CAD/BIM Design Project: Desert Oasis or Dystopian Hell?

Does the design of a new construction project in the Middle East foresee the structure of future societies, or is it just a "castle in the sky"?

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A controversial project in the Middle East has clearly pitted CAD/BIM designers and members of the AEC industry against the confines of modern reality.

A controversial project in the Middle East has clearly pitted CAD/BIM designers and members of the AEC industry against the confines of modern reality in thought-provoking ways.

But are they crossing the line between reality and fantasy?

The Scale of a City

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The Line consists of two parallel structures contained within a mirrored glass exterior.

Foolhardy Frivolity or Fantastic Feat?

The tadpole becomes the frog; the acorn, the mighty oak, the settlement becomes the sprawling metropolis, and in the Middle East, well, that’s where this theory goes to hell in a handbasket.

The architects’ renditions show a breathtakingly inspired new way of living, with no cars, no streets, and no carbon emissions. And an anticipated population of nine million souls. That’s more than Madrid, bigger than Baghdad, and nominally larger than New York City. The relevance?

New York (population 8.9 million) covers an area of a little over 300 square miles. London (with a population of 9.5 million) covers an area of 607 square miles. The Line? Nine million people will occupy a footprint of just 13.12 square miles. What? Yes, to quote Johnny Depp, “You read that right.” Nine million people will apparently be comfortably housed in a mere 13 square miles (34 square kilometers).

How is this possible? We told you the structure would be 105 miles long and 660 feet wide, but we forgot to tell you that it would also be over 1,640 feet (500 meters) tall, which means The Line could be around 100 floors tall, or more. (We don’t envy the window-washers. Nope, not one bit.)

Visionary versus Dystopian

Are they crossing the line between reality and fantasy?

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