The Riyadh-based Al Latifia Trading and Contracting (Latco) is currently busy with some major projects in the Kingdom.

The prestigious, modern projects include the Spimaco-Inara Plaza, a rehabilitation complex for disabled persons in the Eastern Province, the Dar Al Youm office building, a Gosi (General Organisation for Social Insurance) branch and a palace, says Zaid Al-Khudairi, deputy general manager.

The Spimaco-Inara Plaza is being executed jointly by Al Latifia and International Center in Riyadh.

The complex comprises two mirror-image oval-shaped six-storey towers plus two underground car-parking floors covering the whole site. The total built-up area is 21,400 sq m. The facade is clad with vertical GRC shade elements and windows.

The Dar Al Youm office building for Dar Al Youm for Press, Printing and Publication is situated on Al Khobar-Dammam Highway. The project is a luxurious office building, using all modern technologies and high-quality material. The built-up area is 14,650 sq m, comprising one underground basement with 60 car-parking slots and six storeys above ground. The building includes a central landscaped, seven-storey-high atrium, covered by skylights. Six elevators overlooking the central atrium serve the building.

The building includes a 142-seat auditorium and a central restaurant and kitchen. The external facades are clad with a combination of precast concrete panels and structural glazing.

The rehabilitation complex for disabled persons in the Eastern Province at King Fahad Park in Dammam has a built-up area of 17,920 sq m and will match the standards of the most modern and prestigious institutions in the world, says Al Khudairi.

The project consists of a main building, a prosthetic unit, a mosque, a water recycling station and electrical rooms.

The main building includes a central three-storey high administration block, a north wing for the rehabilitation of men, a south wing for women, physiotherapy facilities and a 1,200 sq m block accommodating an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium covered by a space frame structure with skylight to allow natural light into the complex.

The Gosi Branch office building consisting of three storeys with a total built -up area of 3,392 sq m and one annex building and pre-engineered car-parking shed at Najran.

Al Latifia is building a luxurious palace on a 15,600 sq m site. The palace consists of a two-storeyed main villa and an annex building for servants with a total built-up area is 5,000 sq m. The project also consists a swimming pool and gymnasium.

Latco has seen remarkable growth since its establishment in 1987.

One of the major projects carried out recently by the company is the multi-storey super-specialty Saudi British Bank regional management building in Al Khobar.

Located on Al Khobar-Dammam Highway, the building consists of an eight-storey-high office space, in addition to a ground and mezzanine floors used mainly as banking halls, and an underground basement car-parking for 73 vehicles, in addition to a shelter that can accommodate 80 persons equipped with all necessary facilities. The project has a total built-up area of 17,150 sq m.

Commenting on the market trends, Al Khudairi says: ''Although the overall growth in the market was not satisfactory, there was no adverse impact on our business since the work on all the above projects was in progress. We also won some projects in the past year. As a result of this, our business was good as we anticipated. This year the overall growth seems to be satisfactory. As for the bids submitted, our prices are very competitive and some of them are under final negotiations.''

''We are also planning to bid for some good projects and in view of our competitive pricing, we are hopeful of gaining most of them. We predict a good volume of business this year,'' says Al-Khudairi.