The Middle East is home to a number of staggering mega-projects as the region seeks to make a name for itself as a place of innovation and technology.
One of the latest endeavours involves the construction of a £38billion city that is already Qatar’s second largest despite construction not being complete.
Lusail is Qatar’s economic capital that has been under construction since 2006 and expected to be finished in 2025 as part of the national vision for 2030.
The impressive project extends across a 15-square-mile area comprised of four islands and 19 districts full of houses, shops, and entertainment venues. In a bid to incease tourism to Qatar, Lusail also boasts 22 hotels with international star ratings.
But its not just tourists that are attracted to the city. Lusail has the capacity to house over 200,000 residents on top of the predicted 80,000 visitors.
The city has also been marketed as sustainable as it uses integrated waste disposal, smart city infrastructure, a district-based design, and sustainable lifestyle services.
All the buildings have met their targets for energy consumption efficiency, water conservation, local material sourcing and recycling, and outdoor environment quality.
There are pockets of greenery and parks scattered around Lusail, with the two main ones being the Crescent Park and the Wadi Park.
As part of the ambitions of sustainability, the city has created wide walkways, sports fields, bicycle lanes, marina promenades, and bodies of water.
However, introducing vegetation into the project has been a struggle, as the city’s poor groundwater quality means only salt-and drought-tolerant plants survive.
As well as the skyscrapers that tower over the 19 districts, Lusail also contains the expansive Meryal waterpark, which has been named one of the world’s best.
The newest and largest water park in Qatar includes 53 slides across six acres of land, including the tallest water slide tower in the world, standing at 260 feet.
Meryal also features restaurants, cafes, and many other entertainment facilities for tourists and local families.
In 2022, Lusail hosted the World Cup final in its Sports Arena, with a capacity of 88,000 – just 2,000 less than Wembley. The stadium will now be used for other sporting and cultural events.
