Housed in a cluster of vast hangars amid sun-baked desert dunes, an hour north of Riyadh, Cityscape Global is billed as the world’s largest real estate event. Giant exhibition stands represent the government-backed ‘giga-projects’ dotted around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from the tourist destinations of Red Sea Global to the new cities at Neom that have stirred curiosity - and some criticism - around the world. Alongside, displays by private developers underscore the scale of the transformation now taking place in the country.
This year, an estimated 200,000 visitors attended the four-day trade fair (11 to 14 November), which featured 400 exhibitors along with 500 speakers at seven conferences on the future of urban development in the Kingdom.
So it was fitting that RIBA’s presence at Cityscape was itself the largest international practice mission ever undertaken by the Institute. A team headed by chief executive Valerie Vaughan-Dick and board chair Jack Pringle was joined by representatives from 21 UK-based chartered practices, 8 CPD providers and four corporate partners.
“We are here to showcase British architecture and the great things that RIBA offers,” said Vaughan-Dick on the opening morning, as the coach-load of delegates made its way to the Institute’s elegant stand, constructed from curved timber by corporate partner T2 Design Solutions. “We are also going to deepen friendships and partnerships with the architecture and design community across the Gulf region”.
Usefully, the RIBA stand was located next to that of Saudi Arabia’s Architecture and Design Commission (ADC), a division of the Ministry of Culture charged with developing the sector, with which the Institute is building a close working relationship. At Cityscape that was reflected in collaboration on a design charrette for Saudi architecture students, and an update on a proposed agreement to share knowledge in the Kingdom, given by Vaughan-Dick and Dr Sumayah Al-Solaiman, chief executive of the ADC.
“We’re very happy that RIBA is part of Cityscape Global this year”, said Dr Al-Solaiman. “As strategic partners we’ve been doing quite a lot of exciting projects together - and perhaps the most exciting for us is that we will be announcing our partnership in the provision of Continuous Professional Development, which we will be doing jointly to support Saudi talent and give them access to the best content that is available.”
On stand-by
With RIBA delegates acting collaboratively, sharing contacts and information with their colleagues, significant numbers of potential clients were drawn to the RIBA stand over the course of the event. Visitors also picked up print copies of the first special Gulf issue of RIBAJ, which features projects and people from across the region and was launched at the show.
For some delegates, the buzz of Cityscape was the first exposure to a country where the remarkable volume of construction reflects significant changes in wider society. The giga-projects financed by the Public Investment Fund under the banner of Vision 2030 anticipate a diminishing reliance on oil, addressed by opening the country to foreign trade and tourism, and investing in human capital through education, health and housing. The proportion of women who work, for example, has risen from under 20% in 2018 to 36% this year. Private developers are also responding to rapid social change; 63% of Saudis are under 30, and will live differently to their parents.
Participation in the practice mission offered a better understanding of these circumstances, both through presentations to delegates by RIBA members and business consultants based in the region, and visits to notable developments.
A brief but eye-opening stop at the high-rise King Abdullah Financial District revealed a commitment to walkable cities and public transport quite different from Riyadh’s existing car-oriented grid system. Another trip took in the headquarters of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, currently delivering a 14 sq km extension to Riyadh whose design is heavily influenced by traditional Najdi architecture.
Architect and RIBA member Azhar Ellahi, who is now working on the client side for Riyadh’s ‘new downtown’, New Murabba, pointed to the intelligence underlying such projects: “This is not the ‘wild east’,” he told delegates. “There’s a lot of strategic thinking here that has taken a lot of effort to implement”.
He underlined messages also conveyed by other contributors to the practice mission, including briefings from Graham Ellis of the UK’s Department for Business and Trade, and Mickey Stewart of AEI Saudi: that foreign architects seeking to work in KSA are increasingly expected to show commitment to the country in a variety of ways, from local offices and staff employment to repeated visits that build trust. They also pointed to the emphasis placed on projects with a proper business case, and the importance of setting proper fees to deliver against high expectations. Nevertheless, all agreed, the demand for architectural expertise from the UK is significant, from large-scale infrastructure to sustainable design and care for heritage.
Delegates found that view corroborated at Cityscape. “We are a small, specialist conservation practice,” said Deniz Beck, founder of Hampshire-based Deniz Beck Partners. “Among all of these big real estate players I wasn’t sure there would be a place for us but the opportunities are immense. I’ve had some very interesting discussions.”
A sizeable proportion of the practices in RIBA’s delegation were already working in the Kingdom - on everything from modular housing and airports to hotels and boutique barber shops - but nevertheless saw value in a collective presence and potential access to new networks.
“What’s amazing about Cityscape is that everyone is in one place - regional developers, agencies, big engineers,” said Simon Gathercole of Allies and Morrison, which has completed a masterplan for the historic heart of Jeddah, and recently opened an office in the city. “We joined the practice mission because we want to meet people we’ve not connected with yet, and this is a good opportunity to get those conversations started.”
A stronger presence
Delegates from the UK were also joined by several leaders of RIBA’s Gulf Chapter, a community of members living and working across the region.
For them, says Dubai-based chair Andy Shaw, the visible presence of RIBA at events like Cityscape gives a valuable boost to recognition of the Institute, and the capabilities of members. The region, he points out, also offers significant growth potential for RIBA itself, with numerous schools now seeking its accreditation.
“There’s already lots of interaction between people from different backgrounds and cultures in the RIBA Gulf community,” he said. “With more and more students coming through the system - having either studied in the UK or other countries with RIBA accreditation - there’s a lot of scope to grow our community as they become chartered architects, and take that knowledge and education into new and existing companies, to clients and the whole construction industry”.
Throughout the four days of the fair, RIBA made its presence felt beyond the stand, with events taking place in Riyadh itself. Networking drinks hosted by RIBA and the Department of Business & Trade at the Ahlam Gallery brought delegates together with other Cityscape attendees and Riyadh-based designers. RIBA also collaborated with engineer Buro Happold – which has had a presence in the Kingdom for 40 years – to host a panel discussion at its 27th floor offices, overlooking the heart of Riyadh.
Panellists including New London Architecture chair Peter Murray, Riyadh resident Tarek Hassan of Foster + Partners and Dubai-based Sandra Woodall of tangramGulf and Kerem Cengiz of LWKP debated some of the complexities of practice in KSA, and how best outside consultants could do good work given the pace and scale of the country’s transformation. Many underlined the importance of contextual thinking, and a growing emphasis on architecture and urbanism that responds to local challenges and bolsters a distinctly Saudi identity, avoiding ‘cut and paste’ solutions from other territories.
The final question was put by RIBA delegate Alex Ely of Stirling Prize-winner Mae Architects: much has been said about what UK architects can bring to KSA, but what could participants in the practice mission take home with them? On that, there was a unanimous response: ambition. Four busy days had left a positive impression both of the change taking place in the country, and the contribution that architecture is expected to make.
By Chris Foges, Contributing Editor, RIBAJ
