Following the successful completion of the Durrat Al Arous project in Jeddah, Dallah Real Estate and Tourism Company (DRETC) is set to embark on a similar ambitious development to cater to the needs of the Riyadh real estate market.

The Durrat Arriyadh project - like the Durrat Al Arous project - will be very family-oriented.

Instead of beaches and water sports which are a prominent feature of the Jeddah development, this project will focus on greenery and water, in addition to recreational and entertainment facilities.

The project aims to be the first such development of its kind and magnitude in Riyadh, offering residents a resort-style living experience just 27 km from the city centre.

Currently in the detailed design stage, the development is expected to take approximately nine years to complete, involving a total expense of SR1.3 billion ($346.7 million), and is projected to generate a total revenue of SR1.9 billion. The package for excavation works is scheduled to be tendered by the end of July.

ACE Tasan and Darwish joint venture is the design consultant for the project.

Durrat Arriyadh is estimated to cover a total area of 9 million sq m. Situated north of Riyadh, at the junction of Qassim Road and Benban Road, the project will offer easy and direct access to the city centre. In addition, the location has been targeted by the municipality to be developed into a residential area.

It will basically consist of two parts: a residential area and an adjacent commercial area dedicated for recreational and entertainment facilities to be developed by independent companies.

Residential area

The residential area will be set in an "oasis-like" environment and will account for approximately 80 per cent of the entire land area.

In total 2,100 residential lots will be developed within this complex, occupying almost 2.5 million sq m. The average size of each plot is 1,250 sq m. To ensure security and privacy of its residents, the development will have boundary walls complete with closed-circuit cameras and security guards. Within the compound, residents will have full access to a wide variety of sports facilities and be able to enjoy the surrounding greenery and the lakes.

In order to offer residents the best view of the surrounding greenery and yet ensure the privacy of their homes, all the residential lots will be elevated and arranged in a finger-like configuration - the fingers being not less than 150 m apart.

Residents will have direct access to the common area in front of their house, which will be landscaped and feature lakes.

Utilities such as electricity and water supply, sewage system, telephone lines and television channels will be provided to each of the residential lots from the commercial area. The internal roads network will lead to each unit from outside the residential area. Sufficient parking space will be developed for the residents as well as for their visitors.

In order to ensure a degree of uniformity within the development, all designs and construction programmes for the residential lots must be approved by the developer and be according to the specifications laid down by it.

Some 30 sample villas will be developed to give potential buyers a better perspective of the type of house they can build on the plot they are buying as well as highlight the theme of each section of the residential compound. These villas will be fully furnished and will be sold once the project is completed.

Also located within the residential complex will be a golf club and course and equestrian club. Cars will not be allowed in this area. Instead horses and electric carts will be used to ensure a smog and noise-free living atmosphere.

The international-standard 18-hole golf course will cover an area of almost 700,000 sq m. It will include a driving range where lessons will be provided and members can practise, thus catering to the needs of both amateur and professional golfers. This golf course will be equipped with floodlights to allow play in the evening. Residents will have full access to the golf course while access to outsiders will be restricted to members only who will be selected only if they meet strict screening criteria.

The equestrian club will be built over an area of 30,000 sq m. All levels of riding will be catered to at the club through different membership schemes, with professional instruction covering show jumping, dressage, endurance, flat racing and children's and youth activities. A viewing deck will form part of the club to facilitate staging of horse shows. In addition, it will also include a climate-controlled horse stable to accommodate more than 200 horses.

The other facilities within the residential area are tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, community centres and mosques., which will be accessible solely by the residents and their guests only.

Commercial area

The commercial area will comprise recreational and entertainment facilities to be developed and operated by independent companies which will first acquire the land from Durrat Arriyadh and then develop it according to the specifications laid down for the project.

These facilities, which will be open to visitors, include a hotel, plaza, suq and business park, schools, and a utilities area.

The hotel will occupy a 100,000 sq m site, located at the edge of the residential compound, facing the golf course in order to allow its occupants a good view of the facility. It is expected to have 300 rooms, 40 suites and 10 villa-style accommodations and also feature a restaurant, swimming pools, spa and other facilities commonly found in most five-star hotels.

The plaza, suq and business park will essentially be an up-market shopping mall covering an area of about 200,000 sq m. The mall will have a hypermarket, an amusement park, restaurants and individual shops. Its design and selection of tenants will take into consideration its affluent and high-income shoppers.

An area of approximately 80,000 sq m will be allocated to the construction of two primary schools - one for boys and the other for girls. The proximity of the school, which caters to young children, will give their parents a greater sense of security as well as ease transportation.

Utilities services for the development will involve the construction of the water, sewage and irrigation, electricity distribution, telecommunication and central aerial systems over an area of about 20,000 sq m . This area will also contain the residential quarters for the technicians operating these facilities. The management of these facilities will be outsourced to an external utility management company, which will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the plant and its facilities.

The water system will meet the domestic and fire demands for the individual facilities with adequate pressure and flow. The system will consist of water storage tanks, a pressure booster system and the distribution network. The daily demand for domestic use is estimated at 10,000 cu m while that for irrigation use is estimated at 8,000 cu m.

The storage tanks, designed with a capacity to meet demand for 2.5 days, will be provided with pipework from the water treatment plant and for filling by tankers, if necessary. The distribution system will be of the looped type and isolation valves will be installed where feasible to facilitate maintenance without major interruptions.

The sewage system will consist of a network of gravity sewers, manholes, lift station and pressure lines conveying sewage to a sewage treatment plant, which will include secondary and tertiary treatment producing an effluent suitable for irrigation of landscaped areas. Sludge quantities will be collected in a holding tank and hauled away.

Treated sewage effluent from the sewage treatment plant will be pumped into the irrigation network. Irrigation will be applied automatically by use of remote-control electric-operated solenoid valves and control stations.

The children's playground and lawn areas will be irrigated with potable water.

The distribution system will consist of a main network of underground pipes leading to the solenoid control valve assemblies. The secondary network will start from the solenoid control valves and consist of underground and shallow or on-the-ground pipes leading to the drippers and bubblers.

The total electricity demand load is estimated at 60 MW. As Durrat Arriyadh is a private project, the operator of the utilities area will have to construct and build a power distribution system, which has to comply with the central Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) standards. The electrical distribution system will consist of two sub-systems: primary and secondary distribution systems.

The primary distribution system will consist of a switching station, supplied from the main. From this station, electricity is relayed to various compact sub-stations. The voltage of this primary distribution system will be 13.8 kV, three-phase, three-wire, 60 hz. The secondary distribution system will then extend from the substations to the consumer. Its voltage will be 127/220 volt, three-phase, 60 hz as per Saudi law.

The telephone network will include primary and secondary cables, distribution cabinets and distribution pillars. Every residential unit will be provided with two telephone lines.

The central TV aerial system will consist of satellite dishes, head end equipment and distribution network, including cabling, cabinets with splitters, amplifiers and tap-offs.

To sum up, Durrat Arriyadh will be the number one residential area in Riyadh once it is completed. There are no visible competitors in the market for the near future, which can offer such a complete range of amenities with the same level of convenience and cater to all the needs of homeowners and their families.

Project Highlights

According to Suleiman Medeiheem, the following features of Durrat Arriyadh place in a class above other residential real estate projects in Riyadh: