Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) today (June 15) broke ground on a mega, multi-level car park being developed in a key heritage site located northwest of Riyadh, at an investment of €840-million ($878 million). On completion, the facility can accommodate upto 10,500 vehicles. 

 

Commissioned by the DGDA, the contract will be executed by Italian construction major Webuild through its subsidiary Salini Saudi Arabia. 

 

The project scope includes civil and structural works, tunnels and other connections for the district’s huge car park in a new district along the Western Ring Road. 

 

Spread over nearly 1 million sq m area, the three-storey underground garage lies at the heart of an ambitious urban development project in Ad Diriyah, the historic district and Unesco heritage site at the northwest of Riyadh. 

 

DGDA said the architecture and design of the district will take inspiration from the traditional Najdi style. It will cover 7 sq km and include the development of a network of pedestrian streets, public squares, courtyards, souks and bazaars to recreate the authenticity of a Saudi village, it added. 

 

Led by Webuild, its construction will employ 9,000 people as it unites tradition with development.

 

Webuild is currently working on Line 3, which at 42 km is the longest of the lines that will make up the Riyadh Metro system. It is also building the SANG (Saudi Arabia National Guard) Villas housing and urbanisation project in Riyadh, and the expansion of the King Faisal Air Academy and King Salman Air Base.

 

The Italian builder has been active in Saudi Arabia since 1966, when it began hydraulic works in Makkah, Jeddah and Riyadh. It has since built 50 health centres, some large, as well as projects of international renown in Riyadh such as the Al Faisaliah District Redevelopment Project and the Kingdom Centre, an iconic building that was awarded the Emporis Skyscraper Award 2002 as best skyscraper in the world for design. 

 

The group’s subsidiary Fisia Italimpianti also built the Shuaibah III Expansion II IWP desalination plant.