US-based Parsons International has been awarded the first major package on Saudi Arabia’s programme to build 500,000 new homes for its people over the next five years.

Parsons will work on the initial package, which will cover a total area of 32 million square metres divided into 11 sites spread across the kingdom. Each site covers a different sized area, ranging from 10 million square metres in Dammam to 729,000 sq m in Khamis Mushayt.

Parsons will be responsible for masterplanning, neighbourhood planning, infrastructure planning, infrastructure design and the design of various housing types. The firm will also provide construction supervision on all eleven developments.

The project is part of King Abdullah’s pledge to spend $67bn on building 500,000 new homes for Saudi nationals as the country experiences rapid population growth. It is estimated that the kingdom needs to build 1.65 million new homes by 2015 to meet the housing requirements of the population, which is expected to grow by about 2 per cent in the next five years (MEED 8:4:11). The kingdom set up a Housing Ministry in March to oversee the development of the programme.