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Requirements & Information

Introduction

Within AII, the concepts of Requirements and Information represent the backbone of digital design assurance for submitted Assets and Spaces by Design Consultants. Together, they define what should be delivered and what has been delivered respectively - enabling consistent, traceable, and measurable alignment between design intent and actual output.

This relationship allows NEOM and its delivery partners to establish a definitive data source for all Asset and Space data, ensuring that every attribute from spatial, geometry to performance criteria, adheres to the same quality and compliance expectations.

Understanding Requirements

Requirements define the standards and thresholds that every Asset or Space must meet. They are the digital representation of the Design Rule Books as they are structured in a machine-readable format that AII can use to validate Design Consultant's submission automatically and provide insights to NEOM.

Requirements set out the minimum, optimum, and maximum acceptable values for each attribute associated with an Asset or Space. These act as benchmarks against which Design Consultant submitted typologies can be objectively assessed.

Their purpose is to;

  • Provide consistency across diverse typologies (e.g. Residential, Retail, Culture).
  • Support automated validation & compliance checks against defined and standardized rules.
  • Enable early detection of design deviations before they impact downstream phases on THE LINE.
  • Serve as a reference baseline for Quality Assurance and effective Digital Handover.

Structure of Requirements

Each Requirement consists of the following breakdown.

  • Attribute Name - What is being measured? (e.g. Ceiling Height)
  • Attribute Type - Geometric or Non-Geometric? (e.g. Space Height Allowance for Structure or Cooling Loads Relative)
  • Unit of Measurement - Standard unit for comparsion (e.g. metres)
  • Minimum Value - Lowest acceptable limit (e.g. 2.7)
  • Optimum Value - Target design value (e.g. 3.0)
  • Maximum Value - Highest acceptable limit (e.g. 3.3)

Geometric vs Non-Geometric Attributes

  • Geometric attributes describe physical and spatial properties such as area, volume, riser dimensions, or structural clearances. They ensure physical feasibility, spatial coordination, and serviceability of the designed Asset or Space.
  • Non-Geometric attributes represent performance, sustainability, safety, and operational aspects such as fire rating, air-change rate, lighting level, or accessibility requirements.

By defining both types, Requirements provide a holistic specification of what an Asset or Space should be and perform like.

Understanding Information

Information captures the actual design data of each Asset or Space submitted by NEOM THE LINE's Design Consultants. It represents the tangible instance, of what the Design Consultant has submitted as datasheets and models.

While Requirements express the “intent,” Information expresses the “reality.” Therefore, Information allows AII to achieve the following below.

  • Capture attribute values for each individual asset and space instances.
  • Compare submitted data against pre-defined Requirements.
  • Support assurance, sign-off, and reporting processes.
  • Enable data reuse for downstream project stages.

Information Structure

Information datasheets mirror the Requirements format, allowing automated comparison and reporting.

  • Attribute Name - What is being measured? (e.g. Ceiling Height)
  • Attribute Type - Geometric or Non-Geometric? (e.g. Space Height Allowance for Structure or Cooling Loads Relative)
  • Unit of Measurement - Standard unit for comparsion (e.g. metres)
  • Minimum Value - Lowest acceptable limit (e.g. 2.7)
  • Optimum Value - Target design value (e.g. 3.0)
  • Maximum Value - Highest acceptable limit (e.g. 3.3)

This ensures traceability across all Design Consultant's submissions and simplifies the review process for Digital Delivery and Design Management teams.

The Relationship Between Requirements and Information

The power of AII lies in connecting these two data sets.

Each Information attribute is linked to its corresponding Requirement, allowing AII to automatically determine Compliance Status and generate insights through dashboards that highlight where Assets and Spaces meet, exceed, or fall short of their design expectations.

Importantly, each attribute in a datasheet is grouped into one of three categories the define how it used in AII's Validation & Compliance processes.

  • Compliance attributes – Mandatory fields used directly in the compliance check. These define the core dataset that determines whether a given Asset or Space meets the established Requirements.
  • Information attributes – Supplementary fields that provide extra detail about an Asset or Space. They enrich the dataset but are not used in Compliance Checks.
  • Additional attributes – Optional fields that may become relevant at later project stages or for sector-specific needs. They are excluded from compliance but help refine NEOM's asset records as THE LINE matures through its project stages.

This structure ensures that AII captures what is essential for compliance first, while allowing flexibility to expand and deepen asset data throughout the project lifecycle. The relationship between Requirements and Information transforms static datasheets into a dynamic feedback system, where compliance can be measured continuously rather than manually.