Chinese firm’s Riyadh skyscraper debut signals a shift
16 January 2026
Commentary
Yasir Iqbal
Construction writer
Riyadh is in the middle of a skyline surge. The cranes are easy to spot. What’s easier to miss is the quieter change happening behind the scenes: who is actually designing these towers.
In January, China Southwest Architectural Design & Research Institute (CSWADI) won a design contract for a two‑tower, roughly 110,000‑square‑metre mixed‑use development in northern Riyadh. The project sits near the bustling business district of King Abdullah Financial District and is guaranteed to be a highly visible feature on Riyadh’s skyline once built.
The more interesting angle is what this represents. Chinese contractors are prominent players in the region’s construction industry. But a Chinese architecture and engineering consultancy leading the design of a skyscraper in Riyadh is a different move, possibly one of the first times a Chinese firm is properly leading the project from the outset in the Saudi capital.
In hindsight, it makes sense. China has spent decades building skyscrapers at a pace the rest of the world has not matched. The sheer volume has created serious practical expertise that has shaped Chinese firms into strong players on the international stage.
The shift is visible in the global consulting market as well. Western firms still dominate the top tier, especially for the statement architecture. But Chinese engineering and design groups have been climbing steadily in global rankings, helped by an integrated model that combines architecture with engineering and delivery discipline.
For Riyadh, that approach bodes well as it boasts a strong pipeline of towers. The question, of course, is local fit. Can a firm shaped by China’s high-speed tower culture produce buildings that feel right for Riyadh? If it can, this will not look like a one-off. It will look like the start of a broader shift in who gets to shape the city’s skyline.
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