Advanced construction technology will be vital for delivering Saudi Vision 2030 mega-projects on time and on budget, said experts ahead of The Big 5 Saudi Arabia, a premier construction exhibition in the kingdom.

The technology, such as open-source 4D building information modelling (BIM), can help the kingdom’s architects, engineers, and contractors to enhance collaboration, productivity, and costs, across the design, concrete and steel rebar installation, and facilities management, they stated.

The kingdom’s construction market is set to more than double, reaching a record high of SR362 billion ($96.4 billion) in 2025, from SR170 billion in 2016, the experts added, citing a recent report by BMI Research.

"Saudi Vision 2030 calls for public-private partnerships to deliver infrastructure projects and economic growth," remarked Anwar Al Qwasmi, the general manager for Saudi Arabia at global construction consultancy Trimble Solutions.

The Big 5 Saudi Arabia is essential for showing how the latest construction software can unite local and international players to deliver complex mega-projects on time and on budget,” he noted.

Trimble has been playing a key role on several key projects including the Abdullah Arif Intersection Bridge, one of the leading Saudi BIM projects, coming up at Makkah Municipality, explained Qwasmi.

Contractors used Trimble’s Tekla Structures to design its 340-m span, with a superstructure arch that can be dismantled and re-erected for a planned third lane, he said.

Additional innovative Saudi projects include the Dora Dora Food Processing Plant, the Ma’aden Mine and Refinery Project, Qassim University’s Sports Facilities Building, the Riyadh Metro Depots, Samba headquarters, and the titanium sponge plant in Yanbu, he added.-TradeArabia News Service