My Experience in Saudi arabia & why European manufacturers should be present @Saudi Build & get involved in mega Saudi projects.

This was my first time to visit Saudi Arabia since i was 6 years, when i traveled with my father, i can see a lot of changes happening in Saudi Arabia.

I have seen Saudis welcoming foreigners with a smile & greetings , the country is really changing dynamically , women don't have to cover their faces , their hair. i have seen women driving, walking alone by themselves.

Additionally from a business point of view, Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing a massive development program and while Neom is very well known, it is only one of 14 giga projects in the country.

Neom :

Undoubtedly the best-known of the Saudi giga projects, Neom is the largest and also most controversial scheme being developed in the kingdom.

Encompassing an area of around 10,200 square miles, Neom will consist of 10 regions, of which four have been announced so far, including a 170-kilometre-long city called The Line (pictured). Along with The Line, the planned regions include an octagon-shaped port city named Oxagon, a ski resort named Trojena and an island resort called Sindalah.

Architecture studios working on the project include US studio Morphosis, Peter Cook's studio CHAP, Danish studio BIG, UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects, Dutch practices Mecanoo and UNStudio, US studio Aedas, German studio LAVA and Australian studio Bureau Proberts.

Roshn :

Although not as well known as Neom, Roshn is equally ambitious. The company set up by the Public Investment Fund's core task is to increase the rate of home ownership in Saudi Arabia to 70 per cent by 2030. To do this, it has set the target of building 400,000 homes.

The Red Sea Project:

Another highly publicised scheme, the Red Sea Project will see areas of the country's coast developed into resorts as a key part of the country's focus on increasing tourism. Owned by the Public Investment Fund, the project consists of two distinct developments called The Red Sea and Amaala.

Diriyah:

The seven-square-kilometre Diriyah development in the west of Riyadh is centred on the At-Turaif UNESCO World Heritage Site – a mud-brick city that was the original home of the Al Saud family and is known as the "birthplace of the kingdom".

Led by hotel veteran Jerry Inzerillo, the $63.2 billion development project funded by the Public Investment Fund aims to turn the site into a culture-led tourism destination. When complete, the district will contain 38 hotels, six museums and 26 other cultural attractions

King Salman Park:

Currently under construction in central Riyadh, the King Salman Park project aims to be "the largest urban park in the world".

Masterplanned by Danish studio Henning Larsen and Saudi studio Omrania, the 16.7-square-kilometre park will feature 11 square kilometres of green space and one million trees. According to the developer, it will be watered with 100-per-cent-recycled city water.

Jeddah Central:

Covering 5.7 million square metres, this predominately residential development funded by the Public Investment Fund will contain 17,000 residential units and 2,700 hotel rooms anchored by four landmark buildings.

Qiddiya Project:

Another project aimed at increasing the country's tourism offering, Qiddiya is described as "Saudi Arabia's emerging capital for entertainment, sports and culture".

Currently under construction to the west of Riyadh, the 367-square-kilometre project will contain numerous entertainment facilities, including sports arenas, concert halls, a racetrack, a Jack Nicklaus-branded golf course and Six Flags (pictured), which will contain the world’s longest, tallest and fastest rollercoaster.

Murabba :

The cube, which will contain two million square metres of shops, and cultural and tourist attractions, will form the centre of a 19-square-kilometre development that is designed as a new downtown area for the Saudi capital city.

Led by Saudi crown prince Mohamed Bin Salman, the wider project will contain 100,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, 980,000 square metres of shops and 1.4 million square metres of office space.

Saudi Downtown:

Owned by the Public Investment Fund, the Saudi Downtown Company was set up to create "modern, mixed-used downtowns and destinations with diverse local cultures" in 12 Saudi Arabian cities – Arar, Dumat Al Jandal, Tabuk, Hail, Buraydah, Al Madinah, Al Khonbar, Al Ahsa, Taif, Al Baha, Jizan and Najran.

In total, the project's sites stretch over 10 million square metres.

Masar :

Led by private developer Umm Al Qura for Development & Construction, the Masar project is the redevelopment of a 3.6-kilometre-long and 300-metre-wide stretch of land alongside the Grand Mosque in Makkah (widely known as Mecca).

Arranged around a central 60-metre-wide pedestrianised street leading to a mosque, the development will contain 205 towers. Work has begun on the towers closest to the mosque and the developer expects Masar to be complete by 2035.

Al'Ula :

Another project aimed at increasing the number of tourists that visit the country to 100 million a year, the development of Al'Ula in the northwest of the country is described as "the cornerstone of the Kingdom’s cultural and touristic ambitions".

The project will see the area around the Al'Ula UNESCO World Heritage Site developed with the construction of a series of museums and hotel

King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) :

Perhaps not technically a giga project, as it began before the announcement of the Vision 2030 plan, the King Abdullah Financial District is a giant office and residential district in Riyadh that is largely complete.

Mohammed bin Salman Non-profit City (MISK):

Named after Mohammed bin Salman and funded by his personal foundation, the Mohammed bin Salman Non-profit City, which is also known by the acronym MISK, is being built in Riyadh as a business incubator and a place to support the country's future leaders.

Seven :

Entirely owned by the Public Investment Fund, Seven has the tagline "making tomorrow more entertaining". The organisation will develop and operate 10 entertainment districts across the country, with projects in Riyadh (pictured), Almadinah, Tabuk and Yanbu already announced.