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Matthew Tribe
Global market lead, Buildings & places, Dubai, United Arab Emirates contact form+971 4 405 9300
A Region in Motion
Across the Gulf, national visions like Saudi Vision 2030, the UAE's Tourism Strategy 2031, Qatar National Vision 2030 and Oman Vision 2040 are accelerating urban transformation at an unprecedented rate. New districts, transport networks and public spaces are taking shape across the region, redefining how people live, move and connect.
Scale on its own does not make a city work. What determines whether a place is genuinely liveable, today and decades from now, is how well its complexity has been understood, and how faithfully that understanding is carried through from concept to delivery.
Every large-scale urban project brings together government entities, developers, investment platforms and communities, each with a different sense of what success looks like. Taking the time to understand what a client or a city is really asking for, beneath the brief, shapes how a project is designed and how it comes together over years of delivery.
That requires continuous engagement throughout a project's life cycle. As plans evolve and priorities shift, maintaining clarity of purpose helps ensure the original intent is carried through every discipline involved, from master planning and infrastructure to landscape and architecture.
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The information provided by Virtua Research cited herein is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind. Use of any Virtua Research data is at a user’s own risk and Virtua Research disclaims any liability for use of the Virtua Research data. Although the information is obtained or compiled from reliable sources Virtua Research neither can nor does guarantee or make any representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, validity, sequence, timeliness, completeness or continued availability of any information or data, including third-party content, made available herein. In no event shall Virtua Research be liable for any decision made or action or inaction taken in reliance on any information or data, including third-party content. Virtua Research further explicitly disclaims, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
The consensus estimate provided by Virtua Research is based on estimates, forecasts and predictions made by third party financial analysts, as described above. It is not prepared based on information provided by AtkinsRéalis and can only be seen as a consensus view on AtkinsRéalis' possible future results from an outside perspective. AtkinsRéalis has not provided input on these forecasts, except by referring to past publicly disclosed information. AtkinsRéalis does not accept any responsibility for the quality or accuracy of any individual or average of forecasts or estimates. This web page contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by third parties. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between AtkinsRéalis' actual future results, financial situation, development or performance, and the estimates given here.
Great cities are not defined by their scale, but by how successfully they bring together people, place and purpose. The most enduring urban environments are those where a clear vision is carried consistently from strategy through to delivery.
Edward McIntosh
Creative Design Director
Urban challenges are rarely standalone. Heat, traffic, walkability, wellbeing and climate resilience tend to be symptoms of the same underlying condition rather than separate problems to solve one by one. Identifying the single idea that connects them is often where a city's transformation genuinely begins.
Making sense of that complexity often means resisting the temptation to solve every challenge independently. The most successful city strategies identify a single organising idea that can unlock multiple outcomes at once, hence creating a framework that guides decisions across planning, infrastructure, mobility and public realm design.
In Riyadh, our design team gave this idea a name: Cool Riyadh. The proposition is simple. A meaningful reduction in the city's ambient temperature would, in turn, open up walkability, outdoor life and a broader sense of wellbeing across the city, treating heat as the one constraint quietly holding back the rest.
The idea also connects to something older. Riyadh takes its name from Rawdah, meaning meadow or garden, and the city's earliest growth was closely tied to water and vegetation in an otherwise arid setting. Cool Riyadh builds on this in practical ways, including a proposed Micro Green Grid to make everyday streets easier to walk, and a review of long-standing density limits along the city's wadis to bring residents closer to that same landscape.
The future of liveable cities lies in understanding the connections between climate, mobility, public space and culture. When these elements are considered as one system, complexity becomes an opportunity rather than a challenge.
Maulik Bansal
Creative Design Director
Alongside infrastructure and open space, Riyadh is also working to define a clearer architectural identity, a challenge for any fast-growing city seeking to balance consistency with individuality. One reference point is Salmani architecture, the vernacular language of Riyadh and the wider Najd region. Its ornamental features were rarely decorative for their own sake. Triangular window openings responded to a historic scarcity of lintel materials. Patterned, mud-rendered walls helped resist streaking during the region's infrequent but heavy rains. Courtyards and thick, high-thermal-mass walls delivered comfort long before mechanical cooling existed. What resulted was variety without a rulebook; buildings that differed from one another while sharing a coherent response to climate and available materials.
Recreating that kind of climate-responsive character at the scale of modern urban development is not straightforward. To support this ambition, AtkinsRéalis' AI Lab developed Flexy, a generative design platform that explores multiple design solutions within a fixed set of parameters, a way of working that aims to produce genuine design variety rather than a single repeated template. The same approach is now being applied to smaller, often-overlooked urban elements, such as louvre screens, parking podiums and service enclosures, helping improve the quality of everyday streetscapes.
Project Spotlight: Royal Equestrian and Polo Club
The Royal Equestrian and Polo Club stands as a magnificent testament to architectural innovation that honours tradition while embracing modernity. Spanning an impressive 110,000 square meters in the picturesque Wadi Safar near Riyadh, this cultural landmark seamlessly blends traditional Najdi architectural elements. By celebrating Najdi architectural and equestrian traditions, the Royal Equestrian and Polo Club plays a vital role in strengthening local cultural identity and combating cultural homogenization in an increasingly globalized world.
Please note that you are now leaving the AtkinsRéalis website (legal name: AtkinsRéalis Group inc.) and entering a website maintained by a third party (the "External Website") and that you do so at your own risk.
AtkinsRéalis has no control over the External Website, any data or other content contained therein or any additional linked websites. The link to the External Website is provided for convenience purposes only. By clicking "Accept" you acknowledge and agree that AtkinsRéalis is not responsible, and does not accept or assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever for the data protection policy, the content, the data or the technical operation of the External Website and/or any linked websites and that AtkinsRéalis is not liable for the terms and conditions (or terms of use) of the External Website. Further, you acknowledge and agree that you assume all risks resulting from entering and/or using the External Website and/or any linked websites.
BY ENTERING THE EXTERNAL WEBSITE, YOU ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU COMPLETELY AND IRREVOCABLY WAIVE ANY AND ALL RIGHTS AND CLAIMS AGAINST ATKINSRÉALIS, AND RELEASE, DISCHARGE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS ATKINSRÉALIS, ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS AND AGENTS FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LIABILITY FOR LOSS, DAMAGES, EXPENSES AND COSTS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH ENTERING AND/OR USING THE EXTERNAL WEBSITE AND/OR ANY LINKED WEBSITES AND ANY DATA AND/OR CONTENT CONTAINED THEREIN.
Such waiver and release specifically includes, without limitation, any and all rights and claims pertaining to reliance on the data or content of the External Website, or claims pertaining to the processing of personal data, including but not limited to any rights under any applicable data protection statute. You also recognize by clicking “Accept” that the terms of this disclaimer are reasonable.
The information provided by Virtua Research cited herein is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind. Use of any Virtua Research data is at a user’s own risk and Virtua Research disclaims any liability for use of the Virtua Research data. Although the information is obtained or compiled from reliable sources Virtua Research neither can nor does guarantee or make any representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, validity, sequence, timeliness, completeness or continued availability of any information or data, including third-party content, made available herein. In no event shall Virtua Research be liable for any decision made or action or inaction taken in reliance on any information or data, including third-party content. Virtua Research further explicitly disclaims, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
The consensus estimate provided by Virtua Research is based on estimates, forecasts and predictions made by third party financial analysts, as described above. It is not prepared based on information provided by AtkinsRéalis and can only be seen as a consensus view on AtkinsRéalis' possible future results from an outside perspective. AtkinsRéalis has not provided input on these forecasts, except by referring to past publicly disclosed information. AtkinsRéalis does not accept any responsibility for the quality or accuracy of any individual or average of forecasts or estimates. This web page contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by third parties. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between AtkinsRéalis' actual future results, financial situation, development or performance, and the estimates given here.
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