Saudi Arabia has emerged as a leader in regional sustainable construction as it managed to register 2,000 of the 5,000 green building projects across the Arab world which was declared yesterday at the beginning of the 14th Annual Saudi Green Building Forum, which started here in Riyadh on October 6-8.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail emphasized that the Kingdom is committed to sustainable development and underlined the most important achievements related to green construction. Rapid population growth and awareness of environmental issues in the country trigger an increase in green construction projects – both in terms of energy-efficient buildings and the requirement for the use of sustainable materials.

Saudi Arabia has the most significant opportunity for green buildings, said Prescient & Strategic Intelligence. Revenue in the Saudi green building market is valued at $16.4 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow by 12.3 percent annually over the next seven years. It is expected to reach as high as $33 billion in 2030, thus signaling a qualitative change in urban development toward being more efficient in resource use, with lower emissions of carbon, as well as healthy environments in cities.

A forum addressed urgent concerns in the area of environmental sustainability, and in doing so was able to keep the thrust for green buildings aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Aramco here unveiled by Deputy Chief Engineer Waleed Al-Naim a $1.5 billion sustainability fund to close in on climate challenges. On the forum’s opening day, SGBF and Saudi Contractors Authority signed a memorandum of understanding with regards to collaboration on training, development, and knowledge exchange for the promotion of sustainable practices within the contracting sector.

This year, the forum emphasizes the optimization of operations of cities based on green building standards while simultaneously considering construction, infrastructure, and environmental challenges. With strong partnership between the government and private sectors, Saudi Arabia is targeting the localization of sustainable development goals where it shall be a leader in the region’s sustainability agenda since 2010 when the forum was first conceived.