Saudi-based Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) has awarded architectural consultancy firm Omrania the contract to design master plan of 'Kingdom Riyadh Land,' a 16 million sq m mixed use residential and commercial development.

Omrania is an architectural and engineering consultancy firm with offices in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan and work across the Middle East.

KHC, an investment company chaired by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, said the Riyadh Land site, strategically located on Riyadh-Dammam highway in the north eastern outskirts, is a 15-minute drive from capital city.

The contract also includes provisional sums for traffic and environmental studies, the company said in a statement.

Once developed, the Riyadh Land will be a mixed-use residential and commercial development, in addition to a private leisure and equestrian club, with serviced bungalows and sports and other leisure facilities which are expected to be managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

Plans exist for the government to build a highway linking the south western end of this development to the nearby King Khalid International Airport, the KHC said.

Commenting on the contract, Prince Alwaleed said: “Our Saudi real estate projects are solid anchors for Kingdom Holding’s profitability.”

The contract includes co-ordination and approval of master planning elements, engaging and managing the traffic impact study and environmental impact assessment sub-consultants and other studies required to complement and complete the master plan in the role of the local master planner, including all liaison with local authorities, he added.

As per the deal, Omrania, one of Saudi's major building design firms, will also be carrying out the supervision of the infrastructure work on site.

Talal Almaiman, executive director for Development and Domestic Investments, said: “We are continuing with our solid and significant local projects aimed at increasing positive returns for Kingdom Holding Company.”

KHC has already given contract for master plan design of its 3.8 million sq m Kingdom Oasis Land to Hart Howerton, a full service New York and San Francisco firm providing architectural, interior design, land planning and landscape architecture services.

The contract includes concept landscape architecture and coloured renderings, said the KHC statement.

As part of the contract, Hart Howerton will produce preliminary concept architecture studies for the hotel, gentleman’s retreat, women’s Spa, and branded villas of which one scheme will be developed into the concept refinement stage to address concept details.

The preliminary master plan was submitted to Riyadh Municipality and their comments have been addressed by Hart Howerton, the statement added.-TradeArabia News Service