Saudi Arabia, GCC taking holistic, far-sighted approach to city building, expert says

Cities mature when they begin introducing large-scale infrastructure projects that help people live in it, and a decade in terms of the city’s life is not a very long time at all, Daniel Hajjar said. (Supplied)
Cities mature when they begin introducing large-scale infrastructure projects that help people live in it, and a decade in terms of the city’s life is not a very long time at all, Daniel Hajjar said. (Supplied)
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Updated 07 February 2023

Saudi Arabia, GCC taking holistic, far-sighted approach to city building, expert says

Saudi Arabia, GCC taking holistic, far-sighted approach to city building, expert says
  • Mega-projects have massive future benefit, says Daniel Hajjar
  • Architect’s firm has designed iconic structures in Mideast

LONDON: Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region have seen a significant shift in the concept of city building with modernized infrastructure plans taking into account ways to improve people’s lives and experiences as opposed to “purely a functional response,” according to a UK-based architecture expert.

“It’s all about how can you create a terrific sense of being in a city and having a great experience,” said Daniel Hajjar, managing principal for Europe and the Middle East at HOK — a global architecture and engineering firm.

“Particularly in Saudi Arabia, you’re seeing a lot more use of those types of facilities, because there’s a lot more encouragement to sort of knock down both physical and figurative walls within the Kingdom. And I think that’s a very good thing, as it’s only a matter of time before you will begin to see, and you’re already seeing it, much more engagement from Saudis in their own country,” he told Arab News in a recent exclusive interview.




Daniel Hajjar

HOK, which has been engaged with the Kingdom since the 1970s, has designed several iconic projects, including the 80-story PIF Tower, which is the tallest of the five structures that make up the financial plaza of the King Abdullah Financial District and symbolizes “the dawn of a new era of financial leadership” within the Saudi capital.

A lot of the architecture that is being produced, within Riyadh and perhaps within the Najd area in particular, this whole aspect of Salmani architecture or Salmani expression, seeking an expression that is genuine for the region.

Daniel Hajjar, HOK managing principal for Europe and the Middle East

The US-based firm, which was founded in 1955 in Missouri, began to officially expand its footprint in the Middle East in the early 1980s, and the first major project where the company brought a lot of its talent to complex designs was in Saudi Arabia. It was King Khalid Airport, King Saud University and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran that changed the way it operated as a firm, Hajjar explained.

“Those were sort of the first two institutes of higher education within the Kingdom that really propelled Saudi on the international stage that they began developing this fundamental infrastructure, and as a result, HOK was instrumental in delivering that, as well as the airport,” he said.




Cities mature when they begin introducing large-scale infrastructure projects that help people live in it, and a decade in terms of the city’s life is not a very long time at all, Daniel Hajjar said. (Supplied)

The company also developed other high-profile projects, among them King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Saudi Arabia. Others included the National Assembly building and the Central Bank headquarters in Kuwait, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company corporate headquarters, Dubai Marina, and the masterplan for Dubai Expo 2020.

Hajjar said that the Kingdom’s projects have always challenged the company to develop the way they work, and have invested heavily in technology to deliver massive and complex Lead in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum projects within months, and the first of their kind in the region.

Focus on future generations

Saudi Vision 2030 “is incredibly ambitious, and because of that, it raises the bar significantly in terms of what is it that’s going to drive that economy, post-oil, or post-hydrocarbon, because that is going to happen, and this diversification of the economy,” he said.

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HOK, which has been engaged with the Kingdom since the 1970s, has designed several iconic projects, including the 80-story PIF Tower, which is the tallest of the five structures that make up the financial plaza of the King Abdullah Financial District and symbolizes ‘the dawn of a new era of financial leadership’ within the Saudi capital.

“Those master plans that are being done now are not necessarily for the generation today, but they’re for future generations to use, and master plans, by their very nature change and evolve over time. So as a result, we believe that setting a framework in place where you have the ability to engage people along the journey is incredibly important, because … they’re part of that evolution (and) it is part of their genetic DNA, if you will, but within the country,” Hajjar said.

When designing projects, Hajjar said it was important to ensure they had cultural or physical relevance, and to interpret natural and heritage aspects into a modern form.




Cities mature when they begin introducing large-scale infrastructure projects that help people live in it, and a decade in terms of the city’s life is not a very long time at all, Daniel Hajjar said. (Supplied)

“A lot of the architecture that is being produced, within Riyadh and perhaps within the Najd area in particular, this whole aspect of Salmani architecture or Salmani expression, seeking an expression that is genuine for the region, as opposed to looking at something in a pastiche manner.

“So as a result, you’re beginning to see much more authentic architecture, without copying the past, and look at a modern interpretation of those historic principles behind the architecture has a tremendously valuable proposition.”

Comparing Riyadh and Jeddah, he said that they were two totally different cities because they grew based on different parameters when they were established.

“If you look at Jeddah and the way the Al-Balad part of Jeddah has sort of grown out further from the original port, and then if you look at Riyadh as being the capital of the Kingdom, very much different in terms of the approach to city building between the two of them, and it doesn’t mean that one’s necessarily better than the other.

“Because there wasn’t as much of an economic boom in Jeddah, it sort of boomed and then it slowed down and then they didn’t simply just build. I think Riyadh now is looking at the various initiatives, in terms of greening Riyadh, public art, and creating that level of richness, while Jeddah has had international art exhibits along the Corniche,” he said.

These also differ from new developments such as the NEOM megacity project or Diriyah Gate, which is the birthplace of the first Saudi state and now everything is leveraging off that historic core as they begin to build out from there, he said.

The big challenge with Saudi Arabia is it is so geographically diverse from one region to the next, so how do you begin bringing those cultures together within the Kingdom and ensure “the richness that occurs in one region should be introduced to the richness from another in order to create this fantastic mosaic that is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Another major challenge is the future of transportation, and there will be a strong focus on linking cities together within the Kingdom and the Gulf region and cutting down on air travel carbon footprint.

“The irony behind all of this is pre-World War I, there was a railway in the Kingdom, and now there is no railway. So I think you’re going to begin seeing a lot of that, particularly GCC-wide (and) it’s going to serve the function of transporting commodities and everything else, but at the same time, they have the ability to encourage people to travel by rail and I think that will come,” he said.

Cities mature when they begin introducing large-scale infrastructure projects that help people live in it, and a decade in terms of the city’s life is not a very long time at all, Hajjar said, as the Vision 2030 target ambitions rapidly approach.

“Ultimately, a city has a continuum to it,” he said, “because when a city stops to develop and stops challenging itself, it slowly begins to lose meaning to people within the city. You have to continually reinvent the city, bring new things into the city, and have people engaged in different ways.”


China to implement zero tariffs on coal imports to the end 2023

China to implement zero tariffs on coal imports to the end 2023
Updated 24 March 2023

China to implement zero tariffs on coal imports to the end 2023

China to implement zero tariffs on coal imports to the end 2023

BEIJING: China will extend some preferential tax policies and continue to implement zero tariffs on coal imports until the end of this year, state media CCTV reported on Friday, citing a cabinet meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang on the same day, according to Reuters.

China cut tariffs on coal to zero in April last year in the face of concerns over domestic energy security and supply disruptions.

The country’s coal imports in the first two months of this year surged 71 percent from the same period last year, as utilities stepped up purchases of cheap thermal coal from Indonesia while arrivals from Mongolia also picked up after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

China will also cut some taxes for small companies and individual businesses and extend such favorable policy until the end of 2024, state media reported.

Other preferential tax policies include a reduction in tax related to research and development and a halving of logistics companies’ tax on warehouse land for bulk commodity storage in urban areas.

The cuts are expected to reduce the total burden by more than 480 billion yuan ($69.80 billion) a year, CCTV said.

Last year, when private businesses were hit hard by stringent COVID-19 lockdowns and curbs, China’s tax and fee cuts, tax refunds and deferred payments totalled 4.2 trillion yuan, the finance ministry said. That included 2.4 trillion yuan in VAT tax rebates, the largest in recent years.

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World shares fall on banking turmoil, recession worries

World shares fall on banking turmoil, recession worries
Updated 24 March 2023

World shares fall on banking turmoil, recession worries

World shares fall on banking turmoil, recession worries

BANGKOK: Shares fell Friday in Europe and Asia as worries flared over turmoil in the banking sector and potentially worsening risks of recession, according to the Associated Press.

European benchmarks sank as shares in Deutsche Bank plunged more than 10 percent. Reports said its shares fell because the company was facing higher costs for insuring itself against default. US futures turned lower and oil prices fell more than $2.

Investors are worried that more banks might suffer a debilitating exodus of customers following the second and third-largest US bank failures in history. That turmoil is clouding the outlook for what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates after hiking them to market-rattling heights over the last year.

The fear is that all the turmoil in the banking industry could cause a sharp pullback in lending to small and midsized businesses around the country. That could put more pressure on the economy, raising the risk for a recession that many economists already saw as likely.

Germany’s DAX lost 2.5 percent to 14,834.24 and the CAC 40 in Paris tumbled 2.5 percent to 6,965.01. Britain’s FTSE 100 declined 2.1 percent to 7,245.65. The future for the S&P 500 was 0.9 percent lower while that for the Dow industrials lost 1.1 percent.

Deutsche Bank’s shares plunged 14 percent after an overnight surge in credit default swaps — a hedge against defaults for bond investors. Other European banks also lost ground. Commerzbank dropped 8.7 percent,

Societe General skidded 7.7 percent and Credit Suisse, itself subject to a government-arranged buyout by UBS, dropped 8.6 percent. UBS gave up 8 percent.

Regional banks’ shares in Asia were modestly lower Friday, with HSBC Holdings plc losing 2.9 percent in Hong Kong while mid-sized Japanese bank Resona Holdings declined 2.6 percent.

Shares in Japanese energy and electronics company Toshiba Corp. gained 4.2 percent after it announced late Thursday that it had accepted a $15 billion tender offer from a buyout fund made up of the nation’s major banks and companies. If regulators approve it, the proposed buyout by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners would be a major step in troubled Toshiba’s yearslong turnaround effort, allowing it to go private.

Japan reported that its inflation rate fell to 3.3 percent in February from 4.3 percent the month before, though core inflation excluding fresh food and energy costs rose to 3.5 percent from 3.2 percent. The data suggest persisting pressure on the Bank of Japan to adjust its below zero interest rate policy, though economists said they expect price pressures to abate in coming months.

“Given the recent market turmoil surrounding the banking sector,” ING economists said, “the BOJ’s move will likely be well communicated with the market before it substantially changes its policy.”

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.1 percent to 27,385.25 and the Kospi in Seoul gave up 0.4 percent to 2,414.96. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.7 percent to 19,915.68 and the Shanghai Composite index sank 0.6 percent to 3,265.65.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.2 percent to 6,955.20. Shares fell in Mumbai but rose in Bangkok and Taiwan.

On Thursday, the S&P 500 added 0.3 percent for its third gain in four days while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.2 percent. The Nasdaq composite held up better thanks to strength in technology shares, gaining 1 percent.

Stocks fell sharply the day before after the Federal Reserve indicated that while the end may be near for its hikes to interest rates, it still doesn’t expect to cut rates this year. Fed Chair Jerome Powell also insisted the Fed could keep raising rates if inflation stays high.

Stocks in the financial industry ended up being the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 despite rising in the morning. First Republic Bank fell 6 percent after giving up a gain of nearly 10 percent.

In other trading Friday, US benchmark crude oil dropped $3.09 to $66.87 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gave up 94 cents to $69.96 per barrel.

Brent crude, the pricing basis for international oil, lost $3.08 to $72.42 per barrel.

The US dollar fell to 130.09 yen from 130.83 yen. The euro slipped to $1.0743 from $1.0833.


Apico secures $29m funding for new plastics factory in Riyadh

Apico secures $29m funding for new plastics factory in Riyadh
Updated 24 March 2023

Apico secures $29m funding for new plastics factory in Riyadh

Apico secures $29m funding for new plastics factory in Riyadh

RIYADH: A new plastics factory in Riyadh is a step closer after the Arabian Plastic Industrial Co. secured SR105.5 million ($29 million) of funding from the Saudi Investment Bank.

According to a filing to the Kingdom’s stock market, Apico will use the funds – which come in the form of working capital and a medium term loan – to build the facility as part of a plan to expand production.

The Jeddah-based company had signed a land lease contract with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones – known as Modon – in 2022 with regards to the factory.

Of the SR105.5 million, SR55.5 million will be spent on the expansion with the remainder earmarked for existing facilities.

Apico made its debut on the Kingdom’s stock market in October 2022, when its shares climbed 18.52 percent above its listing price on the first day of trading.

The company offered 1 million shares, or 20 percent, of its SR50 million market capitalization.

The offering coverage was 15.43 times oversubscribed, with the offer price set at SR27 per share.

Established in 1996, Apico serves customers across different sectors, including to Almarai Co., flynas, TotalEnergies, and Nahdi Medical Co..


Moody’s boosts ratings for six key Saudi companies, including PIF and Aramco

Moody’s boosts ratings for six key Saudi companies, including PIF and Aramco
Updated 24 March 2023

Moody’s boosts ratings for six key Saudi companies, including PIF and Aramco

Moody’s boosts ratings for six key Saudi companies, including PIF and Aramco

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and energy giant Aramco are among six firms in the Kingdom to have their ratings boosted from stable to positive by Moody's Investors Service.

The credit rating agency said the upgrade in outlook is linked to the strength of Saudi Arabia’s economy, which was also changed to positive from stable earlier this month.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, also known as SABIC, Saudi Telecom Co., known as stc, and the Saudi Power Procurement Co. were among the other companies to see their grading increase.

The Saudi Electricity Co. also received a boost.

In a report explaining its rationale for the shift, the ratings agency said: “(These) rating actions are a direct consequence of the sovereign rating action and reflect the credit linkages between the Government of Saudi Arabia and each of the six entities. 

“While these corporates benefit to varying degrees from international assets and cash flows, they all have significant credit linkages to the Saudi Arabia sovereign and are exposed to the domestic environment including political, economic, regulatory and social factors.”

Reflecting on Aramco, the report said the company’s A1 rating “reflects its very large operational scale, significant downstream integration and strong financial flexibility given its low cost structure and low leverage relative to cash flows.”

It added: “These characteristics provide resilience through oil price cycles and also help mitigate carbon transition risk, which is a material credit consideration for oil and gas companies.”

Moody’s said that SABIC had been able to maintain its strong global position in the petrochemical and fertilizer market thanks to “competitively priced domestic feedstock under long-term contracts with Saudi Aramco.”

The report added: “These advantages help mitigate to an extent the volatility of its predominantly commodity-based petrochemical, fertilizer and steel activities and SABIC's asset concentration in Saudi Arabia.”

In a section on the PIF, Moody’s said the organization had a “high-quality investment portfolio”, a “very strong financial profile with very low leverage and very high interest coverage”, and an “excellent liquidity profile”.


NEOM Airlines set for take-off by end of 2024, CEO reveals

NEOM Airlines set for take-off by end of 2024, CEO reveals
Updated 24 March 2023

NEOM Airlines set for take-off by end of 2024, CEO reveals

NEOM Airlines set for take-off by end of 2024, CEO reveals

RIYADH: A dedicated airline for Saudi Arabia’s futuristic city NEOM will take to the skies by the end of 2024, the carrier’s CEO has revealed.

Writing in a blog post, Klaus Goersch set out an ambitious vision for NEOM Airlines, promising that passengers will receive “a completely different travel experience”.

Goersch, who has previously served as chief operating officer of British Airways and Air Canada, argued the new service will be “futuristic and efficient”, adding: “I can honestly say the opportunity here is way beyond anything else out there.”

The development of the airline comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to boost its aviation sector, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier this month announcing a new carrier, Riyadh Air, which will benefit from a $37 billion aircraft deal with US firm Boeing.

In his blog post, Goersch painted his vision for NEOM Airlines as he set out the “new future” for air travel.

He said: “Just imagine if your bags were collected from your home or office and delivered to the hotel or residence you were going to. 

“Imagine if biometrics were advanced enough to recognize you via facial recognition as soon as you walked in a building, security clearing you for travel without the need for even going through a gate – let alone having to bother with a visa. 

“And just imagine the time of your meeting changed by a few hours and you were able to change your flight to a later one, without hassle or cost. 

“Better still, imagine you are collecting loyalty points at the airport – where the whole place is lounge-style service – as well as while flying and when using the facilities in your destination, because everything is owned by the same company.”

Goersch went on to say the airline will initially retrofit existing aircraft in order to get the carrier up and running, before shifting to new planes. 

“Come 2026 onwards, there will be new innovative aircraft – whether it be electric, hydrogen-powered or supersonic – and next-generation interiors coming online from us. We are already in discussions with plane, interior and seat manufacturers,” he wrote.

In keeping with NEOM’s pledge to be environmentally-friendly Goersch said the airline’s ambition is for every flight to have “ some sustainable fuel onboard” originating from mixing facilities at NEOM. 

He added: “Sustainability will even stretch into the catering, with foods sourced locally from here and delivered via on-demand dining at a time when you actually feel like eating. 

“We will look at every single component right down to the carpets and single-use plastics. 

“Little things like this will accumulate and add up to more than the sum of their parts.”

The $500 billion NEOM megaproject is set to transform the Kingdom’s northwest Red Sea coast to a high-tech hub.