Field report: Riyadh
5 May 2023
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Contracts worth over $2.7bn have been awarded in Riyadh Province so far this year.
MEED field researchers visited Riyadh in mid-April to monitor the progress on construction projects including Diriyah Gate, King Salman International Park and Riyadh Sports Boulevard.
The team also called in on two of Saudi Entertainment Ventures' (Seven's) entertainment complexes and several National Housing Company housing schemes, among other projects.
At the Diriyah Gate project, construction works are progressing on the digital arts centre Diriyah Art Futures and Heritage Five Star hotel in Samhan district.
MEED researchers were able to get visuals of Diriyah Gate's now-completed restaurant complex, Bujairi Terrace.
Opened in December 2022, Bujairi Terrace comprises 21 restaurants over a 15,000 square-metre area
Elsewhere, construction works have started on the Ministry of Culture's headquarters building at Diriyah, while the site preparatory works are under way at the Northern Cultural District P3 car park, where the ground-breaking ceremony took place recently.
Local/Chinese team begins underground main spine tunnel roundabout base slab works
Structural works are under way at Saudi Electricity Company's Diriyah 380/132/13.8kV substation and the super basement project, which WeBuild is delivering.
Diriyah Development Company's three-floor super basement car park will serve the mixed-use Diriyah Square district, which will include leisure and entertainment, hotels, retail, grade A offices, the King Salman Grand mosque and residential units designed in the traditional Najdi architectural style
KING SALMAN INTERNATIONAL PARK
Structural works are progressing well at the Royal Art Complex, the single biggest project in execution by value at King Salman International Park so far. Modern Building Leaders won the contract, worth $1.3bn, to build the project in 2022.
In addition to the Royal Art Complex, the 1,300-hectare masterplanned King Salman Park project includes a national theatre, museums, galleries, a golf course, and spaces for commercial, hospitality and residential components
Construction on the main tunnels and bridges project continues, with the bridge structure now in place. A joint venture (JV) of Consolidated Contractors Company and El-Seif Engineering Contracting Company is executing the project, which is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2024.
King Salman Park was launched by King Salman in March 2019, alongside the Green Riyadh, Riyadh Art and Riyadh Sports Boulevard projects
The construction works are ongoing at almost all of the packages for Riyadh Sports Boulevard.
The projects currently in execution at the Riyadh Sports Boulevard include King Abdul-Aziz underpass package 8 and Abu Bakr underpass package 9, Zone 1A, Zone 1B, Zone 2A, Zone 5A, Zone 6: Package A, B, C, D, E and Cycling Bridge.
Riyadh Sports Boulevard – Package 5 Arts District. There are eight districts in total, with districts for entertainment, athletics and sports also planned
The structural works are under way at Seven's Al-Hamra entertainment complex (Exit 10), for which Al-Futtaim Engineering has been appointed as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) contractor.
Exit 10 is at the most advanced stage of construction out of the 21 planned entertainment complexes in 14 cities across the kingdom.
Meanwhile, early works proceed apace at Seven's Al-Nahdah entertainment complex (Exit 15) project. Consolidated Contractors Company is delivering the project.
Seven is owned by the Public Investment Fund and was formed in December 2017 as part of Riyadh’s push to localise Saudi spending on entertainment under the mandate of Vision 2030
Elsewhere in Riyadh, the client is delivering the housing units for Roshn's Sedra District community homes phase 1A, package 1. Indian contractor Shapoorji Pallonji is carrying out the construction works, which are in the finishing stages.
Located northeast of the Saudi capital, Sedra will consist of over 2,100 residential units, along with public parks, entertainment areas, retail, coffee shops and restaurants, community centres, schools, sports facilities and health care facilities
National Housing Company (NHC) is well on track with building its housing schemes in Riyadh. The infrastructure works are currently under way at the Dahiyat al-Fursan phase 1 project in the north of Riyadh. The work is being carried out by Al-Omaier Trading & Contracting.
Likewise, construction works are at advanced stages at NHC’s Al-Mashraqiya housing complex as well as for several of the packages at the Murcia complex, most notably Narges View, Rabieh Housing, Saraya al-Gwan, Asalah al-Gwan, Rawa Housing and the Al-Muhannadiya complex.
National Housing Company's Al-Mashraqiya housing complex, where construction is at an advanced stage
The foundation works are in progress at Shomoul Holdings’ The Avenues Riyadh project.
The project is one of the largest commercial malls in the Middle East and includes multiple districts such as Prestige, Grand Avenue, The Souk, The Mall, Electra, Oasis, Grand Plaza, The Forum and The Walk. Nesma & Partners won the project's main construction contract, worth $1.76bn, in 2021.
There is no construction activity at the Mall of Saudi project site. MEED exclusively reported this week that the Dubai-based developer Majid al-Futtaim (MAF) had put the plans for its estimated SR6bn ($1.6bn) project in Riyadh on hold.
By Yasir Iqbal, research manager MEED.com | MEED Projects | MEED Insight
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EditorThe Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup will not transform Saudi Arabia’s economy on their own, but the momentum they generate and the international profile they bring underline their importance.
Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has taken great strides in changing the international perception of the kingdom. Futuristic projects and investment in football and other sports, combined with social reforms such as opening cinemas and allowing women to drive, have helped foster a new image for the country.
This year, those efforts have been dented as the rest of the world once again sees a region blighted by conflict. Saudi Arabia will need to correct the course of public perception once the conflict draws to a close, and Expo 2030 Riyadh and the 2034 Fifa World Cup are well timed to help the kingdom maintain its modernisation drive.
Both are truly global events that will attract millions of visitors. More than 40 million visits are anticipated at the Expo, and the World Cup final in Qatar in 2022 was watched by some 1.5 billion people.
Both are truly global events that will attract millions of visitors
Locally, the impact has already begun. Flying into Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport from the south, one can clearly see earthworks and infrastructure progressing at the Expo site. To the east of the city, construction work on King Fahd Sports City Stadium is well advanced.
Expo Riyadh 2030 Company expects the construction phase and legacy development to contribute around $64bn to Saudi GDP and generate some 171,000 jobs. Fifteen stadiums are planned across five cities.
Construction activity is ramping up. Tendering is starting for the first buildings at the Expo site, including the KSA Pavilion. Meanwhile, work is beginning on more stadiums and other related infrastructure projects that will support the World Cup.
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READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17794600/main.gif -
Read the August 2026 MEED Business Review
29 July 2026
Download / Subscribe / 14-day trial access Saudi Arabia’s biggest event and infrastructure programmes are moving into a new phase of delivery.
Construction activity at the Expo 2030 Riyadh site is accelerating, with some of the largest packages set to be awarded before the end of this year. Infrastructure works are gathering pace and preparations are intensifying for an event that is expected to reshape the capital long after its six-month run comes to an end.At the same time, the lessons emerging from this summer’s expanded Fifa World Cup provide an early guide to the opportunities – and challenges – Saudi Arabia will face as it prepares to host football’s biggest tournament in 2034.
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Bahrain tenders Tashan sewer scheme
29 July 2026
Bahrain’s Ministry of Works (MoW) has issued a tender for the construction of a sewer network in Tashan, on the outskirts of Manama.
Contractors have until 20 September to submit bids.
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Chinese firm signs $3.3bn Kuwait wastewater deal
29 July 2026
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China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has confirmed it has signed a contract to build Kuwait’s largest wastewater treatment plant.
The North Kabd wastewater treatment plant and related works contract was signed on 26 July between senior officials from CSCEC and Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works (MPW).
The plant has a planned capacity of up to 1 million cubic metres a day (cm/d).
In January, MEED reported that the Chinese firm had been appointed as the main contractor for the project pending the contract’s official signing.
According to official government records at the time, the Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt) had authorised MPW to proceed with a direct contract valued at KD999.85m ($3.3bn).
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Abu Dhabi tenders urban development consultancy deal
29 July 2026
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has issued a tender inviting consultants to bid for an integrated consultancy services contract for upcoming works in the capital.
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READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
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