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Diriyah launches major car park development

7 April 2023

Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Company and Saudi Real Estate Infrastructure Company (Binyah) have launched the construction of a major car park scheme, the Northern Cultural District car park, as part of the SR237bn ($63.2bn) Diriyah gigaproject masterplan.

The 2,000-space car park will service assets including King Salman University, the House of Al-Saud Museum and King Salman Library.

The design and build package encompasses the car park structure, architectural finishes, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, plant and utility rooms/connections, and all external work.

The firm won the contract to design and build the Northern Cultural District’s P3 car park project in February 2023.

Sustainability is fundamental across all aspects of Diriyah. The parking facilities are key to further reducing the use of vehicles throughout the development and maintaining a pedestrian-friendly, natural environment.

“This announcement is a further demonstration of the incredible progress being made at Diriyah,” said Diriyah Development Company (DevCo) president Guy Perry.

“As we welcome the world to the cradle of Arabian civilisation, high-quality, well-planned and efficient infrastructure is pivotal. Facilitating seamless access to and travel around Diriyah is fundamental to our development planning and facilitates the human-scale pedestrianised living, which is central to the Diriyah lifestyle.”

Diriyah masterplan

Developed by Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), the Diriyah masterplan will become a new cultural and lifestyle tourism destination 20 minutes northwest of Riyadh’s city centre. It combines 300 years of history, culture and heritage with hospitality facilities and spans over 14 square kilometres.

As well as cultural and hospitality spaces, the project will feature entertainment, retail, educational, office and residential areas, including 38 hotels and several museums.

The mixed-use traditional urban community will be created in the Najdi architectural style, typical of Saudi villages of centuries past.

The historic city of At-Turaif lies at the cultural heart of Diriyah. Built in 1766, At-Turaif was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2010.

Project pipeline

In December, DGDA awarded Binyah a SR373.9m contract to execute the enabling works for Diriyah Gate phase 2.

The authority has also awarded French engineering consultancy Egis the contract to provide project management consultancy services for the south and garden districts of the project.

The contract covers all phases of the districts, including early development, design, procurement and construction.

The Diriyah Gardens and Diriyah South developments form part of the Diriyah Gate masterplan and will include hotels, museums and conference centres.

DGDA and the National Housing Company (NHC) signed a cooperation agreement in October 2022.

The memorandum of understanding covers mutual areas that serve the housing sector, including urban planning and offering designs that meet building codes around Wadi Hanifah and its tributaries.

DGDA awarded South Korea’s Hanmi Global a $33.7m contract for Diriyah South and Diriyah Gardens in July 2022.

Hanmi Global will deliver project management services, including operation planning, design management, construction supervision and procurement oversight for developing residential and commercial buildings within the districts.

The contract’s duration is until 2027.

MEED's April 2023 special report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> ECONOMY: Riyadh steps up the Vision 2030 tempo

> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction project ramp-up accelerates

> UPSTREAM: Aramco slated to escalate upstream spending

> DOWNSTREAM: Petchems ambitions define Saudi downstream

> POWER: Saudi Arabia reinvigorates power sector

> WATER: Saudi water begins next growth phase

> BANKING: Saudi banks bid to keep ahead of the pack

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Eva Levesque

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