FUTURE-FOCUSED LIVING
Based in Saudi Arabia, ROSHN is a real estate developer owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The company is committed to creating innovative, integrated and community-focused destinations. Group Chief Development Officer Oussama Kabbani discussed sustainable urban development goals, in conversation with Antonia Cole.
ASa company, ROSHN aims to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s real estate sector through localisation and job creation, Group Chief Development Officer Oussama Kabbani said: “Our mission is to create integrated and sustainable communities across the country. These communities are designed to enhance the quality of life of residents by offering modern amenities, green spaces and innovative urban planning.”
Aligning with PIF’s vision to develop the Saudi real estate sector, ROSHN builds residential communities specially designed with resident needs in mind. Features such as pedestrian walkways, entertainment facilities and open spaces facilitate healthy and interactive communities.
By 2030, ROSHN hopes to help Saudi Arabia achieve 70% home ownership, as well as significantly improving the environmental, social and economic standards of the country. Working in partnership with top local and international organisations, the company creates complete urban spaces.
“We are looking to offer communities and destinations that improve the local environment,” added Mr Kabbani. “ROSHN is committed to creating communities with minimum environmental impact, that implement energy efficient practices and green landscapes. We will continue to prioritise the environment in all operations whilst we strive to support our nation’s well-being.”
Elevating spaces
Across four cities in the regions of Riyadh, Makkah and the Eastern Province, ROSHN has developed award-winning, integrated communities for the people of Saudi Arabia. The first of these communities was SEDRA, located in northern Riyadh. It is designed to
encourage communication between people and features one of the capital’s leading shopping and dining destinations, ROSHN Front. Attracting over 10 million visitors a year, there are over 200 stores and 82,000m2 of retail space.
Containing modern homes, mosques, shops, cafes, restaurants, parks and schools,
“The SEDRA community has achieved multiple awards for the successful integration of technology, innovation and sustainability practices”
Group Chief Development Officer – Oussama Kabbani
SEDRA offers residents everything they need and more. As well as a range of sports facilities, this community has a Saudi Sports for All Federation activated sports dome. This space offers multiple pitches, courts and a clubhouse.
ROSHN’s second community, ALAROUS in Jeddah, also contains all the necessary facilities to provide residents with a high quality of life.
“Our WAREFA Community is a premium development in eastern Riyadh,” explained Mr Kabbani. “Residents benefit from beautiful landscaping, kept pristine through meticulous maintenance. Homes are within walking distance of everyday amenities and the area has easy travel to the centre of Riyadh. This provides access to key economic, entertainment and educational institutions in the city.”
When complete, the MARAFY development will accommodate 130,000 residents in the north of Jeddah and feature the first navigable canal to be built in Saudi Arabia. Then, located just 40 minutes from Jeddah, at the Western Gate of Makkah is the ALMANAR community, which offers convenient airport access. Also providing easy airport access is the ALDANAH development in Dhahran city. All of these communities contain high-quality homes and amenities for residents to use.
“We also have our iconic 45,000-seat ROSHN Stadium, spanning over 450,000 square metres in Southwest Riyadh,” continued Mr Kabbani. “As well as a wide range of shops, restaurants and hospitality venues, the stadium’s main draw is the sports and events floor. With a crystalline design, the stadium’s harnesses the architecture of Saudi Arabia’s central region.
“Additionally, ROSHN has announced a collaboration with Aramco to build Aramco Stadium by 2026. This is a 47,000-seat stadium in Khobar that will host events like the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.”
Recognising progress
Several of ROSHN’s developments have been recognised with awards for sustainability. All of the company’s projects follow specific guidelines relating to the environment, with a focus on building green spaces and improving the quality of life for residents.
“The SEDRA community has achieved multiple awards for the successful integration of technology, innovation and sustainability practices,” said Mr Kabbani. “We have also certified a number of our communities with
sustainability ratings to consolidate our commitment to environmental preservation.”
For the WAREFA community, ROSHN received Mostadam Diamond certification. Mostadam is a green building rating system developed by the Ministry of Housing of the Kingdon of Saudi Arabia to address sustainable building challenges in the country. The company is now working to apply these same standards to the rest of its projects, meeting regional and international sustainability guidelines.
An innovative way in which ROSHN has integrated sustainability into developments is through its community application. The Community App enables residents to connect with one another and gain information on local events, memos and general updates whilst being completely paperless.
“The app includes information on sustain-ability initiatives to engage residents in environmental efforts and encourage better living practices,” added Mr Kabbani. “This involves topics such as waste management and energy efficiency. By initiating
conversations about sustainability, we hope to use the app to achieve low-waste and energy-efficient communities. It is important to us that our residents care about the environment just as much as we do.”
ROSHN is also looking to advance sustainability standards in communities through the promotion of electric vehicle infrastructure.
The company is leading the development of electric vehicle facilities and established its first public EV charging facility at the ROSHN Front business and shopping district.
“This improves sustainable mobility for the Kingdom,” explained Mr Kabbani.
“We design all our projects to be EV charger-ready and dedicate a certain
ROSHN
Green initiatives
percentage of public parking to EV charging. This creates the necessary infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles.”
There are several key initiatives where ROSHN is utilising disruptive technologies and circular economy practices in operations. By incorporating smart building innovations, the company is able to both lower carbon emissions and improve the living experience of residents. This includes energy-efficient design and automation systems to monitor energy consumption.
Mr Kabbani. “By sourcing recycled and environmentally-friendly materials, we support the circular economy and minimise waste. We are also working to reduce our carbon footprint by exploring partnerships to integrate renewable energy sources. This aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals of increasing renewable energy capacity.”
“We emphasise the use of sustainable materials in construction,” commented
ROSHN raises awareness on sustainability within communities, encouraging environmentally-conscious habits. Additionally, the company collaborates with technology firms, research institutions and government bodies to stay at the forefront of the industry’s decarbonising technologies. For example, using Partanna’s CO2-absorbent concrete,
ROSHN is building a carbon-negative concrete facility.
The company became a member of the UN Global Compact in 2023 to contribute to the Sustainability Development Goals of Saudi Arabia. Then, in 2024, ROSHN was announced as a Saudi Sustainability Champion after signing a pledge at the World Economic Forum to develop both a sustainability strategy and focused initiatives.
“The overall aim of the Saudi Sustainability Champions programme is to amplify the
efforts of sustainability pioneers through knowledge sharing and hands-on guidance,” added Mr Kabbani. “The goal is to make the Kingdom’s economy more agile, efficient and resilient through the increasing adoption of sustainability best practices across industries and supply chains.”
More recently, the company began four sustainability-focused collaborations. With the Environment Fund, National Center for Vegetation Cover, Saudi Investment Recycling Company and the Vegetation Cover Development Foundation, ROSHN is working on projects to promote green concepts. This circular economy practices like reverse vending machines for plastics.
Achieving goals
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative to enhance people’s quality of life and foster economic growth closely aligns with ROSHN’s sustainable urban development plans. The company aims to create affordable and high-quality housing, as
well as amenities, with community-centric designs. Incorporating sustainability and smart technology into developments, ROSHN is able to improve living standards through connectivity and public services.
The company’s projects all contribute to the economic advancement of the country by creating a variety of job opportunities.
“Our projects are designed to support the well-being of residents through spaces like parks and community centres,” said Mr Kabbani. “We design communities with integrated transport solutions and proximity to essential services. This means residents can easily access what they need, which we then take further with the incorporation of cultural and social spaces. These spaces promote community engagement and social cohesion, reflecting the rich heritage of Saudi Arabia.”
ROSHN hopes to achieve its goals through collaborative efforts with partners and suppliers. The company has built up many long-term relationships
and a sustainable supply chain, which shares ROSHN’s commitment to people and the environ-ment. These partnerships facilitate joint innovation and drive sustainable development.
“The challenge now is how to push for more sustainability measures across the supply chain and wider industry,” continued Mr Kabbani, in conclusion. “Innovations such as our community mobile application and our work promoting electric vehicle infrastructure are moving us forward towards our goals.
“If we want to make a difference, then we need to work together with the rest of the real estate sector and construction industry to make an impact for the Kingdom and region.”
