The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project, has become the first asset owner in the world to achieve the prestigious BIM Project Kitemark for its digital project delivery and adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) aligned to ISO19650, awarded by the British Standards Institution (BSI).
ISO 19650 is the series of international standards for the effective management of information throughout the delivery and operational phase of construction. TRSDC was awarded the BIM Project Kitemark for its excellence in information management, which enables the company to embed best practice throughout its organization.
“This certification is a remarkable achievement and demonstrates how serious we are about setting new standards throughout the design, construction and operations of our destinations. This way of working is an increasingly important part of the global design and construction marketplace, and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with other projects around the world,” said John Pagano, CEO of TRSDC.
BSI, the business improvement company which produces technical standards on a wide range of services and supplies certification and standards-related services to businesses, conducted a thorough audit on TRSDC’s approach to digital project delivery.
Susan Taylor Martin, Chief Executive at BSI said: “We are delighted to have worked with The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) on its adoption of International Standards and specifically it’s market-leading BIM implementation. This achievement of the BIM Project Kitemark by TRSDC represents an important milestone as the world’s first BIM Project Kitemark to be achieved by an asset owner. Our congratulations to TRSDC for this achievement in demonstrating excellence in digital transformation and sustainability. We look forward to continuing to work with them on future projects, supporting TRSDC to achieve its objectives and aspirations and build resilience”
TRSDC has used BIM since the inception of the company in 2018, and has been developing its digital project delivery services ever since. Using BIM helped TRSDC create a shared environment that allows international teams to continue working at pace despite challenging COVID-impacted environments. The use of digital techniques has meant better quality data-driven decisions can be made in days rather than weeks.
BIM is a core part of TRSDC’s pioneering ‘model first’ environment, and have been working closely with project partners, building BIM capability, to positively impact the Saudi market for future digitally enabled projects. Other benefits include the minimization of waste by using Design for Manufacture and Assembly techniques and using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), such as off-site construction which has improved speed and quality of construction, reduced safety risks, and improved environmental performance.
The Red Sea Project has already passed significant milestones and work is on track to welcome the first guests by the end of 2022, when the international airport and the first hotels will open. Phase one, which includes 16 hotels in total, will complete in 2023.
Upon completion in 2030, The Red Sea Project will comprise 50 resorts, offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment and leisure facilities.