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Saudi Arabia’s Rua Al-Madinah, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiary tasked with Medina’s tourism and cultural development, has awarded an estimated SR8bn ($2.1bn) contract for the construction of superblock five.

The contract was awarded to the Beijing-headquartered firm China Railway 18th Bureau Group.

According to data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the scope of superblock five comprises the construction of about 10 hotels.

These include:

• JW Marriott (five-star, 252 rooms)
• Marriott (five-star, 450 rooms)
• Le Meridien (five-star, 533 rooms)
• Four Points By Sheraton (four-star, 777 rooms)
• Novotel (four-star, 328 rooms)
• Swissotel (five-star, 466 rooms)
• Fairmont (five-star, 142 rooms + 120 residential units)
• Grand Hyatt Hotel (five-star)
• Hyatt Regency Hotel (five-star, 539 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Hotel (four-star, 330 rooms)

The height of the towers will range from 11 storeys to 19 storeys.

Hong Kong-based architectural firm P&T Architects & Engineers is the lead consultant on the project.

In February 2024, the client awarded two contracts worth SR300m ($80m) to international consulting firms for work on the superblocks four and five components of the Rua Al-Madinah project.

Rua Al-Madinah signed a contract with US-based engineering firm Jacobs for design consultancy services on 12 hotels and other infrastructure for superblock four.

Another contract was signed with US-based firm KEO International Consultants to oversee the implementation of the superblock five project.

The other consultants working on superblock five include US-based Perkins Eastman and Singapore-based Meinhardt.

Rua Al-Madinah estimates that superblock five will require 430,000 cubic metres of concrete, 875,000 square metres (sq m) of block wall, 423,000 sq m of drywall, 74,000 tonnes of steel rebar, 215,000 sq m of tiles, and 228,000 sq m of facades, curtain walls and windows.

The hotels, which will mainly provide accommodation for pilgrims visiting the holy city, will have a built-up area of about 65,000 sq m.

In February 2023, US-based Parsons won a $15m contract to provide construction project management consultancy and contract administration services for the Rua Al-Madinah project. The US consultancy firm is managing the main infrastructure works, including the tunnel, road and utility works.

In 2021, US-based Hill International was awarded a contract for the project management of road works at the Medina Central Area.

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud inaugurated the infrastructure works and unveiled the masterplan for the Rua Al-Madinah development in August 2022.

MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
> GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
> BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
> UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
> DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
> POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
> WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
> TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push