For most major cities, “downtown” means old territory, legacy buildings locked in the past. Not so in the Saudi capital Riyadh, where New Murabba, one of the world’s largest modern downtowns, is under construction. Managing this enormous undertaking is Chief Executive Michael Dyke, British veteran of Balfour Beatty and HS2. Sir Martyn Lewis interviewed him for Inside Saudi.
ML – How will New Murabba change, and perhaps challenge, the concept of urban living?
MD – New Murabba is an incredible piece of real estate in the northwest corner of the capital city, located only 20 minutes from the international airport. A metro line running through it will connect back into the financial district and onto the airport. So, with regard to our location, we are very well positioned. We are also fortunate in literally having a green field site to work with. Unlike other incredible cities like London, we are not constrained by the geography or infrastructure of the past. This creates an excellent opportunity to define and design a downtown which is born smart.
At New Murabba, we are allocating 25% of our land to green space, and another 25% to mobility, with an urban loop of 11km where you can walk, run, cycle, use your scooter, or drive an EV. That means around half of our 19 square kilometres is purely dedicated to enhancing the quality of life; meanwhile, we are also developing 27 million square metres of real estate across the destination.
ML – And the giant cube – The Mukaab – that will sit in the middle of it all? In your considerable experience in the construction industry, have you ever come across anything like that before?
MD – Definitely not. The Mukaab is a once in a lifetime structure – a modern day architectural marvel, and a true capital city icon worthy of Riyadh. When people travel to different cities in the world, they always have on their list certain things they want to tick off, and go and see. Without a doubt, The Mukaab will be high on their list of priorities. To provide a sense of its sheer scale, it will be able to host 20 empire state buildings in its interior. At 16 hectares, its roof will also be the largest in the world.
Underneath this, there will be a very large area dedicated to retail, dining, and entertainment, extending to about 350,000 square metres. The differentiating factor here is that everything will be extremely well connected, so that you don’t have to walk half a mile to get to where you want to go.
When you step into The Mukaab you will have the world’s largest immersive experience to enjoy. This will include over 400,000 square metres of immersive technology and holography that will create the sense and feeling of being in another world. And then to finish off, we will have the world’s first skyscraper located inside another building, the central tower – which is slightly larger than the Eiffel Tower – the only difference being you can actually stay in the top half for a few days, enjoying the hospitality and experiencing everything that is changing on the immersive background.
Technically you can go to bed looking at the sun going down in the Serengeti, and then wake up in New York City the next morning. You will be able to smell, taste, touch, and hear everything you can expect to, in any given environment. We will be hosting the kinds of advanced technologies within The Mukaab that have not been seen before.
At any point in time, we could have approximately 27,000 people moving around the lower levels of The Mukaab, experiencing it in absolute wonderment. The challenge of course, is that when 27,000 people are moving wherever they want, whenever they want – up, down, left, and right, we have to deal with the issue of perspective. If you are at the top of the tower and looking down at a holograph of a cow, for example, it would actually look like a tiny dot. So, we have to create backdrops that look absolutely amazing and jaw-dropping from wherever you may be standing within The Mukaab.
ML – It all sounds immensely complex. Are there major engineering challenges involved?
MD – The technology does exist today, but to have it at the scale we want, with the perspective issue resolved, is our biggest challenge. However, we are confident we can find a way to overcome this. In terms of the pure engineering challenge of constructing The Mukaab, yes, it is true that it is being done on a scale that has never been seen by man or woman, in the history of time. However, like most great engineering feats it is more than achievable; it just requires fantastic definition, brilliant design, exceptional planning, and ultimately, brilliant execution. So, we don’t worry too much about actual construction.
ML – And is it future proofed against future environmental changes?
MD – The Mukaab will be carbon neutral by 2060, consistent with the Kingdom’s objectives. We are also broadly compliant with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we consider sustainability in every decision that we take as we plan for around 90-100 million visitors each year. This means that, at peak, we could have up to a quarter of a million people at any point in time in The Mukaab alone.
Moreover, New Murabba is also there to cope with future population growth in and around Riyadh. What that means is that, not only are we going to stimulate and diversify the economy, but we are also enhancing the quality of life, with people living and working in an amazing location that is truly technologically enabled. Beyond this, they can also step outside and be surrounded by green spaces and parks, which means that they get the best of both worlds.
ML – Are there still opportunities for investment partners and organisations that want to play a part in this great construction?
MD – Absolutely. We are open for business in three key domains. Firstly, we are welcoming industrial partners. We need the very best in the world, including the best in the Kingdom, and the best in the Middle East and beyond, to participate. We welcome them to bring their top capabilities, talent, and leadership. We are also welcoming opportunities for smart funding, whereby we can strike joint ventures and long-term partnerships.
Next, there are outstanding opportunities available for technology partners, because the technology we are implementing cannot be obsolete by the time we open in 2030. It has to be technology that is “born smart”, enabled to grow, and which can handle hardware upgrades, software upgrades, and content upgrades. All of this will need to occur in real time, without breaking the spell of people feeling that they are truly in another world.
The only way we can do that is by providing full access and a fantastic modular build that can enable us to switch out and back in again. This is essentially known as “hot swapping”, and will ensure that we never break that magical spell. Now, to make that happen we need partners who are going to continuously upgrade and improve the software and hardware on a continuous basis. The best way to achieve this is to partner with organisations for over 20 or 30 years, meaning that we have long term enduring agreements and there is mutuality both ways.
And finally, we are also welcoming classic real estate partnerships, which is an important part of what new Murabba is about. This means there is a huge opportunity for developers to come and partner with us; for sub-developers to come and take out smaller plots, and for classic investment coming in as in any real estate asset investment scenario.
So, in summary, there are incredible opportunities available at New Murabba, and we are literally just at the beginning of our long journey. Our message is clear: New Murabba is open for business, and welcomes all styles and approaches when it comes to partnerships, with the ultimate goal of building the world’s most impressive downtown.
ML – You talk about what is likely to happen technologically in the future and how you must prepare for that, but you haven’t got a crystal ball, how do you know what is going to come along, and whether you will be able to embrace it?
MD – We need to get good at looking around corners. History has taught us, only in the last 20 years, that ultimately, no matter how smart the tech is, whether it is AI, generative AI, servers, or cloud computing – you still need physical space. You need space for pipes and wires, you need space for future expansion; and you need space for district cooling, and for data centres. So, what we are doing with New Murabba and The Mukaab is creating corridors and space that will be available for what we know about today, but also accessible and adaptable for the future. Importantly, we do not need to do this in an intrusive way, which is a challenge faced by other major cities around the world.
ML – What advice would you give to businesses and people thinking of coming to get involved in projects in Saudi Arabia?
MD – Well, I can say from my personal experience that it has worked extremely well for me. I have to say that, from the first moment I met with the PIF 18 months ago, it was an excellent first engagement, and it has been nothing but rewarding since then. Being part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a privilege, not a right, and the responsibility I carry is very significant. I take it very seriously. We are in a country which is quite frankly amazing in terms of its energy, community, the support for families that it offers, and the friendship it extends.
I have felt the challenge associated with the ambitious work we are doing at New Murabba, but I have also felt a high level of support. As a CEO, that is the healthy kind of tension you want in any work environment, where the Board are very clear about what they want but are also extremely supportive. It is the perfect balance. In terms of the message for others outside of the Kingdom who might be thinking about coming over here to live, work or visit, the simple answer is you should really explore for yourselves. It is very easy for people in other parts of the world to form views behind their computers, or based upon the press they read, but there is nothing like seeing Saudi Arabia for yourself.
The demographics of the Kingdom means that a significant percentage of people are under 35 years of age, and the energy in particular that I take from them is fantastic for someone, like myself, who is 57 years young. Moreover, PIF is a mature stakeholder, and one that asks the right questions, that are both challenging and extremely valuable. As we continue our work at New Murabba, and overcome new and exciting challenges day by day, we approach things with a positive attitude and spirit.
I truly feel like I have a completely new lease of life in my role as CEO of New Murabba, and I am only just getting started!