SOM Unveils 20.6-Square-Kilometre Coastal City Plan for Egypt

Architecture studio SOM has unveiled plans for Alam Al Roum, a new city in Egypt that will stretch 7.2 kilometres along the Mediterranean coastline near Marsa Matrouh. The masterplan covers 20.6 square kilometres and was designed for developer Qatari Diar.

The scheme's signature feature is water. Alam Al Roum will contain 22 kilometres of seawater-connected lagoons, some swimmable, weaving through the built environment to support stormwater management.

"The Mediterranean is home to some of the world's great cities, shaped over centuries by climate, culture and economic forces," said SOM principal Thomas Hussey.

"Alam Al Roum presents a rare opportunity to imagine a new city from the ground up, one that responds to the realities of climate change while offering an exceptional quality of life," Hussey continued.

What does the plan actually contain?

SOM says it oriented buildings and public spaces to take advantage of coastal breezes and sunlight, responding to Egypt's north coast landscape and climate. The development will sit on elevated ground to accommodate changing coastal conditions.

Waterfront protections listed in the plan include:

• Riparian buffers
• Stormwater wetlands
• Stabilised dunes
• Living shorelines

The programme is broad. Alam Al Roum will comprise beachfront and lagoon-side neighbourhoods, town centres, hospitality and resort areas, golfing facilities, an education district and a business hub.

A grand boulevard will form an urban spine connecting an international marina on the Mediterranean Sea with a mobility hub further inland.

The waterfront downtown is positioned as a year-round cultural destination, with a cultural pier, lighthouse, amphitheatre, yacht club, mosque and markets.

Who is behind it, and when does it start?

Qatari Diar is the developer. CEO Hamad bin Talal Al-Thani framed the project as a break from seasonal tourism on the Egyptian coast.

"Alam Al Roum represents our vision for a new generation of Mediterranean destinations – one that goes beyond the traditional seasonal resort to create a vibrant, year-round coastal city," Al-Thani said.

"We are bringing together nature, the sea, hospitality and everyday life within a carefully planned environment that reflects the unique character of Egypt's north coast," he continued. "Through our partnership with SOM and our global network of experts, we are creating a destination that is rooted in its landscape and climate, while setting a new benchmark for integrated coastal development in the Mediterranean."

Construction is expected to begin in 2030, according to the announcement. The first phase covers four square kilometres and includes a beachfront stretch, open-sea-connected lagoons and a town-centre marina.

The word "expected" is doing real work in that sentence. Masterplans of this scale routinely shift, and neither SOM nor Qatari Diar has published a construction budget, population targets or a completion date for the full 20.6 square kilometres. The renders show ambition; the timetable shows a first phase starting roughly four years from now.

Alam Al Roum is the latest in a line of Egyptian megaprojects built from scratch. Egypt has already established a new capital city east of Cairo, whose initial design concept came from SOM and was further developed by the international building consultancy Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners. Whether Alam Al Roum becomes a year-round city or another seasonal resort with better renderings will depend on what rises, or does not, after 2030.