Leading decision makers from the Saudi ministries, senior government officials, representatives from special economic zones as well as corporate leaders, investment consultants and high net worth individuals took part in the two-day Saudi Building & Infrastructure Summit held in Riyadh recently.

 

Organised by IBMAR from December 7 to 8 at Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers, the region’s premium infrastructure summit brought together some of the biggest names in the Saudi construction and infrastructure sector as well as 200+ C-level executives under one roof. 

 

A key highlight of the event was the Saudi Building and Infrastructure Awards 2022 which honoured the various organisations for their contribution towards the Saudi Vision 2030. The winners in the different categories were:

 

*Best Architect 2022 - Azaz Architects

*Best Architect Residential 2022 - Majed Harasani Architects

*Best Building Contractor 2022 - Construction & Planning Company (C&P)

*Best Building Materials E-Commerce Company 2022 - Souq acwme 

*Best Building Renovation Contractor 2022 - Bani Limited Company

*Best Cement Company 2022 - Yanbu Cement Company

*Best Cladding Materials Company 2022 - Arabian Tile Company (Artic)

*Best Commercial Developer 2022 - Dar Altanmiyat

*Best Commercial Project 2022 - International Building Systems Factory (IBSF)

*Best Construction Drone Company 2022 - Geographic Technology Trading Est

*Best Construction Recruitment Company 2022 - Esad Services

*Best Co-working Space Company 2022 - Servcorp

*Best Electricity Project 2022 - Civil & Electrical Projects Contracting Company (Cepco)

*Best Facilities Management Company 2022 - Muheel Facilities Management

*Best Green Building Materials Company 2022 - Green Building Solutions

*Best Green Cement Company 2022 - Alsafwa Cement Company

*Best Healthcare Construction Company 2022 - IHCC

*Best Highway Contractor - United Maintenance and Contracting Company (Unimac)

*Best Interior Designer 2022 - Grid Design for Trading Company

*Best IT Security Company 2022 - Rasa Communication Company

*Best Lime Company 2022 - Saudi Lime Industries Company

*Best MEP Contractor 2022 - Wahat Al Mansouria For Contracting & Maintenance (Wamest)

*Best Off-site Construction Company 2022 - Tamimi Global Company

*Best Retail Project 2022 - Alsalimi Company Limited

*Best Structural Steel Company 2022 - Al-Khodari Heavy Industries (KHI)

*Best Sustainable Architect 2022 - Omraniyoun

*Best Luxury Developer 2022 - Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC)

*Best Hotel Developer 2022 - JODC

*Best Construction Company 2022 - BEC Saudi Arabia

*Best Residential Development Company 2022 - National Housing Company

*Best Eco Friendly Project - Roshn Real Estate Company

*Best Real Estate Company 2022 - Roshn

 

The summit addressed the challenges and ideas in the industry, with the keynote sessions and panel discussions. 

 

The opening day saw a keynote session on Saudi Real Estate Investment Outlook by Rafal Real Estate Company CEO Elias Antoine Abou Samra followed by one on 'the most prominent challenges and risks facing infrastructure projects and the proposed solutions by Faisal Saud Al Faqih, the Technical Office Manager at ADDC and an 'Overview of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme' by Anas Al Hejji, Director at NIDLP.

 

This was followed by a keynote session on the role of procurement in delivering successful projects by Maan Alothimeen, GM Procurement at National Housing Company. 

 

The discussion put the spotlight on the various stages in the procurement process; challenges and solutions as well as ways to build a successful procurement strategy.

 

The summit witnessed a panel discussion on Facilities Management with the participants' special focus on the new trends and technology; the key challenges and management of a successful project.

 

It was attended by Abdulrahman Albati, Smart Cities Project Manager at Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones; Emad Abushomer, Facilities & Operation Manager at AlSaedan Real Estate Company and Suhail Qasem Sulaiman Al Rabee, the Regional IFM and MEP Manager, Initial Saudi Group as well as Musheer Intekhab, the Head of Operations at Madar Facilities Management.

 

The afternoon's schedule began with a keynote session by Monair Alosaif, the Project Manager at

Eastern Province Municipality, who spoke at length on the contemporary cities followed by the speakers on the second day.

 

They included Samer Namanqani, the CEO of Ayan Real Estate Company, who discussed the ‘Offsite Construction – The Benefits of Using Building Technologies’ followed by Dr Abdullah Alsakran - Executive Director of Strategy Sector, Saudi Fund for Development - on ‘Sustainable vs. Green Materials’ and Zuhair Al Maghrabi – CHRO, National Housing Company on ‘Preparing the Workforce for Better Tomorrow.’

 

Another major event that drew significant participation was the panel discussion on Infrastructure Planning and Design for Sustainable Projects, which was held with special focus on 'sustainable projects, project planning, milestones and achievements.'

 

Leading experts including Medhat Aly Kouchouk, the Head of PMO, Rafal Real Estate Company and Sameh Gomaa, the Chief Operating officer at Alrajhi Investment took part along side Majid Hamdalla, the Chief Operating officer at Unimac. It was moderated by Ahmed Sobhy - the Infrastructure Director at Rua Al Madinah.

 

The conference session ended with the ‘Three Key Lessons Learnt from our Road to Recovery’ by Khalid Mohammed Al Amoudi, the CEO of Jabal Omar Development Company.

 

A major event for the region, Saudi Building & Infrastructure Summit is exclusively designed for the top-level executives involved in investing, planning, designing, building, operating and managing the future projects.-TradeArabia News Service