A high-profile Saudi Green Building Forum (SGBF) gets under way on Nov. 17-20 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh with 18 prominent guest speakers.

Sources said the forum is very important, particularly for the Kingdom. Saudi investment in 76 new environmentally savvy construction projects is estimated to exceed $26 billion.

“Over half of those construction projects are based in the Saudi capital,” Andreas Hergenroether, German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia and Yemen delegate, told Arab News.

He added that there are 1,350 green projects underway across the Middle East and 67 of these are based in the Kingdom where only 150 Saudi engineers have specialized training in green buildings.

Hergenroether said that as green building front-runner, Saudi Arabia is home to the fastest growing construction projects and market in the Middle East.

“These projects have green building designs and energy-efficient products and technology being driven by multibillion-dollar spending from both the public and private sectors. They offer exceptional opportunities in all sectors associated with green building and sustainable infrastructure and technology,” he said.

He also said that the forum is strategically aligned and partnered with the public and private sectors in addition to sponsors from national and international government and non-government organizations (NGOs).

“The forum is designed to demonstrate the Kingdom’s capacity and efforts by setting national policy for the environmental impact while encouraging design, construction and operation of highly efficient and sustainable buildings.

The forum, being held under a royal decree, will be opened with the support of Municipalities and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb Abdulaziz.