Egypt's Hassan Allam wins $490 million Saudi Museum contract in Diriyah

A joint venture between Hassan Allam Construction Saudi Arabia and Saudi firm Albawani has been awarded a $490 million contract to build the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art in Diriyah, one of the most prominent cultural projects in the kingdom's $63.2 billion Diriyah megaproject.

The contract, valued at SAR 1.84 billion, was announced at a formal signing ceremony in Riyadh on April 26 attended by Jerry Inzerillo, chief executive of Diriyah Company Group; Hassan Allam, chief executive of Hassan Allam Holding; and Fakher Al-Shawaf, group chief executive of Albawani Holding. The museum, known as SAMoCA, is a flagship initiative of the Museums Commission, which operates under the Saudi Ministry of Culture. Its mandate is to document, research, exhibit and promote Saudi modern and contemporary art practices.

The building, designed by Godwin Austen Johnson with engineering support from Rafaat Miller Consulting, will sit on Diriyah's Grand Avenue and span a total built-up area of 77,428 square metres, with a gross floor area of 45,252 square metres. It has already achieved Mostadam Gold certification at both the design and construction stages, the Saudi sustainability standard that applies to large-scale development projects in the kingdom.

Hassan Allam called the contract a milestone for his group's operations in Saudi Arabia. "This project represents an important milestone in the group's journey within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reaffirms our commitment to delivering world-class cultural projects that respect historical heritage and meet national future ambitions," he said at the signing ceremony. Allam cited the joint venture with Albawani as a model of integrated delivery, bringing together regional construction expertise and local market knowledge.

SAMoCA already operates in a smaller interim form at the JAX Center in Riyadh's creative district. The new Diriyah building will serve as its permanent flagship home, giving the institution a dedicated site within the historic district that was the birthplace of the Saudi state. The JAX space will continue operating as an exhibition space within Riyadh's creative hub.

Hassan Allam Holding is one of the largest engineering, construction, investment and development groups in the Middle East and North Africa, ranked by the Engineering News-Record among the top 50 international contractors globally. The group, founded in 1936, operates across 10 countries on three continents and has a significant and growing presence in Saudi Arabia, where its subsidiary Hassan Allam Construction Saudi Arabia has built up a major project portfolio. The Diriyah contract is among the largest single cultural construction awards the group has received and adds a flagship cultural landmark to a resume built primarily on infrastructure, roads, utilities and industrial projects.

Diriyah Company, which is owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, has now awarded more than $29 billion in construction contracts across the broader Diriyah development. The full project, valued at $63.2 billion, is expected upon completion to accommodate approximately 100,000 residents, generate $18.6 billion in annual GDP contribution and draw 50 million visits per year. It includes museums, retail districts, a university, an opera house, entertainment venues and nearly 40 hotels and resorts. SAMoCA represents the cultural anchor in that programme.