Ambitious mega projects pushes sustainable triple bottom-line as Green Building day

In the company of His Royal Highness Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, with the participation of His Excellency Mario Boffo, Italian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saleh bin Abdul-Aziz Al ash-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs and the Mayor of Makkah, the Saudi Mega Projects Conference and Exhibition concluded with a speech from Faisal Al Fadl, Secretary General at Saudi Green Building Forum and Chairman of the conference. The three-day conference was hosted by the Saudi Green Building Forum and organized by senior management media brand MEED since 2010.

The conference came to a close with the approval on the establishment of Arabian Code Council and a Students Club, and under the banner of unprecedented industry growth and a unified air surrounding the inclusion and integration of energy-efficiency and sustainability into the SAR4 trillion megaproject pipeline in Saudi Arabia.  

“Climate change and the unjustified consumption of energy are two of the most serious issues we face today at the macro-level,” said H.R.H Prince Khaled.  

“Our behaviour in the built environment plays a significant role in affecting the outcomes of these issues, and there is a real need to create joint programs with government and private sectors in order to nurture our achievements and support the local economy. This is, after all, the most important and prominent objective of the Saudi Green Building Forum: the development of its members’ potentials and a shared investment in creativity and innovation.”

“It is my hope that this event represents a useful and rich annual experience for all participants, whereby they can take new networks and learned lessons forward for the betterment of our shared objectives,” H.R.H Prince Khaled added.

Focal points across the multitude of discussions and presentations on the conference’s final day included the development of programme management in the Kingdom, the new industrial city projects for Modon, and a peek into the progress of the Kingdom Tower, soon-to-be the tallest building in the world.

In an address on the creation of an enterprise programme management office to coordinate projects under the Municipalities and Rural Affairs Ministry, PMO Advisor Akram Hassan said: “We want enterprise PMO to cope with the big picture – we want overall demand management for all the cities of the Kingdom. We need quick wins and we need good governance, including the involvement of city mayors.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) continues its fast-track development of new projects, which include integrated housing complexes, schools, and commercial centres.

“There are now almost 6,000 factories in Modon estates,” Director-General Saleh al-Rasheed said. “We are targeting to complete more than 2,000 model factories compared with the current 605, while also developing Oasis centres for light industry and generate employment opportunities for women.”

And the Jeddah Economic Company, which yesterday unveiled the latest information surrounding the repositioning of Jeddah as a world-class destination, highlighted accelerated work on the Kingdom Tower and its surrounding area, which will encompass a total of 5.3 million square metres.

“The target population in phase one [for the surrounding area] is 18,000 people,” said Jeddah Economic Company Head of Master Planning Fawaz Alharbi.

“For the whole development, it will be 60,000. There will be a lake in phase one with an area of 90,000 square metres and a grand mosque capable of accommodating 5,000 worshippers,” he added.

Focusing on issues including the importance of project management teams, ways to meet the economic bottom-line in the SAR4 trillion megaprojects industry, and several project case studies across Saudi Arabia, the conference was an unprecedented opportunity for over 400 delegates in both government and private sectors to network, share best practices, and develop partnerships for sustainable development, which is a vital cog for the industry. 

Supporting the Saudi Mega Projects Conference and Exhibition are strategic partners Saab, gold sponsors CONRAC Public Information Systems and Professional Signage Solutions, silver sponsor Autodesk, bronzr sponsor Pace, networking sponsor Viewpoint, and conference sponsors Hill International and Aconex.

National media partners for the event are the Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Channel One TV, and AlJazira Newspaper.

International media partners include exclusive partner Sky News and sponsors Eye of Riyadh, UKTI, the German Emirati Council (AHK), the Bilateral U.S.-Arab Chamber, The Business Year, Markets & Markets, the U.S.-Saudi Arabia Business Council, Oil & Gas year, and Arab News.