With the participation of Amlak
The Saudi Green Building Forum Concludes Its Activities Amid Significant Participation
• The forum discussed construction methods, energy, health, and environmental designs suited to the Kingdom’s climate
• A proposal was made to establish a Saudi Green Building Authority to support the government’s initiatives
• “Amlak” actively participated in the Green Building Forum
Riyadh—Amlak
Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Mansour bin Mutaib bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the fourth edition of the Saudi Green Building Forum was held from November 17–20 under the theme “Toward a Built Environment for Future Generations” at the Kingdom Hall of the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, with the participation of numerous relevant entities. Participants discussed issues related to the construction, energy, and health sectors, Workshops on energy and environmental design were also held during the forum by the U.S. Green Building Council, under the supervision of the Saudi Council of Engineers.

High Turnout
The forum saw significant participation from both local and international entities. Among the most prominent participants was the King Saud Foundation, Her Royal Highness Princess Fahda bint Saud bin Abdulaziz, a founding member and chair of the Media Committee at the King Saud Foundation (may God have mercy on him), stated that the Foundation is proud of its first activity in the Kingdom through its strategic collaboration with the Saudi Green Building Forum, which provided this opportunity to collaborate and leverage the services the Foundation offers on a global scale.
She added, ”I would like to thank His Royal Highness Dr. Mansour bin Mutaib bin Abdulaziz and the Forum’s Secretary-General, Engineer Faisal Al-Fadl, for the invitation to participate and review the results and outcomes of the two-day conference and accompanying workshops, which this year feature a distinguished group of scholars,officials, and specialists from the forum’s delegations.
Princess Fahda bint Saud emphasized that this initiative is certainly in line with the Foundation’s goals of supporting the Kingdom’s efforts toward self-sufficiency, reducing consumption, and ensuring a healthy indoor environment in buildings.

The Saudi Construction Market
Engineer Faisal Al-Fadl, Secretary-General of the Saudi Green Building Forum, said that the Saudi construction market faces enormous challenges in providing the expertise and building materials needed to meet the future direction of the construction sector, which the state supports through its efforts to conserve energy and natural resources.
Al-Fadl emphasized that the government’s commitment to supporting infrastructure and the state’s policy of allocating historic sums to the construction sector—by directing more than one-third of the state’s total public spending from its budget toward construction and infrastructure projects— which will have a major impact on the local economy.
In his address to the forum, he explained that the forum aims to bring together the public and private sectors and explore the best ways to collaborate in order to maximize the benefits of these projects through cost-effective construction methods, that comply with international standards, in line with the government’s strategy—outlined in the Ninth Five-Year Plan—to develop infrastructure in the best possible way and adopt best-practice construction methods.
He credited the forum—held under the patronage of Prince Mansour bin Mutaib, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs—with proposing the establishment of a Saudi Green Building Authority to support the state’s policies, aligns with the Kingdom’s need to implement numerous building standards, and serves as a strong and flexible entity in monitoring and enforcing decisions.
Green Building Standards
For his part, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Ateishan, a member of the Shura Council, addressed the scale of savings that would be achieved if mandatory standards supporting green building specifications were implemented—including savings in electricity, as well as water resources and environmental conservation. He emphasized that the call to adopt specific building standards aligned with green building standards has become urgent and requires that recommendations be adopted by officials in relevant ministries and agencies.
Gulf Building Code
For his part, Dr. Mohammed Al-Katiri, Secretary General of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce, affirmed the Chamber’s support for such forums due to the enormous investment opportunities they present, which support the private sector and yield significant benefits for the Kingdom, noting that several public and private entities rely on this forum, its research papers, and its recommendations to develop guidelines that support sustainable development. In addition, Dr. Eid Al-Khalidi, Director of the Municipalities and Housing Department at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), announced the launch of the Gulf Building Code next year, explaining that the code was the result of a lengthy effort spanning several years, during which dozens of meetings were held between the relevant ministries of GCC countries, standards and quality agencies, and other entities to finalize the provisions of the Gulf Building Code, which will bring a number of benefits to the Gulf states through the exchange of expertise and support for research on compliant building materials.
Forum Sessions
The forum’s activities included constructive discussion sessions on various issues and topics of concern to the construction, energy, and health sectors, as well as the accompanying exhibition, featuring a presentation of the “Al-Medra Tower” by Saudi Aramco in Al-Sharqiyah, which has received a Platinum certification for green buildings, as well as workshops on energy leadership and environmental design organized by the U.S. Green Building Council and overseen by the Saudi Council of Engineers, aimed at deepening participants’ knowledge of the fundamentals, concepts, and key strategies for implementing green building rating systems.
The Fourth Forum was attended by numerous governmental and nongovernmental entities, most notably the Ministry of Water and Electricity, the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities, the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the General Organization for Standardization, Metrology, and Quality, the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, andthe Saudi Shura Council, the King Saud Foundation, Dar Al-Ulum University, and the Saudi Binladin Group. Also participating in this year’s forum were the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), the Egyptian Green Building Council, and the U.S. Green Building Council.
Among the most prominent initiatives featured during the forum’s activities were the Green Lodging Initiative from the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities, the Arab Green Building Network Initiative from the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), as well as the King Saud Foundation’s initiative on green schools—motivational educational programs designed to achieve sustainability in learning facilities.
Amlak’s Participation
As usual, the Amlak newspaper provided media coverage of the fourth edition of the Saudi Green Building Forum, conducting a number of interviews with participants at the forum, and informed participants about the significant role the newspaper plays in supporting and promoting the real estate sector through media coverage and documentation.
Honoring Sponsors
The forum honored the companies that sponsored and supported the forum’s events, and Prince Husam bin Saud presented commemorative plaques to the participants and supporters.