A delegation for Climate Neutral Real Estate partners visited the Big5 Construct in Riyadh in February 2024. The yearly exhibition unites many international players working to implement Saudi’s Vision 2030 for community housing, villa developments and truly iconic projects initiated by the Public Investment Fund. Sustainable real estate development has more attention than ever. New standards are developed and implemented, like Mustadam, and sustainability professionals share their expertise in new associations, like the Sustainability Professionals of Saudi Arabia (SPSA).
Leaders in the industry share the ambition to create net zero buildings in the difficult desert climate, to mitigate the climate emergency in the country and develop inspiring examples for the future applicable in many other regions. The Climate Neutral Real Estate consortium liaised with large developers in the country to establish leadership for net zero in desert climates. Climate neutrality for the built environment is a key element to create and enhance liveable cities in the region and beyond.
Besides the presence at the Big5 Construct, the delegation visited the headquarters of large developers tasked with the implementation of projects across the country, for affordable housing, higher-end villa communities, sports facilities, entertainment facilities, iconic high-rises and business districts. The challenge includes Climate Neutral Real Estate technologies like building-integrated-photo-voltaic (BIPV), new cooling technologies, smart systems with data collections and AI applications, entire new concepts for water and energy on unit and community level, as well as enhanced aesthetics, functionality and health & well-being.
