“Jeddah Central Development Company” —a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund— its “Downtown Jeddah” destination, featuring four landmarks: the sports stadium, the opera house, the ocean pools, and the industrial museum, with the aim of creating a world-class destination in the heart of Jeddah.
In line with the cultural pillars of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—which aim to promote culture and the arts, strengthen values, and foster relations among nations through their cultures and traditions—the ”Opera House” for the ”Downtown Jeddah” project, for which a construction contract was signed with ”Leaders of Modern Construction” to build three high-specification theaters: the main theater, which seats 1,500; a medium-sized theater with a capacity of 700 seats, and a rehearsal hall with a capacity of 200 seats, bringing the Opera House’s total capacity to 2,400 seats.
Main Theater for Large-Scale Performances
The main theater is designed for large-scale performances and features three flexible seating levels that can be controlled from a large control room to adapt the space to the occasion, with an emphasis on the audience’s sense of proximity to the stage and excellent sightlines from all seating levels. The medium-sized theater, meanwhile, is designed to host various artistic performances, while the rehearsal hall is designed for educational purposes and rehearsals, featuring an isolated sound system to ensure the independence of performances, as well as an intercom system that allows communication between technicians and artists backstage.
The Opera House
The design of the “Opera House,” which has been implemented, takes into account the possibility of multiple events occurring on a single night, so that visitors use the grand entrance to access the lobbies from the central space, allowing for various events to take place in different parts of the building.
Sports Stadium
As part of the “Quality of Life” objective of the Vision, the second landmark is the “Sports Stadium” for “Downtown Jeddah,” which promotes a vibrant and healthy lifestyle in Jeddah’s community. The design was carried out by “GMB International,“ the renowned German architectural firm that designed a number of world-class stadiums used for the World Cup in South Africa, Brazil, Russia, and Qatar.
Regarding the sports stadium, a construction contract was signed with ”a consortium comprising the Saudi branch of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and Sama Construction Contracting Company,“ combining architectural design with the fluidity of the master plan through four ”villages." The stadium will seat 45,000 spectators and host local and international sporting events in accordance with FIFA and global standards, highlighting sports, entertainment, and cultural, and includes parks with open green spaces and a world-class, air-conditioned sports stadium.
Ocean Pools
With the aim of raising public awareness about the environment and marine life of the Red Sea, as well as promoting education, experience, inspiration, and an appreciation for the beauty and importance of underwater life and its essential role in environmental sustainability, the ”Ocean Pools” landmark in ”Downtown Jeddah,“ for which a construction contract was signed with ”Modern Construction Leaders Company.” It is designed to be a global attraction aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, stretching along the Jeddah coastline to showcase the environment and marine life.
The “Ocean Tanks“ landmark provides a comprehensive global hub for collaboration among marine biologists and research institutes, positioning Jeddah as a regional and global leader in coral protection, as well as research, restoration, and development of coral reefs, and the exploration of ways to improve marine life and ecosystems along the Red Sea coast.
”Ocean Pools" is a series of pavilions housing a diverse array of marine life found in the Red Sea and consists of seven main pavilions, in addition to a ticketing and reception pavilion. All are centered around a coral courtyard equivalent in size to an international soccer field, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the depths of the sea to observe fish and marine life.
As for the design and construction, which meet international standards and high-quality specifications, a number of local and international companies with extensive experience in designing its four landmarks in accordance with high standards and quality. ”GMB International“ designed the sports stadium, while the implementation contract was signed by ”a consortium comprising the Saudi branch of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and Sama Construction Contracting Company.“ ”SOM“ designed the surrounding pools, and the construction contract was awarded to ”Qada Al-Binaa Al-Hadith,“ The opera house was designed by ”Henning Larsen Architects” and ”Buro Hapold Consulting Engineers Limited,“ with the construction contract awarded to ”Modern Construction Leaders,“ As for the Industrial Museum, the design was by ”Heathrowick Studio,“ while the contract for the construction of the main facilities and infrastructure was awarded to ”Shina Harbour Engineering Company Arabia Limited."
6 Distinctive Areas Along Jeddah’s Downtown Waterfront
In addition to the four main landmarks, ”Downtown Jeddah” comprises six distinctive districts: the ”Central District,” which serves as the hub connecting the six districts and focuses on residential and service-oriented developments; the ”Marina and Yacht District,” which offers a unique experience in Jeddah on par with global destinations and features residential properties, hotels, shopping, and entertainment; ”The Waterfront District,” which reconnects Jeddah to the Red Sea by providing a 2.1-kilometer-long public sandy beach, ”The Sports District,“ which promotes the integration of sports into the daily lives of residents and visitors by offering a variety of sports facilities; ”The Arts and Creativity District,” which aims to provide an inspiring environment for creativity and innovation; ”The Environment and Health Zone,“ a medical and health complex featuring medical clinics, research and development facilities, and a hub for health and knowledge.
In terms of figures, the cost of the ”Downtown Jeddah Destination ,” stretching from north of Al-Salam Palace to the end of the desalination plant, is 75 billion Saudi riyals. This investment is aimed at creating a world-class tourist destination spanning 5.7 million square meters, featuring 17,000 residential units, 2,700 hotel rooms, 40% of green spaces, 2.1 kilometers of sandy beaches, 9.5 kilometers of waterfront, and 10 unique entertainment and tourism projects, in addition to four major landmarks (the Opera House), (the Sports Stadium), (the Ocean Pools), and (the Industrial Museum). The destination is being developed in three phases and aims to generate approximately 47 billion Saudi riyals in added value for the Kingdom’s economy by 2030.
It is worth noting that Jeddah Central Development Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund and the master developer of the Jeddah Central destination, recently signed four construction contracts for three major architectural landmarks: the sports stadium, the Opera House, and the ocean pools, in addition to infrastructure construction work for the destination’s first phase. The total value of the four contracts amounts to 12 billion Saudi riyals.
