A huge artificial lake, covering an area of 1.5 square kilometres (0.6 square miles) is being built in the Trojena mountain resort, part of the Neom megaproject in northwest Saudi Arabia.
Three dams are being built to create the lake, the main one of which will measure an impressive 145 metres high and 475 metres long, while another will be 790 metres long. The main structure will have a holding volume of approximately 2.7 million cubic metres.
Trojena and the region, which is set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, forms part of the Saudi Vision 2030 programme for economic diversification in Saudi Arabia.
Webuild, an Italian industrial group specialising in construction and civil engineering has signed a contract worth £3.7 billion to build the lake.
Set to be the largest architecturally-crafted body of water in Saudi Arabia, an island will also be built, reserved for botanical dives and walks.
According to the company, over 10,000 people will be involved in the construction, including both direct and third-party personnel.
The kidney-shaped dam will be connected to the nearby Lake Village by an underwater tunnel and landscaping and other attractions within the dam are known as the Enchanted Forest.
Webuild will also develop “The Bow” – a concrete structure in front of the main dam that will overhang a valley and contain a hotel, residential areas and a large atrium.
Launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trojena is set to become a year-round tourist destination and will include a ski village with over 22 miles of ski slopes, family and wellness resorts, 42,000 square metres of retail and dining outlet space, a 3,000-seat mountainside amphitheatre and sports amenities such as watersports and mountain biking.
The project is due to be completed by 2026 and Neom plans to welcome 700,000 annual tourists by 2030, their website states.
Pietro Salini, Webuild CEO said: “We are delighted and truly proud to be awarded this important project in NEOM. The 2.8 kilometer-long, man-made, freshwater lake will be a key asset in the Trojena masterplan.
“The project is set to be an international engineering and construction marvel and we believe our team has the global experience and expertise to deliver this exciting infrastructure project.”
“The appointment of Webuild S.P.A is a significant milestone in our construction progress. We have already completed around three million cubic meters of excavation at the lake site, and we continue to excavate 90,000 cubic meters of rock per week,” added Philip Gullett, Executive Director and Region Head at Trojena, highlighting that all the rock excavated will be reused for the lakebed lining and dam construction.
Webuild is also constructing over 35 miles of the Connector high-speed railway line between Oxagon and The Line and the longest line in Riyadh’s underground network.
The Line – a controversial project due to issues including environmental concern – will see the construction of a 105-mile-long skyscraper along the Red Sea coast, creating a linear zero-emission smart city with no cars or streets. First announced in 2016, it is estimated to cost trillions of pounds to complete.
