Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's largest timber market, with Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, pushing for a zero-emission development as the country weans off its reliance on oil.<\/p>\n
As Saudi Arabia unveils plans for \u201cZardun\u201d \u2013 the world\u2019s largest luxury resort and the latest in the Saudi\u2019s NEOM development, attention is now turning to materials used in constructing the world\u2019s largest and most ambitious construction project.<\/p>\n
Once constructed, NEOM will connect more than 26,000 km\u00b2 of land mass to the Red Sea, an area larger than Israel and Kuwait, eventually accommodating 25% of Saudi Arabia\u2019s total population.<\/p>\n
It is part of a development that has seen Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince, invest in extensive forest regeneration to wean the Gulf State of its oil dependence and bring the country\u2019s Vision 2030 to life.<\/p>\n
Already, 60,000 construction workers from 90 different countries are working on the gigacity, which will see four megacities \u2013 THE LINE, Oxagon, Sindalah and Trojena \u2013 all designed to have no cars, streets or carbon emissions.<\/p>\n
Now, a new report published in Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures calls for the Kingdom to use mass timber construction systems, specifically cross-laminated timber, to bring the 174km LINE development to fruition.<\/p>\n
According to the lead author, Danish Ahmed, \u201cthe paper\u2019s main objective is to study the feasibility of using massive timber elements in building the futuristic city of LINE-NEOM, Saudi Arabia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Ahmed, who belongs to the Department of Civil Engineering at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University in Saudi Arabia, said, \u201cThe structural analysis and design results (of the report) indicated that the CLT building was acceptable in terms of lateral deformation or drift under a critical combination of lateral and gravity loads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before adding that, CLT was \u201can excellent alternative material for buildings in LINE that aims to be zero-net carbon\u2019s city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Announced in 2017, the LINE is the first megacity project and will consist of two parallel, 500-meter-high, linear skyscrapers standing 200 metres apart, clad with mirrored facades.<\/p>\n
According to Al Shihabi, a former banker who now sits on the NEOM advisory board, the project is being built in stages, block by block.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople say this is some crazy project that\u2019s going to cost gazillions, but it\u2019s going to be built module by module in a manner that meets demand,\u201d he told the BBC last year.<\/p>\n
Much like Barcelona\u2019s traffic-free \u201csuperblocks\u201d, Mr Shihabi said each square will be self-sufficient and contain amenities such as shops and schools, so anything people need will be a five-minute walk or cycle away.<\/p>\n
Once finalised, travel along The Line will be via hyper-speed trains, with the longest journey \u201cnever more than 20 minutes\u201d, the developers claim.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia is the Middle East\u2019s fastest-growing market for mass timber, with the Kingdom now competing with the UAE to become the region\u2019s \u201cgreen power.\u201d<\/p>\n