AQARAT Real Estate Development Company, an Omar Kassem Alesayi Holding Group Subsidiary, headquartered in Jeddah, signed a cooperation agreement with Gensler to design its new project in the Jabal Omar district of Makkah. The agreement was signed he 29th of July at a special ceremony in London, United Kingdom.
The new project in Jabal Omar has been inspired by the cultural and religious importance of the Holy Capital. The project is located on a land area of 2,600 square meters, less than 700 meters from the Great Mosque in Makkah, which has a special place in the heart of the Islamic world where millions of Muslims from all over the world gather to perform Hajj and Umrah. The tower will be the tallest in its area, allowing guests to enjoy clear views of the Great Mosque.
The project, which has not yet been named, consists of a 35-story tower mixed-use high-rise tower situated on a six-story podium with a total built-up area of more than 55,000 square meters. The development program consists of a luxury hotel with approximately 340 rooms and 180 luxury residential units consisting of studios and 1 to 3 bedrooms, and restaurants, shops, additional amenities, and parking.
The contract signing ceremony was held in Gensler's London office and attended by AlEsayi Group Board Member Mohammed Alesayi, AlEsayi Group CEO Hany Habashy, AQARAT Deputy CEO Hatem Alesayi, Co-CEO at Gensler worldwide Diane Hoskins and Richard Hill President of J. Richard Hill & Co.
The project supports and achieves one of the most important objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, which is to host more Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, provide easy access to the Great Mosque, improve the quality of services offered, and enrich the spiritual and cultural experience for pilgrims. The project will also contribute to attracting new investments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
On this occasion, Mohammed AlEsayi member of Alesayi Group Board of Directors said: "This project and its location have special importance to me, my family, our group, and our employees. Our design goal is to combine authenticity and modernity to provide pilgrims and visitors with a sense of calmness and serenity while visiting Makkah and the Great Mosque. Our design vision is to celebrate the rich uniqueness of Islamic architectural and play a great role in achieving the objectives of the comprehensive development plan of Makkah Al-Mukarramah to become a modern city and inspiring model for the Islamic world."
Hany Habashy, CEO of AlEsayi Group added: “Contributing to building a sustainable environment and society is one of the most important values and strategies of AlEsayi Group. Therefore, we are keenly focused on enhancing a sustainable environment through this project. The main goal for our Jabal Omar project has always been to add long-term value to our investors and customers and Makkah visitors by creating an iconic multi-use tower and that’s why we chose Gensler to design this unique project."
For his part, Eng. Abdulhadi Al-Rashidi, CEO of AQARAT real estate development company, expressed with great elation the signing of the contract with Gensler to design a distinguished architectural tower, which is one of the company's most important projects. The Makkah project is consistent with AQARAT’s innovative residential, commercial, entertainment and services projects in the Kingdom. Al-Rashidi also expressed his appreciation for the fruitful partnership with Jabal Omar Development Company, as this partnership comes because of the integrated visions between the two parties.
In this context, Gensler’s Diane Hoskins, stated, “We are humbled to be designing a project on a site that holds such significance to millions of Muslim people across the world. This is an important project for our local and global design teams to partner with AQARAT. We are ensuring great measures are taken to blend into the holy site and to create a building which residents and visitors can experience for generations.”
It is noteworthy that Alesayi Real Estate Group is a leading specialized group of companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region that develops, manages, and operates a large portfolio of real estate assets. The Group’s growth has been witnessed in all regions of the Kingdom. The Jabal Omar project is one of its most significant influential current and future projects.