His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, reviewed the winning designs and projects from the competition to develop the gateways of the Dammam Metropolitan Area. His Highness praised the efforts made to support outstanding architectural designs that reflect Saudi architecture and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the city’s entrances. He also commended the fruitful partnerships between the public and private sectors in supporting urban development.

This came during His Highness’s meeting on Monday at the Governorate Office with His Excellency the Mayor of the Eastern Province, Engineer Fahd Al-Jubeir; the President of the Eastern Province Development Authority, Dr. Talal Al-Maghlouth; and the Chairman of the Watani Sculpture Initiative, Mr. Abdullah Al-Fozan.

Mr. Al-Fozan expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the significant support the competition received from His Highness the Governor of the Eastern Province and all participating partners from both government agencies and the private sector. He emphasized that these efforts reflect the desired integration between the public and private sectors in serving the community and enhancing quality of life.

He explained that the competition resulted in six winning architecture firms across two main locations. The first location is the gateway to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where the first prize went to Clear Engineering Consultants; the second prize to Andrea Tabetcini Office – Italy; and the third prize to Jemma Chidiac Office.

The second location is the Eastern Gateway of Al Khobar, where the first prize was awarded to Bilgin Office, the second prize to Bab Nimenim Office, and the third prize to Hamran Studio.

Al-Fozan noted that more than 25 international and local specialized firms were invited to participate. The first phase focused on the project to develop the gateways of the Dammam Metropolitan Area, which is the result of a cooperation agreement signed last January between the Eastern Province Municipality, the Eastern Province Development Authority, and the Al-Fozan Social Responsibility Program represented by the Watani Sculpture Initiative. The goal is to develop the gateways of the metropolitan area and enhance the urban landscape of the cities according to the highest aesthetic and architectural standards.