Insight into the future we are building: Neom.

Jul 10

I originally planned to write something short—just a few paragraphs. But once I started, I got completely immersed. As a result, the whole thing needed a bit more structure to make sense. Hopefully that doesn’t ruin the fun and still is interesting to read.

For the past seven years, I’ve been trying to write occasionally about architecture, reflecting on what I’ve learned from studying or working. This time, though, it’s not so much about technical things. It’s more like a collection of thoughts on the strange, ambitious, and sometimes mysterious things that happen in Saudi Arabian mega city Neom. You may have heard in the news and media about Saudi Vision 3030.

by Dmitry Tatarinov | May - July 2025.

Aftertaste

Here I am, at Neom. I am finishing my work here and in parallel I plan to finish this writing before I leave in two months. My intention is to make this a fun, insightful read for those in my network who once considered joining this project, and for anyone curious about Neom from a perspective of the person who lived there for almost two years.

If I were to design a mood board for my time here, it would show bright colors that have slightly faded. Imagine a once-green T-shirt that’s now a faint yellow after being worn in the sun for a year and a half. It’s still colorful, but a little worn out. That’s the vibe Neom has left on me. What kind of fun do you have here? It’s unique. It’s like eating at a Michelin-star restaurant and having them refuse to serve you wine because you “don’t fit the criteria”.

Anthropology

Have you ever had the HR team ask, “Why are you leaving?” or “Is there anything we can do to change your mind?” Well, here, you're encouraged to build the future, but don’t expect to be missed when you leave. Love flexible working hours or at least hybrid as you don’t have any site visits or urgent meetings? No, this place isn’t for you. Yes, it is still common across the world to be sitting in chairs at the office, but I think this should be reconsidered if we build a new future.

It’s international, sure. But in my opinion, the accent you have still matters. If you're from the "Wild West", you're more likely to be valued. I don’t want to be part of any gossip, as it would be unprofessional and unverified, but let’s just say the number of luxuries watches around here can sometimes be a little overwhelming.

My fantasizing: Yes, there is a big ship with leaders in this project. There is another watercraft with all the rest of the people who are perhaps less envisioned. These two types go on their own itineraries and rarely meet in “NEOM waters”.

However, after office hours, when the masks come off, the real conversations begin. People finally share their stories about their interesting, multifaceted lives. If there was a better place for casual after-work meetups, it would make these interactions much more efficient. But there are not such.

Camp

Building the best by living mediocre? As an architect, I believe that building true beauty is impossible if the people managing the project live in mediocrity. It’s a well-known fact that our environment affects our mood. Whether you’re hyper-sensitive or not, even the indirect environmental factors can alter behavior.

As a child I was always amazed by the complexity of anthills. Ants need to overcome difficulties surviving severe weather conditions to keep living as a species. The type of housing here at the very beginning of the project, when Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld was its CEO, were one story buildings with trees and bushes surrounding cozy “huts”. Now me and my wife often go to that district of “our” community to enjoy the small islands of nature.

Remark: I must put “our” in quotations, because L-Ship decides how the community should operate and not the people.

Nowadays the community underwent transformation and newly built five story residential anthill constructed. I wander if it was the idea of Nadhmi Al-Nasr or someone else – to make community look like modern district. In my opinion, it was a flop. It seems the operating team didn’t listen to the people. Yet, NEOM is about people first— more than hundreds of nationalities who live here, including architects and engineers. Many smart people could offer insights if surveyed.

Remark: It was interesting to learn how the company which developed the masterplan mentions design criteria: “Creative and new-age design solutions”. You can google it if you want. It is available online. In contrast, I will provide some links on what companies could have been used for services in modular construction, or, for example, as a new future endeavor, NEOM could show the rest of the world how community buildings are built by using 3D printing.

A community was built 3 km from the beach and right next to The Line construction site for unclear reasons. As more people arrive, it keeps expanding in a reactive manner. A diesel generator sits just 30 meters from five-story residential buildings, causing constant noise, vibration, and smell. About 50 meters away, a waste sorting facility’s odors reach homes when the wind shifts. A construction road only 20 meters from windows kicks up dust, especially in 45°C heat. High-density planning may save land but at a high cost to residents’ comfort. Within 2 km², there are two large canteens, two basic supermarkets, and no affordable clothing shops. One distant restaurant is expensive and unappealing to most expats. While there is a school and kindergarten, the overall environment lacks essential services and livability residents need.

You may dispute: “Dmitry, you are fantasizing and what you want is ideal. There are still many good things in NEOM happening”. Right, maybe, but then, don’t tell me that NEOM is building a new future. Using approaches and acting in “past simple” tense does not align with the vision and do not satisfy even the mediocre quality. Many of them need improvement and involvement all community members. Pedestrian ways, lighting, transportation, housing, waste and water management etc. At the end of this writing, I will give my feedback and recommendations.

Below I would like just to show how the community looks like in one of the other famous Saudi projects - Red Sea Development.

Modern Art

Advancing into contemporary art without knowing preceding eras is unattainable. Of course, by having previous knowledge we can learn some things faster, but we cannot push our mind develop faster. The same goes with the desire to make a breakthrough and build a miracle in ten years. Let me ask you a question here, which you will answer yourself and take a break from this reading. Why Diriyah, which is rebuilding something from artisan era, is so successful and being so quickly built?

Art is the slow process which requires development at a cultural level. You should first create something involving the potential of local people and not only foreign technologies and expats. There is a perfect instrument which can help us understand this - Social Construction of Technology. Skyscraper, for example, would probably have never been designed without inventing an Elevator. These took decades of development and involvement of people from all fields of knowledge.

Many big imminent companies provide their services and win tenders in Neom. However, as this project is unique why don’t we follow a unique approach to finding designers and consultants who could be hardly found on the surface of the design market. May be some small companies can help building the future and not only large sharks like Morphoses or Burro Happold. We are involved in business when the winner takes it all. This is not art!

Instead of common procurement practices, which we all know how they work, we need to develop some new approaches to search for designers and amongst some architectural practices from each corner of our planet. But this is going to be a topic for another writing. Meanwhile, I recommend you make a pause here and go to google and have a look at timeless villas created by Alberto Ponis in Sardinia. This is rhetorical.

Don’t “Know-how”

It is indeed a complex project that involves talented people, and the vision is not that simple to achieve. Yet, look at the other large-scale projects in Saudi Arabia where the progress is visible. I am impressed with what John Pagano did for Red Sea Global or Jerry Inzerillo did for Diriyah.

I worked for large projects before I joined NEOM, Olympic Games organizing committee in Russia, Tallest Skyscraper in Europe, Nuclear Power Plant in Finland and almost every time I left with seeing tangible product on site. I can bet that with the current L-ship the project will have the shape of dunes as it is now even in 3030 and not the way his Royal Highness sees it.

Remark: According to New York Times article, there are 220 miles of roads and bridges, 700 sports grounds, overhauls and renovations to the power grids, airport were built within the time frame of 7 years of preparing for Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Below, I included some facts about Sochi Olympics so you can better visualize what I am saying.

Chat GPT reference on The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics:

$51 billion.
11 new sports venues.
2 Olympic Villages (Coastal and Mountain).
48 km high-speed rail line.
New/expanded Sochi International Airport and new highways.
400+ new buildings/facilities for sports, transport, and hospitality.
Development of Rosa Khutor Ski Resort and new hotels.
A new 48 km dual carriageway.
A 3.6 km tunnel through the mountains linking the coastal and mountain regions.
Several smaller roads and tunnels were constructed or upgraded, totaling around 60 km.

All mentioned above were not just separate elements. They worked together as one organism.

Let’s have a quick look at the google map and see what we have within same timeline in NEOM - USD500 billion development. Even though there are many things, surely happening at the “NEOM Kitchen”, including coordination, design and marketing, yet the progress is not visible. The kid is already 6 years old, but he still plays in the same playground.

Google maps image of Oxagon - Neom.

Talking about actions we demonstrate to our children, I have a big concern here too. The number of children living in the camp seems to be growing and they can see and observe how the new future is built, and this is alarming. Yet, most of them are on their smartphones because there are no proper facilities, which go in line with the new future, provided for them “to grow”. This interesting subject needs separate research.

Wrapping up

I could keep writing, but I’m cautious of sounding like a complaint. What I’m trying to do here is present my experiences, share the sketches of the reality of life in Neom, and offer insights for anyone considering joining. Once Albert Einstein says: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it”. Saying that, I may assume that we need to build an artisan ship first and then sail together, instead of buying an expensive yacht and wait that everyone to get along.

My fantasizing: As an old joke says, the ship is sinking, but it would be nice to see it thinking.

If NEOM really wants to thrive, it’s time to start listening—really listening—to the people doing the work. Feedback from managers and below should be a top priority, and yes, the CEO should hear it. But let’s keep honest: it shouldn’t go through NEOM’s HR. To keep things fair and unbiased, small independent companies should collect and handle it, preferably on paper—old school, but it works.

The truth is, NEOM is full of smart, passionate people with amazing ideas to make things better. But it feels like some crew members from the L-ship are living on a different planet, totally out of touch with what’s happening. And let’s be real—if politics takes over the project, we’re missing the point entirely.

NEOM is a once-in-a-lifetime vision. If we want to make it happen the way His Royal Highness imagines, we need less “rolex”, more listening, and a culture where everyone’s voice matters.

From Struggle-ment to Manage-ment

From my perspective as an architect, I believe these improvements are essential for this project to materialize before we promise something to His Royal Highness:

1. Rebuild the community where people live. All the temporary housing and infrastructure should be built to best practices. Access to the beach, shops, and restaurants should be prioritized. Narrow streets, less scooter traffic (I have never seen so many injured people), shaded pathways, and flexible housing layouts. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be smart, and people centered.

2. Equal compensation for equal positions. I don’t want to know how much people get, but I am just suspicious and think that pay equity should be the norm if it is not. Ensuring that people in the same roles are compensated equally, regardless of nationality or background.

3. Create an environment for children to thrive. Provide outstanding educational opportunities but also consider the people who don’t have children. Noise or disruption from children’s activities shouldn’t negatively affect those who choose a child-free life. Diversity is about respecting everyone, regardless of their personal situation.

4. Take lighting seriously. Bright lights can irritate and disrupt our biological rhythms. It’s essential to hire specialists who understand how lighting impacts well-being and productivity.

5. Make food a serious matter. With over 100 nationalities, the food offerings should reflect this diversity. Westerners, for example, may appreciate having beer available after work – it boosts productivity, believe it or not. Consider bringing in chefs from western countries like Poland or Belarus to provide variety and not only listen to British. Neom should create an atmosphere where people feel valued.

6. Hybrid and remote work options. If you want to build a “new future,” why are people still expected to work 8-to-5 in an office? The world has changed. People in their 30s and beyond want the option to work remotely or in a hybrid model. Those who need to be on-site will come anyway but forcing everyone into a traditional office setting reduces productivity.

7. Employee feedback from lower positions should be treated as a top priority and reported directly to the CEO. This process must be managed by an independent third party, not NEOM HR, and preferably done in writing to ensure transparency. Many great ideas are being missed due to internal politics and a disconnect between L-ship and the rest. The CEO should respond to that feedback and inform them about what actions were done.