Cube-Shaped Building Under Construction Impresses With 400 Meters on Each Side, 400 Meters in Height, and a Foundation Equivalent to About 4,000 Olympic-Sized Swimming Pools

Written by Geovane Souza

Published on 06/10/2025 at 17:56

O Mukaab é um arranha-céu cúbico de 400 m x 400 m x 400 m, projetado para ser o centro do novo distrito New Murabba, em Riade, Arábia Saudita.

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Excavation Has Reached 86% and Removed 10 Million m³ of Earth; Project Will Be the Icon of the New Murabba District and Aims for Partial Inauguration by 2030

The Mukaab is a cubic skyscraper measuring 400 m x 400 m x 400 m, designed to be the center of the new New Murabba district in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Its exceptional volume makes the project a contender for the largest building in the world by volume when completed.

According to the developer, the project totals more than 2 million m² of constructed area and will be the tallest building in the Saudi capital.

Internally, the cube will house a spiral tower surrounded by an immersive atrium. The scale helps to understand the impact: the building would have the capacity to accommodate the equivalent of 20 Empire State Buildings. The design references local Najdi architecture and is signed by AtkinsRéalis.

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Excavation at Accelerated Pace and Giant Logistics

The foundation phase is progressing quickly. 86% of the excavation has already been completed, with more than 10 million m³ of earth removed, equivalent to around 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools (calculation based on 2,500 m³ per pool). The current goal is to start the main piles after the land preparation.

To reduce urban impact, the developer reported that it will erect a temporary bridge over King Khalid Road, a solution expected to cut around 800,000 truck trips on public roads just for transporting earth. Safety and logistical fluidity are the declared objectives.

Immersive Technology as a Differential

The Mukaab was conceived as a destination for immersive experiences. The internal walls will function as high-definition screens, creating “world within a world” scenarios.

In the words of the project’s CEO, Michael Dyke: “Technically you can sleep in the Serengeti and wake up in New York.” The building is also expected to include hotel, retail, culture, and leisure, with operations anchored in digital systems.

Size, Function, and Comparison with Icons

With the cube measuring 400 meters on each side, the Mukaab is set to surpass global references in internal volume, not in height. The central argument is the volumetric capacity and the vertical city that accommodates an entire tower inside.

Market and architectural publications have reiterated the ambition to make it “the largest building in the world by volume” and the parallel with 20 Empire State Buildings.

The first phase of New Murabba, of which the Mukaab is a key piece, aims for 2030, the year when Riyadh will host Expo 2030. This explains the urgency in foundation works and mobility in the surrounding area. At the same time, recent analyses indicate that the complete district may extend until 2040, beyond the initial horizon of Vision 2030.

New Murabba: Urban Impact and Scale of the Project

The urban plan provides for 27 million m² of real estate assets distributed across 18 communities, with a projected population of over 400,000 people and an offer of housing, hotels, and 500,000 m² of retail. The Mukaab will be the heart of this ecosystem, concentrating attractions and connectivity to road axes and the future internal transport system.

In your opinion, is the Mukaab a vision of the future or monumental excess? Comment if you see value in an immersive building of this size in the center of Riyadh, or if the investment makes more sense in distributed urban infrastructure.

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Renato motos

#182503

08/10/2025 01:03

Ir eu aqui precisando sò de duas carradas de terra pra aterrar meu terreno….😩

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ENAX

#182480

07/10/2025 21:39

Com certeza vai diminuir muito a necessidade de grandes movimentações da população, pois será uma cidade dentro de um prédio. Mas vai exigir uma infraestrutura de apoio e controle muito grande, para conforto e satisfação da população.

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Eduardo Barboza(@paivabarboza)

#182422

Member

07/10/2025 13:11

Sei que pirâmides estão fora de moda há milênios, mas edificar um cubo Borg no meio do deserto já forçar a barra.
#🖖🖖🖖

-3

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Francisco

#182479

Em resposta a Eduardo Barboza

07/10/2025 21:38

Gostei do cubo Borg…..kkkkk

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Cube-Shaped Building Under Construction Impresses With 400 Meters on Each Side, 400 Meters in Height, and a Foundation Equivalent to About 4,000 Olympic-Sized Swimming Pools

Excavation Has Reached 86% and Removed 10 Million m³ of Earth; Project Will Be the Icon of the New Murabba District and Aims for Partial Inauguration by 2030

Excavation at Accelerated Pace and Giant Logistics

Immersive Technology as a Differential

Size, Function, and Comparison with Icons

New Murabba: Urban Impact and Scale of the Project

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Cube-Shaped Building Under Construction Impresses With 400 Meters on Each Side, 400 Meters in Height, and a Foundation Equivalent to About 4,000 Olympic-Sized Swimming Pools

Excavation Has Reached 86% and Removed 10 Million m³ of Earth; Project Will Be the Icon of the New Murabba District and Aims for Partial Inauguration by 2030

Excavation at Accelerated Pace and Giant Logistics

Immersive Technology as a Differential

Size, Function, and Comparison with Icons

New Murabba: Urban Impact and Scale of the Project

On the Greek island of Ithaca, archaeologists have found what may be a sanctuary dedicated to the legendary Odysseus, with inscriptions bearing his name and votive offerings that span from the Mycenaean to the Hellenistic era.

Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

After two years of internal discussions, Paraguay has finally regulated the law that opens the country to foreign technology and service companies with tax incentives that promise to create thousands of jobs and change the economy.

Map reveals how the Earth may look in 250 million years: continents will reunite in the Last Pangaea, 92% of the planet could become uninhabitable for mammals, and Spain appears among the rare possible exceptions.

Why fighter pilots never return after ejecting: the seat launches the body at 600 km/h in 1 second, compresses the spine, reduces G tolerance, and leads to medical disqualification, not punishment.

With 1,000 buses sent abroad, the Brazilian manufacturer consolidates the strength of national technology and takes on a leading role in public transportation across all of Latin America.

A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

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