The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features an exclusive interview with Amnesty International's Peter Frankental about the Neom Project in Saudi Arabia. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now!
In an interview with Dezeen, Peter Frankental from Amnesty International UK said architecture studios designing Neom in Saudi Arabia are facing a "moral dilemma" and should "think twice" about their involvement in the project.
Frankental told Dezeen studios designing Neom "must be aware" of reported human rights violations relating to the project and that it was "regrettable" that they haven't commented.
"Companies do have a responsibility to be well aware of what they're entering into and the human rights violations that they will be linked to through their business relationship, and the impact of that," Frankental said.
In October 2022, human rights organisation ALQST reported that three men forcibly evicted from the Neom site in Saudi Arabia had been sentenced to death.
The project, which includes a 170-kilometre-long mega city called The Line, is being designed by leading architecture studios including Zaha Hadid Architects, UNStudio, LAVA, Bureau Proberts and Morphosis and Aedas.
Other stories in the latest newsletter include the completed redevelopment of the Park Hill estate in Sheffield by Mikhail Riches, a round-up of sixteen stadiums set to host the World Cup 2026 and the announcement of the redesign of Sydney's Powerhouse Ultimo museum by a group of Australian architects.
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