New Murabba, the proposed new downtown area of Riyadh, has achieved significant progress over the past year through strategic appointments and technology partnerships that position the Public Investment Fund (PIF)-backed project as a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives.
However, doubts have emerged over the implementation of the project’s centrepiece, the Mukaab — a massive cube-shaped structure — following a Reuters report that said work on the skyscraper has been suspended while its financing and feasibility are reassessed.
Among the latest partnerships, the New Murabba Development Company (NMDC) last month awarded Parsons Corporation a 60-month contract as infrastructure lead design consultant (ILDC), marking a critical step in establishing the delivery framework for the 14-million-sq-m development. Under the agreement, Parsons will provide comprehensive design and engineering services spanning infrastructure, public buildings, landscape architecture, and the public realm.
“New Murabba is an extraordinary project that redefines sustainable urban development at a giga scale and Parsons is proud to be working with the New Murabba team on the creation of this new destination,” said Carey Smith, Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Parsons.
The recently completed headquarters of the New Murabba Development Company.
The firm brings over 65 years of experience in Saudi Arabia and currently manages more than 50 active projects in the kingdom, including major developments such as Diriyah, The Line and Oxagon at NEOM.
Named after Riyadh’s Al-Murabba neighbourhood, New Murabba is centered around technology, innovation, and sustainability, in alignment with the Saudi Vision 2030 “Quality of Life Program”.
New Murabba is designed to offer a balanced live-work-play community and incorporates principles of 15-minute walkability, enabling residents to access most amenities within the quarter-hour walk.
NMDC’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Dyke affirmed that the signing of this agreement aims to advance New Murabba’s position as a world-class cultural and tourism destination. The development is designed as a mixed-use destination that will host a wide range of events, while preserving the defining characteristics of Salmani architecture, achieving a seamless integration of heritage and innovation.
He commented: “The agreement with Parsons will equip New Murabba with next-generation infrastructure that contributes to shaping the future of smart urban living. This milestone represents a significant step forward in our ongoing plans to make New Murabba one of the world’s leading tourism, cultural, and human-centered destinations. New Murabba will emerge as a global hub, attracting premier international events and welcoming visitors to experience a distinctive, fully integrated environment designed to inspire and serve all.”
Mukaab
In a major setback for the Mukaab — a cube-shaped landmark billed as one of the world’s largest built structures — work on the project has been suspended while its financing and feasibility are reassessed, Reuters reported.
The Mukaab, the centrepiece of Riyadh’s New Murabba development, is the latest high-profile giga-project linked to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to be curtailed or delayed as the kingdom’s $925 billion sovereign wealth fund scales back ambitions to rein in costs and prioritise spending, according to Reuters.
The structure was designed to measure 400 m in height, width and depth, offering more than two million sq m of floor space. Plans included a spiralling central tower within a near full-height atrium, immersive digital technologies and more than 10 attractions spanning retail, cultural venues, offices, hotels, residential units and leisure facilities. Its exterior draws on modern Najdi architectural motifs.
Meanwhile, according to MEED, NMDC has issued a request for information to test market interest in modular and offsite fit-out solutions for the towers surrounding the Mukaab.
NMDC has scheduled a market engagement meeting with prospective companies in the first week of February to discuss the proposals. The planned North and South towers are designated for residential use, while the East and West towers will be mixed-use. The towers are expected to rise to around 375 m and exceed 80 storeys.
Modular elements under consideration include bathroom and kitchen pods, dressing room modules, panellised steel partition systems and other offsite-manufactured fit-out solutions.
Partnerships
New Murabba has secured multiple agreements focused on technology localisation and local content development. In September, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Alat, a PIF entity specialising in advanced technologies, to explore development and integration of building technologies for the Mukaab and wider development.
The agreement encompasses vertical transportation solutions including elevators and escalators, potential localised manufacturing capabilities, and optimal funding strategies for research and development. The partnership aims to reduce dependency on imported systems while building domestic capabilities in high-value construction technologies.
A separate MoU signed last month with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources establishes frameworks for strengthening local content across the development pipeline, expand national supply chains, and enhance industrial collaboration across one of the kingdom’s most ambitious urban developments.
The agreement, signed by Mamdouh Al-Quraishi, Chief Corporate Services Officer of NMDC, and Albadr Adel Fouda, Deputy Minister for Industrial Enablement, includes provisions for sharing industrial knowledge, providing data on local manufacturing capabilities, and assessing factory readiness through qualified manufacturer lists.
“Strengthening local industry is central to New Murabba’s mission as we move from planning into delivery,” said Al-Quraishi. “This partnership enables deeper engagement with Saudi manufacturers, improves supply-chain transparency, and ensures our development directly supports the kingdom’s broader economic ambitions.”
New Murabba has also established a long-term partnership with Falcon’s Creative Group, a US-based leader in entertainment experience design, to develop creative vision and immersive experiences for the Mukaab. The collaboration brings specialised expertise in experiential environments to complement the project’s focus on integrated digital infrastructure and user-responsive design.
Smart Headquarters
The development company’s operational capabilities are demonstrated by its recently completed Riyadh headquarters, which achieved SmartScore Platinum certification with a perfect 100/100 score – the first facility in Saudi Arabia to reach this level. The headquarters accommodates approximately 600 employees across more than 10,000 sq m of gross floor area and features the kingdom’s first operational digital twin, developed in-house using Tandem Software for real-time monitoring and optimisation of building systems.
The convergence of large-scale infrastructure delivery, smart building technologies, and experience-led design positions New Murabba as a reference project for Vision 2030’s economic diversification and technology localisation priorities, with construction advancement expected to continue through the multi-year delivery timeline.