meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Legacy building at Diriyah

1 August 2024

It is impossible to talk about Saudi Arabia’s history without referencing Diriyah. Founded in 1446 in the Wadi Hanifa valley on the western outskirts of Riyadh, the historic town was the first capital of the Al-Saud dynasty and the launchpad for the kingdom’s unification campaign at the turn of the 20th century. In recognition, its central Turaif district was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2010.

Today, the mud-brick settlement, built in the distinctive Najdi architectural style, has lent its name to one of the world’s most ambitious transformative developments. Sensitively conserving and building on its historical importance, it has created a unique cultural, educational, residential and tourism hub in the capital.

With an official budget of some $63bn, Diriyah is one of Saudi Arabia’s five official gigaprojects. It has held this label since early 2023, when responsibility for its development was handed to Diriyah Company, a project company formed as a Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiary a year earlier.

Covering an area of 14 square kilometres, Diriyah is targeting a population of 100,000 by its stated completion date of 2030. With more than 40 hotels, nine museums, 400 luxury boutiques, 100-plus restaurants and multiple educational institutions, it hopes to draw in more than 50 million annual visits.

Progress since ground was first broken four years ago has been rapid. As of May 2024, more than SR53bn ($14.1bn)-worth of construction contracts had been awarded. Today, visitors to the area can see hundreds of mobile cranes, plant and piling equipment rising over the boundary wall.

“We are in a good place,” says Mohammed Saad, Diriyah Company’s chief development officer. “We’ve finished our essential underground infrastructure and civil works, the super basement and all the tunnels that connect the basements together.”

But the real work has only just begun. Saad says a further SR30bn-35bn is scheduled to be awarded by the end of 2024, rising to SR40bn-45bn in 2025. By the end of this year, the public can expect to see substantial above-ground construction, particularly on the western side of the gigaproject, providing more tangible evidence of its advancement, which until now has been primarily below ground.

This is not to say that any vertical assets will be particularly tall. Because of the district's traditional low-rise nature, any building must be no higher than the historic structures. It should also emulate the Najdi style. For the same reason, most of the essential infrastructure, utilities and roads are hidden below ground.

Major project scopes

A significant step was made in early July when Diriyah Company awarded an estimated $2bn contract to a joint venture of El-Seif Engineering & Contracting and China State to build the North Cultural District. The deal, the largest let on the gigaproject to date, covers multiple assets, including hotels, the King Salman Foundation Library, King Salman University and the House of Saud Museum.

The work was originally planned as multiple construction packages until Diriyah Company took the commercial decision last year to bundle them into one contract. The decision to adopt super packages was driven by a dynamic market in which contractors have been almost overwhelmed with the volume of tenders from various gigaprojects and where cost inflation is taking hold.

“You will not get the attention of the big contractors if you offer small contracts,” Saad explains. By consolidating projects, contractors can focus their resources more effectively and efficiently and provide more competitive pricing.

“We have a hotel, we have an office building, we have a museum, and when we tendered them as one super package, there was a very solid response and interest from the big players because they could focus their resources and pricing and more efficiently engage their supply chains and subcontractors.”

The approach appears to be working. In late July, another estimated $2bn super package was awarded to a joint venture of local contractor Albawani and Qatar’s Urbacon to construct assets in the Wadi Safar district of the gigaproject. Featuring a mix of residential, residential farm plots, hotels, branded hotel villas, a golf course, an equestrian and polo club, and other leisure and entertainment facilities, including Aman, Chedi, Faena and Six Senses-branded hotels, Wadi Safar is positioned as the most upscale and exclusive development in Riyadh and indeed the kingdom as a whole.

The consolidated contract packages strategy reflects the supercharged nature of the Saudi projects market. With various clients, including the gigaprojects, all competing for a limited amount of contracting, material and labour resources, more innovative procurement strategies need to be adopted.

This is particularly critical for Diriyah and its enormous material requirements. For example, it has previously said that it will ultimately need some 350,000 doors, 1.5 million square metres of tiles, 1.2 million tonnes of rebar and 140,000 HVAC units.

Supply-side obstacles

Despite the progress, the project faces challenges related to contracting, engineering and material supply. The high demand for key materials, coupled with global supply chain disruptions, poses a significant conundrum. However, the delivery team has proactively secured and signed framework agreements with manufacturers to ensure a steady flow of required materials.

Transparent demand signalling is a core component of this. “We’ve analysed our material needs up to 2030 and prepared comprehensive requests for proposals for all key items,” says Saad. “We went out to the manufacturers and the supply chain in general to let them see the pipeline is tangible and secure. We are listening to vendors in order to speed things up and to lock down prices.”

Saad lists specific materials not naturally available in Saudi Arabia, such as finishing stones, as items that may be in short supply, in addition to some specialised MEP equipment that is only manufactured abroad. Overall, he is optimistic about the market’s ability to adapt. “The market will adjust itself,” he states. “Of course, there are challenges, but there are also opportunities for manufacturers to up their game.”

Likewise, contractors are being brought into discussions at earlier stages of contract planning. Diriyah is adopting strategies such as early contractor involvement in the design process to help better understand and manage construction risk. “We’re engaging with contractors and delivery partners as early as the concept design stages to get their feedback on the project’s constructability,” says Saad. “Later, these contractors can be invited to bid for the contract, which makes it easier for them and so they can be aware of any issues.”

Financial constraints

Another increasingly evident challenge is financing. As the gigaprojects programme steps up a gear, there have been growing strains on funding the huge costs associated with it, expenditure which in some cases is considerably higher than when first estimated during the initial master planning stages due to cost inflation and disruptions in the supply chain.

As with the other gigaprojects, Diriyah’s initial work has been fully funded by its PIF parent, but later phases will likely require other financing mechanisms. While some of this will come from the $100m in revenues it expects to make over the next year, the client company has been actively tapping into the capital markets, following in the footsteps of other gigaprojects such as Neom and Red Sea Global, which have concluded sizeable borrowing deals in the past two years.

This includes all options up to and including an initial public offering (IPO). The market consensus is that eventually all the PIF project company subsidiaries will go public when the time is right, and Diriyah is unlikely to be an exception.

For the same reason, the client is also exploring public-private partnerships (PPPs) to enable the private sector to take on some of the financial burden. For instance, City Cool Cooling Company recently won a $186m 25-year build-own-operate (BOO) concession to develop a 72,000-refrigeration-tonne district cooling plant. Future opportunities may include expansion of cooling capacity, other utilities and car parking operations.

“PPPs are a key component of our strategy,” says Saad. They provide a platform for private investors to participate in Diriyah's growth while leveraging the expertise and resources of the public sector. We realise we cannot build 10 million square metres alone. We need the private sector to participate and partner with us and give them an opportunity to be part of this journey.”

Another funding source will be off-plan property sales once its real estate offering comes to market. Based on the development plans, this is expected to be significant. With a mix of some 30,000 villas, apartments and townhouses, the ambition is to attract both local and expatriate residents, if or when the kingdom opens its property market to non-nationals.

Investment pathway

Eventually, third parties will also need to invest in the various real estate elements of the gigaproject. Diriyah Company, as a master developer, is actively seeking to attract other developers, family offices and financial institutions to develop land parcels for mixed-use, residential, hospitality, commercial, education and healthcare assets.

“We are already opening up to investors and meeting developers who are interested in partnering with us or buying land,” notes Saad. “It’s a good problem to have – there’s more interest than we can handle right now, which speaks volumes about the project's attractiveness.”

This is just as well. One criticism of the gigaprojects programme has been the shortfall in both local and international investment to date. A lack of understanding of what the gigaprojects are and will be, demand uncertainty, timeframe ambiguities and general market hesitancy have been identified as the stumbling blocks.

Diriyah is determined to change this situation. It is focusing on increasing public and investor awareness of the potential opportunity through initiatives such as its two-day Bashayer event last November, which showcased the masterplan and construction progress to selected key stakeholders. There has also been a push for greater transparency and publishing more specific details about the overall development to make it stand out from the crowded market.

The giant gigaproject is not being developed in isolation. Experience from successful developments worldwide highlights that connectivity and coordination with other government stakeholders are key. Diriyah is planned to be connected to an extension of Riyadh Metro’s Line 2 and a planned Line 7 linking it with King Khalid International airport and another gigaproject, Qiddiya. In total, four metro stations are planned for the development.

At the same time, talks are under way for Diriyah to be one of the main stations on the planned Q-Express high-speed rail link between the airport and Qiddiya, which will complement the metro network. For those arriving by car, there will be the opportunity to use the three-level, 1 million square-metre underground ‘super basement’ car park, which, with a capacity for 10,500 vehicles, will be the fifth-largest parking facility in the world, and by far the biggest in the region.

As Diriyah’s construction accelerates, it is already starting to define its identity more clearly. Building on the kingdom’s historical roots, it is set to create a new legacy for future generations.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/12260371/main.gif
Edward James

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Sabic registers net loss of $323m in first quarter

    16 May 2025

    Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) has announced a net loss of $322.66m in the first quarter of 2025, citing a rise in operating costs and high feedstock costs.

    Sabic’s first-quarter financial result is, however, a 36% improvement compared to a net loss of $506.66m in the last quarter of 2024.

    Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, Sabic’s CEO, also attributed the company’s first-quarter loss to the one-time costs related to business restructuring, which, he said, “will reflect positively on the company’s long-term financial results and contribute to controlling its expenses”.

    Al-Fageeh underscored the slowdown in the global economy and continued uncertainties that negatively affected markets, saying that these are some of the reasons for the decline in demand for petrochemical products.

    “The oversupply of petrochemicals continues to pressurise product prices and, in turn, profit margins,” he remarked.

    For the full year 2024, Sabic had announced a net income of $400m, becoming profitable after making a net loss of $739m in 2023, its first annual loss since 1996.

    In April, the company announced it had maintained its position as the second most valuable brand in the chemicals industry, with an increased brand value of $4.9bn.

    Meanwhile, Sabic’s parent company, Saudi Aramco, announced a net income of $26bn for the first quarter of 2025, a 4.6% decline compared to the same period last year.

    The Saudi energy giant attributed the drop in year-on-year profit to lower sales and higher operating costs as economic uncertainty hit crude oil markets.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13895869/main.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Kuwait seeks firms for 3.6GW Nuwaiseeb project

    16 May 2025

    Kuwait’s Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy Ministry (MEWRE) has invited firms to bid for a contract to provide consultancy services for an integrated water and power plant in Nuwaiseeb. 

    The work entails providing consultancy services for the supply, installation and maintenance of gas turbine units for the first phase of the 3,600MW Nuwaiseeb power generation plant.

    MEWRE expects to receive bids for the contract by 12 August, with an initial meeting date set for 11 June.

    The contract was tendered before, with two engineering firms submitting bids in 2022. The tender was subsequently cancelled.

    In 2022, MEED reported that the project was expected to be procured using an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.

    It is the third major integrated power and water generation scheme being planned in the Gulf state, in addition to the Al-Zour North 2 & 3 independent water and power producer (IWPP) and Al-Khiran 1 IWPP projects.

    MEWRE, through the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp), recently opened the financial envelope submitted by the lone bidder for the contract to develop and operate the Al-Zour North 2 & 3 IWPP.

    Phases two and three of the Al-Zour North project will have a power generation capacity of 2,700MW and a desalination capacity of 120 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD).

    A utility developer team comprising Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power and the local Gulf Investment Company (GIC) submitted the lone bid for the contract.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13895594/main.gif
    Jennifer Aguinaldo
  • Hassan Allam eyes role in Saudi Arabia’s transformation

    16 May 2025

     

    As Saudi Arabia undertakes a generational transformation under Vision 2030, regional players with deep engineering and construction expertise are emerging as critical enablers of this historic journey.

    Among them, Egypt-headquartered Hassan Allam Holding has rapidly expanded its footprint in the kingdom, leveraging a legacy that dates back over 85 years and a proven regional model built on operational excellence and sustainable growth.

    MEED spoke exclusively with Hassan Allam, CEO of Hassan Allam Holding, to discuss the firm’s role and future plans in the kingdom.

    Founded in 1936, Hassan Allam Holding’s vision in Saudi Arabia is rooted in delivering long-term value while maintaining a high-quality standard across diverse sectors.

    With a presence now in over 10 countries, the group brings cross-market expertise and resource optimisation to some of the kingdom’s most ambitious projects.

    “Saudi Arabia, given its scale, ambition and market maturity, plays a central role in our regional strategy,” Allam says.

    Deepening roots in the kingdom

    The company’s journey in Saudi Arabia began over 40 years ago, but its recent establishment of a regional headquarters in Riyadh marks a significant institutional shift.

    “This move has enabled us to engage more deeply with key stakeholders, navigate regulatory frameworks with greater efficiency and build strong local partnerships,” Allam explains.

    This embedded approach has allowed Hassan Allam to localise its supply chains, access talent pools more effectively and align closely with Saudi Arabia’s major development programmes.

    “The kingdom is not just another market – it is a strategic hub where Hassan Allam has made significant investments in capabilities, people and systems,” Allam adds.

    Contributing to Vision 2030

    Hassan Allam’s operations in Saudi Arabia fully align with Vision 2030’s objectives to diversify the economy, enhance quality of life and ensure sustainable development.

    “Our operations are structured to support national objectives through a diversified portfolio, leveraging our deep technical expertise and regional track record,” Allam says.

    Projects span a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure, transportation, hospitality, water treatment and environmental sustainability. Notable among these are several luxury hospitality developments in collaboration with Red Sea Global, such as the Four Seasons, Six Senses and Rosewood hotels at the Amaala destination. These projects exemplify the group’s commitment to delivering high-end, sustainable tourism offerings.

    Environmental initiatives are also a core part of the company’s portfolio. “In Neom, we are proud to contribute to the world’s largest coral reef restoration initiative in collaboration with Kaust,” Allam notes, highlighting a pioneering effort in marine conservation.

    Managing complexity at scale

    Executing gigaprojects on accelerated timelines requires agility, precision and scale, all of which are hallmarks of Hassan Allam’s approach in the kingdom. With over 50,000 professionals across the region, the group deploys integrated planning, early stakeholder engagement and digital project management to manage complex scopes.

    “Our track record includes delivering time-sensitive, high-impact projects like the luxury hospitality hotels in Amaala and the King Abdullah Financial District monorail,” Allam explains. Modular construction, strong supply chains and lean practices ensure that speed never comes at the expense of quality or safety.

    The company also made major investments in adopting construction technology across its Saudi projects. Through its dedicated technical and digital delivery department, which evolved from its building information modelling (BIM) department, founded in 2018, the company deploys technologies like 3D to 6D BIM, geographic information systems, laser scanning, drones, augmented reality/virtual reality, digital twins and artificial intelligence.

    “These technologies are applied from early tendering and design through construction, as-built documentation and handover,” Allam notes. The result is enhanced efficiency, cost control and real-time decision-making, key advantages in a market where time and precision are critical.

    “Our digital platforms also support real-time collaboration among stakeholders, improving decision-making and enabling proactive risk management,” Allam adds.

    Investing in local talent

    In line with Saudi Arabia’s workforce nationalisation agenda, Hassan Allam is deeply committed to developing local talent. “Our approach goes beyond compliance with Saudisation targets; it reflects a long-term investment in building a skilled, empowered and future-ready workforce,” Allam says.

    Its dedicated talent programme provides structured rotational assignments and mentorship for young Saudi professionals. Internship and cooperative training programmes offer hands-on project exposure, while ongoing annual training plans ensure continued growth for the broader workforce.

    Our approach goes beyond compliance with Saudisation targets; it reflects a long-term investment in building a skilled, empowered and future-ready workforce
    Hassan Allam, CEO of Hassan Allam Holding

    Navigating challenges with strategic vision

    Operating in Saudi Arabia does come with its complexities, from rapidly evolving regulations to high localisation standards. But the company views these as opportunities.

    “What sets Saudi Arabia apart from other GCC countries is the scale and structure of government support, particularly through the Public Investment Fund (PIF),” Allam notes.

    Through close collaboration with PIF, Hassan Allam has scaled up rapidly, mobilising over 3,600 employees across 15 ongoing projects in the kingdom.

    When entering joint ventures or bidding on gigaproject components, Hassan Allam maintains a cautious yet ambitious strategy.

    “We approach every joint venture and project bid with a measured, strategic mindset that weighs both opportunity and risk through comprehensive due diligence,” Allam says.

    The focus is on long-term value creation, working with reputable partners and adhering to stringent internal risk protocols. Already, the company has secured over 14 project awards in the kingdom, further solidifying Saudi Arabia’s importance in its regional portfolio.

    Looking ahead

    The next three to five years are expected to witness continued momentum in Saudi Arabia’s construction and infrastructure space, driven by sustained public investment and rising private sector engagement. Hassan Allam Holding is positioning itself to be a key player in this transformation.

    “Our strategic priorities will focus on expanding our local footprint, building strong and enduring partnerships, and advancing our digital and sustainability initiatives,” Allam outlines.

    With a legacy of engineering excellence and a future-focused approach, Hassan Allam Holding is set to play an integral role in shaping Saudi Arabia’s next chapter.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13850823/main0536.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Lowest bidders emerge for Kuwait Al-Mutlaa City packages

    16 May 2025

    Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has received bids for contracts covering construction works on two upcoming packages at its Al-Mutlaa City residential project.

    Based on the results of the bidding round announced by the PAHW, nine contractors have submitted bids for the N12 sector and eight firms for the N5 sector.

    The client issued two separate tenders in March, including the construction of public buildings and infrastructure works.

    The bidders and their prices for the N12 sector are:

    • The Contractor Trading & Contracting ($62m)
    • Wara Construction Company ($67m)
    • United Building Company ($67.7m)
    • Private General Trading & Contracting Company ($68m)
    • HOT Engineering & Construction ($68.1m)
    • Kuwait Industrial Centre Company ($69.8m)
    • Doha Group Trading & Contracting ($71m)
    • Combined Group Contracting ($76.6m)
    • Khalid Ali Al-Kharafi & Brothers ($76.9m)

    The bidders and their prices for the N5 sector are:

    • The Contractor Trading & Contracting ($62m)
    • Wara Construction Company ($67m)
    • United Building Company ($68m)
    • Private General Trading & Contracting Company ($68m)
    • Al-Dar Engineering & Construction Company ($69.5m)
    • Kuwait Industrial Centre Company ($69.9m)
    • Combined Group Contracting ($76.7m)
    • Khalid Ali Al-Kharafi & Brothers ($77.6m)

    MEED reported in April that PAHW had set 1 May as the deadline for tenders for the construction works on the two packages at the Al-Mutlaa City residential project.

    The project is a housing scheme located 38.3 kilometres northwest of the Kuwait metropolitan area.

    It covers approximately 104 square kilometres and is expected to house up to 400,000 people.

    The mixed-use development will include residential, social, commercial and light industrial areas.

    In March 2023, MEED reported that PAHW had appointed France-based Egis as a project management consultant for the Al-Mutlaa City development.

    Under the agreement, Egis is providing programme-level service management, construction logistics and interface management services.

    The scope of work also includes cost management, a digital programme management system and a project management information system for the scheme.

    Al-Mutlaa City is one of the largest housing infrastructure projects to be developed by the government as part of Kuwait’s Vision 2035.

    In April, MEED reported that Kuwait had approved the budget for more than 90 projects this year, with a capital spending of about KD1.7bn ($5.7bn).

    According to local media reports, the cabinet approved the project expenditure in its 2025-26 budget on 1 April.

    Data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects reveals that Kuwait awarded about $6bn of contracts for construction and infrastructure schemes last year.

    UK analytics firm GlobalData expects the Kuwaiti construction industry to grow at an annual average growth rate of 7.1% in 2025-28, supported by investments in renewable energy, transport and oil and gas projects, coupled with investments as part of the New Kuwait 2035 National Development Plan. Under this strategy, the government plans to invest KD350m ($1.1bn) to construct several sports projects in the country.

    The residential construction sector is expected to register an annual growth of 3.8% in 2025-28, supported by the government’s plan to build 65,500 housing units by 2029 through five projects.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13895102/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Delivering priority event-driven projects in Saudi Arabia

    16 May 2025

     

    As Saudi Arabia accelerates preparations to host a series of landmark global events, including the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Trojena, Expo 2030 in Riyadh and the Fifa World Cup in 2034, momentum is building across the kingdom’s construction sector to chart out strategies to deliver event-driven projects.

    Earlier this week, MEED hosted a panel discussion on the sidelines of the MEED 2025 Saudi Gigaprojects summit in Riyadh that brought together senior stakeholders from fields including architecture, project management, ESG and contracting to address how to deliver event-driven construction schemes.

    The session explored how the kingdom can balance ambition with execution, manage complexity, and promote Saudi Arabia as a global hub for international sports and entertainment events.

    The consensus was that the success of these large-scale, complex projects depends on early, sustained and transparent collaboration between all stakeholders – from clients and designers to contractors, operators and regulators.

    You simply can’t deliver something as complex and time-sensitive as a stadium or expo venue if people are working in silos
    Chris Seymour, Mace

    Serious coordination is non-negotiable

    “Big projects live or die by early engagement,” said Chris Seymour, managing director – Middle East and Africa at Mace, a global consultancy involved in many of the region’s most ambitious schemes.

    “You simply can’t deliver something as complex and time-sensitive as a stadium or expo venue if people are working in silos. The earlier you bring the ecosystem together, the more agile and successful the project becomes.”

    Seymour highlighted that the challenge is not just scale, but the dynamic and high-pressure environment in which these projects operate.

    “Engagement on these megaprojects is difficult to create and maintain, especially when integrating new technologies or fast-tracking delivery. You need to pre-empt issues, adapt quickly and build trust early,” he said, citing hospitality projects as an example of early coordination leading to better performance.

    Delivering a venue such as the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium in Qiddiya demands intense, sustained collaboration across all project layers
    Fatemeh Hosseini, Populous

    Overcoming the delivery challenges of architecturally complex schemes

    "The stadiums designed for Saudi Arabia represent the next generation of sports venues globally, and are architectural statements which will leave a lasting impression on the global stage," said Fatemeh Hosseini, associate at leading global design firm Populous, who spoke about the architectural ambition behind these developments.

    “These schemes are extremely large in scale, with highly complex design and engineering requirements,” she said.

    “Take the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium in Qiddiya – its architectural vision is bold, iconic and layered with advanced technology and fan experiences. Delivering such a venue demands intense, sustained collaboration across all project layers.”

    Hosseini noted that while Vision 2030 sets a clear ambition, translating that into buildable, operational venues in time for global events is an enormous challenge.

    “We need a shared vision and a collaborative delivery model from day one – not just between consultants and contractors, but with operators, planners and city authorities,” she added.

    Green buildings don’t just reduce carbon – they also command higher values, improve tenant appeal and future-proof assets
    Wesley Thomson, Knight Frank

    Sustainability as a strategic imperative

    Alongside design excellence and timely delivery, sustainability emerged as a critical theme in the panel discussion. Saudi Arabia’s commitment to environmental responsibility is growing, and mega-events provide an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in green building practices.

    “Sustainability is increasingly becoming a value driver in the built environment,” said Wesley Thomson, partner and head of ESG at UK-headquartered firm Knight Frank.

    “Green buildings don’t just reduce carbon – they also command higher values, improve tenant appeal and future-proof assets. If we get this right now, it’s a long-term win for Saudi Arabia.”

    However, Thomson stressed that the kingdom needs a more robust regulatory framework to meet sustainability goals across the project lifecycle.

    “There’s a real need to enhance and enforce green building codes and ESG reporting structures in the kingdom,” he said.

    “Coordination and communication on sustainability must be centralised, especially for large, time-critical projects that could easily miss the mark if not carefully managed.”

    When contractors are engaged early, they can feed real-world constraints and opportunities into the design process
    Michael Al-Kurdi, Albawani

    Early contractor involvement is key to success

    From a construction delivery perspective, one message rang loud and clear: contractors must be brought to the table early to avoid late-stage risks and costly redesigns.

    “When contractors are engaged early, they can feed real-world constraints and opportunities into the design process,” said Michael Al-Kurdi, business development and relationship manager at Albawani, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading construction firms.

    “Early contractor involvement (ECI) unlocks true collaboration and ensures harmony between vision and feasibility.”

    Al-Kurdi noted that early involvement allows contractors to prepare the supply chain more effectively and anticipate delivery risks well in advance.

    “It’s not just about feasibility – it’s about preparedness. These are huge, fast-moving projects, and the more aligned the stakeholders are from the outset, the smoother the execution phase will be.”

    The panellists agreed that Saudi Arabia has a rare opportunity to reshape its global image through these sporting and cultural mega-events. But with tight deadlines and high global expectations, success will hinge not only on design and engineering innovation but also on collaboration, coordination and clarity of vision.

    “We have an opportunity to lead the world – not just in the scale of what we’re building, but in how we build it,” Seymour said. 

    “That means doing things differently: being open, integrated and agile. If we can embed that mindset into every stadium, arena and event venue we build, we’ll not just meet the deadlines – we’ll set a new global benchmark.”

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13886718/main3604.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal