Dar Al Riyadh is a consultancy that waxes eloquent whether working on upmarket equestrian clubs, hi-tech technology centres or ultra-modern car showrooms.

Astate-of-the-art technology centre for the kingdom’s industrial giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) in Jubail, a faculty for the new campus of the Islamic University in Madinah and a prestigious automobile showroom complex in Abha are among the many projects that have recently come off the drawing boards of leading Saudi consultancy Dar Al Riyadh and have taken shape on site in these diverse locations of Saudi Arabia.
The Sabic Technology Centre and the Faculty of Sharia at the Islamic University are due for completion shortly while work is ongoing at the Al Jazeera car showroom, which is targeted for completion in April next year.
Dar Al Riyadh, headquartered at Riyadh, is a leading consulting engineering firm involved in design and construction supervision of projects all over the kingdom and has branch offices in all the major cities of the kingdom. It offers a range of engineering, design, environmental, planning, infrastructure, architectural services, has an extensive portfolio of projects to its credit, ranging from industrial, infrastructural and oil and gas projects to commercial and recreational developments. The practice recently saw the completion of the landmark Equestrian Club in Riyadh.
Sabic Technical Centre
Work on the state-of-the-art Sabic Technology Centre project at Jubail Industrial City, which will extend direct technical support to all of Sabic affiliates, is due for completion at the end of this month (May).
The SR100 million ($26.66 million) project comprises a two-storey research centre and administration building with a total built-up area of 14,000 sq m. The ground floor of the complex accommodates laboratories, offices of staff and administration, lobby and reception, and a cafeteria, while the first floor will house additional laboratories, conference rooms and offices, says a spokesman for Dar Al Riyadh, the consultant for the project.
The project also calls for the construction of ancillary buildings with an area of 1,500 sq m, including substations, a chiller compound, a pump house, and a gatehouse, provided with finishes that match that of the main building.
The entire site is landscaped with plants and paved walkways.
Jeddah-based Al Mabani General Contracting Company was the main contractor for the project and was supported by a team of 20 subcontractors.
Once fully functional, the centre will provide technology and research input in major subjects such as materials engineering and corrosion control; environment and industrial hygiene; reliability and integrity of machinery equipment; metals technology; operation and maintenance of research pilot plants.
“Sabic Technology Centre in Jubail is a continuation of the Sabic Technology System at Research and Technology in Riyadh, and two technological centres located in India and US,’’ said Minister of Industry and Electricity chairman of Sabic, Dr Hashim Ibn Abdullah Yamani when the project was launched. “That system has attained outstanding technical achievements, and we anticipate more Saudi technical innovations to reduce our dependency on foreign licences.”
The project was envisaged by Sabic in 1999; the construction contract was signed in January 2002 and mobilisation started immediately.
The centre is built on open footings laid in February 2002, with the foundation work completed in May of the same year. Superstructure works commenced by mid-2002.
The structure is composed of reinforced concrete columns, beams and ribbed slabs. The external walls of the building are of concrete masonry units (CMU) clad with Riyadh Stone panels, which have a bush hammered and honed finish.
The elegant entrance lobbies and the cafeteria are clad in curtainwalling/
structural glazing, which has been framed in extruded aluminium profiles. The contractor has used concrete of a strength of 35 Mpa in the construction of the complex.
More than 1,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel; 100 tonnes of structural steel; 12,000 cu m of concrete; 2,500 sq m of granite has gone into the construction of the complex.  At the peak of construction, a total of 850 workers and a fleet of 81 construction equipment was on site to ensure the timely completion of the project.
The offices and executive areas are carpeted and feature demountable partitions and acoustic ceilings, while ceramic tiles and epoxy-coated concrete has been used as the flooring medium in laboratory areas. The flooring in other areas comprises granite, marble amd ceramic tiles, epoxy-coated concrete and carpeting.
The CMU walls feature a plaster and paint finish.  Much of the ceilings of the centre comprise acoustic tiles, vinyl-laminated gypsum with decorative beams and exposed concrete. 
Commenting on the challenges of the project, the spokesman says: “Cladding the  external walls as well as certain internal areas with Riyadh stones was a very time-consuming and difficult operation but was overcome with the cooperation of all concerned parties including the supplier.”
The centre is provided with a range of mechanical and electrical services including:  heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), gas and fire protection, telephone and communication, audiovisual, building management, security, conveying, public address and laboratory utilities systems.
Sabic, one of the Saudi Arabia’s largest industrial conglomerates, owns 20 heavy petrochemical, chemicals, fertilisers and steel industries in Jubail, Yanbu and other cities in the kingdom.
Al Mabani General Contracting Company is a Jeddah-based contractor, which has offices and projects in all the major cities of the kingdom.

Faculty of Sharia
Dar Al Riyadh is set to handover next month the SR64 million ($17 million) Faculty of Sharia building, which forms part of the new campus planned by the  Islamic University in Madinah.
The Islamic University – the focal point of Abu Baker Al Siddiq Road (Sultana Road) – is located on the west bank of the Wadi Al Aqiq. To the south of the site is a shallow embankment believed to be part of the abandoned Hijaz Railway, while to the north is the old Sultana Palace and the Sheraton Hotel.
Dar Al Riyadh, which has designed in detail the masterplan for the entire university comprising of various faculties as well as support facilities, mosques, playgrounds and roads networks within the campus, says that construction is set to commence two other projects within the campus – the Faculty of Dawa (guidance) and a central library – which will also be supervised by the practice.  
The new campus will also involve the construction of a new administration building, mosque, a printing press, Usuluddin building, central kitchen and restaurants, residential buildings and ancillary buildings. Besides, the Faculty building, construction work is also under way on the press building.
The Faculty of Sharia will be housed in a three-storey building with a basement, offering a total built-up area of approximately 30,000 sq m.  The basement provides 140 car-parking slots, and also accommodates the mechanical rooms, sprinkler and electrical rooms. The building is surrounded by paved terraces.
The first floor houses the offices of the dean and the vice dean; the faculty council; classrooms, lecture theatres, and faculty reading rooms. The second floor holds the staff lounges, offices, additional lecture theatres, classrooms and multi-purpose halls, in addition to ancillary facilities. The building includes 20 classrooms that can accommodate 60 students, and a further 27 that can seat 40 students, four lecture theatres to hold 100 students each and a lecture hall with 1,270 seats,
Work on the Faculty of Sharia commenced in September 2000 with a completion time of 30 months, however due to additional works on site the deadline has been extended.
The building rests on isolated footings surrounded by 300 mm-thick reinforced concrete retaining walls to create the basement level. It consists of a three-storeyed reinforced concrete frame structure with 60-cm-thick reinforced concrete rib slabs and is clad with precast on all external elevations.
Apart from conventional finishing items, the aesthetics of the faculty has been enhanced with high-class finishes including granite cladding and flooring, marble flooring, suspended ceilings, aluminium doors and windows.
The main contractor Omar Al Esayi has  carried out the mechanical and electrical (M&E) works with Sharqawi Company as the sub-contractor. The building is fitted with the latest in building management, fire fighting and HVAC systems. The electrical system comprises fire alarm and protection, public address, CCTV, lightning protection and clock systems.
All the areas of the building have been furnished with high-quality furniture in accordance with the requirements and university-approved standards, the spokesman says.

Al Jazeera showroom
Work is under way on the SR28.84 million Al Jazeera car showroom complex at Abha.  The elegant glass-clad showroom enjoys an enviable business location just six km away from the Abha Airport. 
Located at King Fahad Highway, between Khamis Mushayt and Abha City, the showroom is being built for the Al Jazeera Vehicles Agencies Company and is targeted for completion by April next year.
The 18,000 sq m facility includes a host of facilities for the automobile industries for the southern region of the kingdom.
Says the spokesman: “The state-of-the-art showroom, primarily for Ford cars, is a gift for the people of southern region, especially residents of the Khamis and Abha areas.”
The showroom complex will comprise a double-storey building with a basement, a workshop and spare-parts building, car wash, compressor, electrical and pump rooms, and accommodation for guards and employees.
The project has an overall built-up area of 11,200 sq m. The main showroom and administrative buildings alone provide a built-up area of 4,779.89 sq m while the workshop area takes up a total area of 4,862.23 sq m.
The construction contract for the project was awarded to Abdullah Farad Al Kradees Establishment in January 2003.  Currently, the civil work on the staff accommodation and guardhouse is close to completion with the finishing work set to commence, says the spokesman. The erection of the pre-engineering steel structure for the workshop/warehouse has been completed and civil works are now in progress, he adds.
The buildings, which sit on individual footings with a raft foundation, are composed of  reinforced concrete and pre-engineered steel. The showroom will feature frameless glazing in curtain walls, marble flooring, heavy-duty ceramic tiles, class A door and windows, Siporex fascias with Linetex finishes and other class ‘A’ interior finishes, he says.
Electromechanical systems include: various types of lighting; wiring devices; telephone system with central PABX; public address with a centralised control system; computer network (LAN); fire alarm and fire fighting and sprinkler systems, safety and security systems as well as, water supply, sewage and plumbing systems.