Tower project uses BC conduits

BC Conduit, an affiliate of Bahra Cables Company, said its unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) conduits have been approved for use in electrical installations at the SR4.6-billion ($1.22 billion) Kingdom Tower in Jeddah.

Dar Al Handasah-Shair & Partners, the construction supervisor on the Kingdom Tower, has ratified the quality of the BC Conduit products and confirmed that it meets the required specifications for materials to be used in the construction of the project, said Bahra Cables.

Spimaco to build plant in Qassim

SAUDI Pharmaceutical and Medical Appliances Corporation (Spimaco) is set to award contracts for the construction of a 50,000-sq-m plant, the country’s first such facility, in Qassim province of the kingdom.

Makkah project gets $1bn boost

SAUDI Arabia’s Jabal Omar Development Company said it has secured a SR4-billion ($1.07 billion) loan to refinance part of an existing facility it signed in 2012 to fund its real estate project in Makkah region of the kingdom. The kingdom’s largest listed developer by market value, Jabal Omar said the new loan from National Commercial Bank, to fund the project’s first phase, will be stretched over a period of 15 years, instead of the eight years of the previous facility.

Mada Gypsum to build ‘green’ plant

MADA Gypsum, a leading producer of gypsum plasterboards and related gypsum-based products in the region, is set to build a new environment-friendly gypsum plant in Saudi Arabia, according to a report.

The new SR250-million ($66.5 million) investment will employ around 200 employees and will have an annual capacity of approximately 30 million sq m of gypsum plasterboards and related gypsum-based products and systems, said the Arab News report. The plant will start operation in Q3 of next year.

SS Pipes factory starts trial runs

SAUDI Specialised Pipes’ (SS Pipes) factory at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) was due to launch production trials last month following the completion of construction work and equipment installation, according to a senior official of the company.

The factory has been set up at an investment of SR50 million ($13.31 million), said Hasan S Hassanein, general manager of SS Pipes – a business unit set up by Nabil Krimmley Establishment for the manufacture of specialised pipes using state-of-art German technology and locally sourced industrial raw materials.

SS Pipes, a manufacturing unit for polymer-reinforced concrete (PRC) pipes and allied PRC products, operates from KAEC under a technical collaboration with Metromax r PRC, Germany, a leading manufacturer of polymer concrete products in Europe.

Madinah gates plan unveiled

SAUDI Arabia’s Madinah Development Authority has unveiled new plans for the construction of gates at the three main roads leading into the city after launching a competition for the design.

The first of the gates will be located at Madinah’s southern entrance, while the second will overlook the Madinah-Qassim highway from the east.

The third gate will be constructed at the Tabuk highway from the west, with construction beginning at a later stage.

The designs complement Madinah traditional architecture, the authority said, while also incorporating necessary service facilities for the arrival and departure of visitors and pilgrims’.

The project includes a mosque, shops, a supermarket, a restaurant, an information centre, and provision of services like bus stops and parking spaces.

Spanish firm wins transport deal

INDRA, a leading consulting and technology multinational based in Spain, has signed a €266-million ($314 million) contract with Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), to implement the entire ticketing and access control technology for the new public transportation system currently under construction in Riyadh.

ADA is responsible for modernising Riyadh’s infrastructure. Indra will develop the entire advanced pricing management system for the city’s public transportation network.

This includes a ticketing control centre with information from the various systems, financial management software, the operator clearing house, and other value-added systems for commercial management.

This is believed to be the biggest ticketing project in the world to date and the project will be completed in 54 months. The contract also includes maintenance and technological assistance for 10 years.

300 green projects under way

MORE than 300 environment-friendly building projects are currently under way in Saudi Arabia out of a total of 2,000 such developments in the Middle East region, said a report.

The kingdom has captured about 15 per cent of the region’s share, as it moves towards a culture of green building in the community and fosters concepts of sustainability, environment and humanity, reported the Arab News.

The area occupied by these eco-friendly buildings in the kingdom had risen to more than 20 million sq m by the end of 2014 and is expected to double in the current year, stated the report citing a senior official.

“Of these green building projects, the majority of them are located in capital Riyadh with investments estimated at SR200 billion ($55 billion),” Faisal Al Fadl, the head of the Initiative of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for Green Building, was quoted as saying.