab supertall skyscraper in Riyadh designed by AtkinsRéalis, which will be the world's largest building when it completes.

Designed as the centrepiece of the 19-square-kilometre New Murabba development in northwest Riyadh, Mukaab is now officially under construction with excavations underway, according to its development company.

The developer, named New Murabba Development Company and funded by Saudi Arabia's central Public Investment Fund (PIF), said groundworks at the site are now 86 per cent complete.

Designed by AtkinsRéalis, the Mukaab skyscraper will be cube-shaped with 400-metre-long edges. At 400 metres tall it will be a supertall skyscraper – a building over 300 metres in height – and become the tallest in the city.

It will also be the largest building ever built, with news site Bloomberg calling it the "largest built structure in the world". It will take the title of the world's current largest building from the Boeing Everett Factory in the USA.

Inside the cube will contain a giant, almost full-height atrium with a spiralling tower at its centre. Surrounding the tower will be two million square metres of shops, cultural and tourist attractions.

The cube will be enclosed in a distinctive facade made of overlapping triangular forms referencing the modern Najdi architectural style.

When complete, Mukaab will sit at the centre of the New Murabba development, which is being created as a new downtown for Saudi Arabia's capital city.

According to its developers, New Murabba will contain over 100,000 homes, 980,000 square metres of shops, 1.4 million square metres of office space along with hotels, culture venues, a university, an immersive theatre and an "iconic" museum.

The project is planned to be completed by 2030 as part of the country's Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy, which is being funded by its Public Investment Fund.

It is one of 14 giga projects currently being developed in Saudi Arabia, with the best-known and most controversial being Neom.

The images are courtesy of New Murabba Development Company.

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