A global landmark in the making

Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) is responsible for the transformation of Saudi Arabia’s most important historical and cultural site, Diriyah, the birthplace of the First Saudi State and the ancestral home of the House of Saud.

DGDA is the guardian of a 194-sq.km land area and is currently transforming 11 sq.km as part of its US$50.6 billion gigaproject, which will re-establish Diriyah as the beating cultural heart of the kingdom by creating a global gathering place where heritage and history is respected, protected, and cultivated, enabling it to become a leading destination worldwide.

Nestled around the jewel of the kingdom, the UNESCO World Heritage Site At-Turaif, Diriyah holds an incredibly special place in the landscape of the Saudi Arabia’s projects, being the future tourism icon of the destination and synonymous with where the kingdom and wider Arabian Peninsula’s story began.

Built in the traditional Najdi architectural style, it will represent a brand-new lifestyle destination and experience for the kingdom and the wider region and will include a range of experiences for visitors and locals, from retail to hospitality, residential to fine dining, and cultural institutions to museums.

The development is one of the most complex globally, with the intention of creating the world’s largest cultural and heritage site, and one of the globe’s greatest gathering places, seamlessly integrating traditional Najdi architectural typologies alongside contemporary, luxury amenities across hotels, residences, offices, restaurants, retail and more.

DGDA is devoted to enabling the people of Diriyah to achieve their goals.

The project will celebrate the local community, showcasing social, cultural and historical achievements, connecting with the roots of the Saudi state and creating solid foundations on which to build the best possible future for that community. Ultimately, DGDA’s mission is to preserve, develop and celebrate, serving the community by delivering world-class services and experiences.

Here, DGDA Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo provides an update on the roll out of this special project.

Q: What recent progress has been made with the development of the Diriyah project?

DGDA is developing the project at pace, moving away from its initial inception and planning phase, and into its core development, design and delivery phase, and is on track to be in its full operational phase within three to four years. Demand is already strong, with DGDA having recently partnered with major global luxury and upper luxury hospitality brands.

Later this year, DGDA is opening its fine-dining offering at Bujairi Terrace, hosting a meticulously crafted mix, from Michelin-starred restaurants to global household names to Saudi brands offering authentic local cuisine.

From a world stage events and entertainment perspective, Diriyah has also recently been host to the immensely successful Formula E race and Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale. Several key construction milestones have also been reached with our largest contract to date recently awarded, major contract awards for Diriyah Square’s forthcoming underground car park and more.

Q: What’s new in Diriyah, and what’s coming soon?

We are preparing to permanently open our UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif to the world later this year. This will be a major milestone for both Diriyah and the kingdom, as one of Saudi Arabia’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and as we begin to welcome guests wanting to learn more about Diriyah and its important place in the kingdom’s history and culture.

In tandem with the unveiling of AtTuraif will be the opening of our finedining district, Bujairi Terrace, which will bring some of the best global culinary brands to Diriyah and put them alongside Saudi Arabia’s best.

Hakkasan, Long Chim, Villa Mamas, Bruno, Café de L’Esplanade and many more will sit comfortably with superb authentic local Saudi offerings like TAKYA and Sum + Things.

Q: What stands out as world-leading and cutting-edge in the development of Diriyah?

Diriyah will become a smart and sustainable city at its core. The traditional Najdi architecture, as the local vernacular architecture, is inherently sustainable. It is adapted to Saudi Arabia’s geography and climate and reflects the uniqueness of Arabian culture.

The characteristic of vernacular architecture uses the local resources and materials on construction techniques that address the local needs. Therefore, this type of building reflects the local traditions, history, culture, environment and climate.

The traditional Najdi buildings meet the local climate needs through passive ventilation systems and small apertures facing the outside of the buildings for thermal comfort; thick walls for thermal insulation; internal courtyards to enhance cooling and shading and narrow streets which greatly contribute to shading for pedestrians’ outdoor thermal comfort. Diriyah will become an innovative city that uses technology to improve the quality of life and city operations for its residents and visitors in a sustainable way, caring for and protecting the environment and natural, human and financial resources.

Q: The development has already attracted big-name hospitality brands; what other international brands do you intend to bring on?

We have recently announced many of our world-class hospitality partners including Baccarat, Rosewood, Orient Express, Park Hyatt, Raffles, Six Senses, The Oberoi and many more of the best in the business as a part of our 38-brand hotel masterplan, with more names forthcoming across hospitality, F&B and retail soon.

Q: How have events such as the Formula E helped to put Diriyah on the tourism map and what is the scope for hosting other major events?

Events like Formula E are immensely important for us to achieve our goal of reestablishing Diriyah as a global gathering place. Fans of the sport came in droves to Diriyah to experience one of the world’s fastest-growing electric motor sports at our recent race which lit up the night sky around At-Turaif.

Looking to the future, Diriyah has the scope and ambition to host other major events, be they cultural such as concerts. or art festivals like the Diriyah Biennale, or sporting, like the recent bout between heavyweight boxers Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua.

Q: What is your long-term vision for Diriyah? What will it be famous for and why will people from around the world want to visit?

Diriyah has always been recognised as a cultural focal point for Saudis, and in time, this will broaden to global recognition. Diriyah should be seen amongst its rightful competitive set of global masterpieces – it is to Saudi Arabia what the Acropolis is to Greece, or the Colosseum is to Rome. At-Turaif will soon be a global landmark, instantly recognisable and identifiable as one of the world’s great wonders.

At-Turaif has stood for almost three centuries and embodies the rich heritage the Saudi people have inherited. The UNESCO World Heritage Site stands as the centrepiece of our project and serves as the inspiration for all we are doing. Ultimately, Diriyah’s future is founded on its past. Its cultural revival is built on the foundations of its historic position celebrated as a city of knowledge, a global gathering place and a rich, cultural landscape. Diriyah’s history is one of leadership, vision, and statecraft. As the capital of the new state, Diriyah grew to become a cosmopolitan site of intellectual exchange and enquiry that attracted visitors from across the world, and that is the state being restored today.

Q: How does Diriyah tick the UN's SDG boxes for sustainable development, and what global benchmarks will it set in this respect?

From the outset, DGDA has placed immense importance on sustainability standards. The authority is implementing its sustainability agenda through LEED and Mostadam accreditation and draws its inspiration from being a ’15-minute city’ –an urban planning model whereby residents can reach most daily necessities by walking or cycling.

DGDA’s smart cities and sustainability agenda impacts its full ecosystem across cultural heritage, water conservation, material impact reduction, climate change resilience, and energy efficiency.

Our vision for sustainability is to create a world-class, walkable destination for visitors and locals alike, renowned for being resilient to climate change; promoting cultural heritage; ensuring a thriving, vibrant and healthy community; providing a high quality of life; and promoting equity. The use of locally sourced materials reduces the whole-life carbon emissions associated with the development, almost eliminating the transportation miles produced by material procurement and installation, while also promoting support for the local economy.

We are implementing unique Saudi cultural construction methods in our traditional Najdi buildings to meet the local climate needs.

For example, passive ventilation systems and small apertures facing the outside of the buildings keep people inside cool, thick walls maintain insulation, internal courtyards enhance cooling, and narrow streets contribute to shading for pedestrians outdoors.

DGDA surpasses environmental compliance on environmental and sustainability initiatives by embedding international best practices, innovative technologies, and sustainability certification targets in all our projects.

We are continually enhancing our environmental performance and sustainability credentials at the community and construction levels.

Q: What will be Diriyah’s economic and social contribution to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

The Diriyah giga-project is part of Vision 2030, which is the far-reaching strategic blueprint to transform and modernise Saudi Arabia, creating new sources of revenue and jobs for the kingdom.

Tourism plays a major role in meeting the vision, with the giga-projects critical to raising tourism revenue from the current 3% to 10% of GDP by 2030.

While Diriyah will welcome tourists, it will also be a ’living city’, a place with a vibrant heart and modern infrastructure

Clockwise

DGDA is responsible for a 194 sq.km land area

DGDA has signed agreements with several leading hotel brands placing the local community first and creating employment opportunities for Saudi nationals.

There will be education and medical infrastructure as part of the transformation, successfully raising standards of living for Saudi nationals as per the strategic goals of Vision 2030.

More than 55,000 jobs will be created, producing significant opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s young population, which will be the engine of growth as the kingdom moves into the future.

Through DGDA, investors can access new opportunities arising through the National Investment Strategy, such as new sector funds, the soon to be launched Special Economic Zones, new funding instruments and a range of incentives.

For international investors, this offers the chance to be a part of a cornerstone project of Vision 2030, which will create thousands of jobs and marks the beginning of the kingdom’s journey into a range of sectors.