Contracts signed as construction of Red Sea Project’s Coastal Village gets underway

Stephen White

5 years ago

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) says work has commenced on the development of the Coastal Village, a residential and commercial area that will house the workers, staff and management for the The Red Sea Project.

According to TRSDC, the construction of corporate offices that will be the centre of operations for the development is already underway ahead of its completion deadline of Q2 2020. Once opened the offices will accommodate 500 people and house amenities including a 160-seat restaurant and 100-seat auditorium.The master developer also noted that it has agreed a contract for construction of the first ten residential apartment buildings within the Coastal Village.The Coastal Village will ultimately become home to around 14,000 people who will be employed in roles at the destination when the first phase opens in 2022, said TRSDC in a statement, adding that the Village will also provide temporary housing for 25,000 workers who will be building the infrastructure and assets.

“Delivering and operating a destination as ambitious as The Red Sea Project requires a happy, healthy and fulfilled community of people enjoying a high standard of living and the amenities necessary to support a modern lifestyle,” said John Pagano, CEO of The Red Sea Development Company. “The Coastal Village will be a vibrant and engaging community combining the highest quality accommodation, environmentally sensitive corporate offices and a wide range of leisure and recreational facilities, all delivered in a way that is fully aligned with our commitment to sustainability.”

Saudi group Al Majal Al Arabi, which recently signed a separate contract with TRSDC to build 5,000 residential units for construction workers, has been chosen for the design and build of the management offices. A total floorspace of approximately 7,000 m² is planned and, “have been designed in three independent campus elements to take advantage of the unique microclimate at The Red Sea project, maximizing passive shading and ventilation and promoting interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces”.

Al Majal Al Arabi will work alongside Saudi Amana Contracting, a subsidiary of UAE-based Amana Contracting Group, which recently won the contract to design and build a management hotel inside the Coastal Village.

The first five apartment buildings are expected to be completed by Q3 2020 and the remaining five by Q4 in the same year, delivering a total of 300 apartments.

Some of the properties will initially provide accommodation for the construction workers who will be hired to develop the destination. TRSDC said that the apartments will later be “repurposed to meet the needs of employees working at the various hotels, commercial and retail assets, entertainment facilities and corporate offices that will make up The Red Sea Project”.

Off-site fabrication and modular construction will be utilised for tboth the offices and the residential apartments. TRSDC says that this approach “enhances quality and safety, reduces the number of construction workers on site and minimises environmental impact” during both fabrication and installation.

“Our highly sustainable approach to developing the Coastal Village revolves around building permanent assets and repurposing them, rather than building temporary assets for short-term use,” said Ian Williamson, Chief Project Delivery Officer at The Red Sea Development Company. “Avoiding the construction of temporary assets where possible both preserves the area’s natural ecosystems and also ensures that everyone who works at the Red Sea Project can enjoy a high standard of living and a healthy working environment.”