SNC-Lavalin announced in a statement that it has been appointed as a Delivery Partner organization for THE LINE at NEOM in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A civilizational revolution that will have no roads, cars, or carbon emissions, THE LINE is set to provide an unprecedented urban living experience.
A linear development, THE LINE, once completed, will be a 170-kilometers long and 200 meters wide cognitive city run on 100% clean energy.
It will eventually accommodate nine million residents and is being built on a land area of just 34 square kilometers – a footprint unheard of when compared to other cities of similar capacity.
Designed around nature rather than over it, THE LINE will be surrounded by large world-class protected areas as 95% of the surrounding NEOM region will be protected for conservation.
SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a five-year contract under a framework agreement for consultancy services on THE LINE.
In collaboration with NEOM and other Delivery Partner organizations, SNC-Lavalin will provide project and construction management consultancy services for the design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of the project, together with the management of the critical interfaces that the linear city shares with adjacent NEOM projects and logistics. The project has adopted a highly collaborative delivery model in response to its scale, complexity, supply chain and requirements for innovation.
“With a vision for engineering a sustainable society, SNC-Lavalin is committed to helping governments and the private sector meet their Net Zero targets by providing our global expertise and world-class sustainability solutions,” said Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, SNC-Lavalin. “THE LINE is a central component of NEOM, which itself is one of the largest projects under Saudi Vision 2030. The linear, cognitive city will play a significant role in helping NEOM accelerate the Kingdom’s economic diversification agenda by redefining the urban living experience, boosting tourism, and creating job opportunities for the people of Saudi Arabia.”
THE LINE offers a new approach to urban design. The idea of layering city functions vertically while giving people the possibility of moving seamlessly in three dimensions (up, down or across) to access them is a concept referred to as ‘Zero Gravity Urbanism.’ The development’s infrastructure will be embedded with sustainable, smart technology containing essential utilities and transportation services, generating car-free communities and public realms.
“THE LINE is a truly ground-breaking, world-first project and we are proud to have the opportunity to bring our global engineering, digital and Net Zero expertise to help create a lasting legacy for the Kingdom and its people,” said Philip Hoare, President, Engineering Services, UK & Europe, Middle East, India and Canada, SNC-Lavalin. “As a Delivery Partner organization, we will work closely with NEOM and our partners to seamlessly connect people, data and technology to drive innovation, value, efficiency and certainty on the project. Our combined intent is to radically transform the way major infrastructure projects are delivered and THE LINE, with its vision and complexity, provides a great opportunity to demonstrate what our industry can achieve.”
