Middle East · Saudi Arabia
BIM and MEP in Saudi Arabia
In Riyadh we designed the MEP systems of 109 King Faisal Air Academy buildings in BIM, validated the models at every cycle and developed the electrical and mechanical systems of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs headquarters.
Our projects
Both projects for Italian design firms: One Works (King Faisal Air Academy) and Manens-Tifs (MoMRA headquarters).
109buildings modelledRiyadh · Saudi Arabia · 2020
King Faisal Air Academy
For King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh, BIMON delivered MEP design, coordination and BIM validation for 109 buildings, with dashboards and reports per cycle.
One Works S.p.A.View project →
100,000 m²of headquartersRiyadh · Saudi Arabia · 2019
MoMRA Headquarters
For the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs headquarters in Riyadh, BIMON developed the design of the electrical and mechanical systems in BIM.
Manens-Tifs S.p.A.View project →
The rules that matter
Updated
- 01
One Building Permit, on the Balady platform
In Saudi Arabia planning and code compliance are bound into a single Building Permit application, filed digitally on the Balady platform. It is submitted by the local engineering practice acting as Architect of Record. That is why a foreign consultant works inside the design team, not in its place.[1]
- 02
Saudi Building Code, 2024 edition
The Saudi Building Code sets mandatory requirements for structural integrity, fire and life safety and energy efficiency. The 2024 edition has been mandatory since 30 June 2025, after a 180-day transition in which the 2018 edition still applied. Compliance reviews belong in design stages 2 and 3, before the Balady application.[3][1]
- 03
Government projects: EXPRO's national manual
For government projects the Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO) publishes the National Manual of Project Management: 16 volumes and 88 chapters. Volume 6, Engineering, contains a BIM Execution Plan template that asks the team to define levels of development, BIM uses, clash checking and shop detailing.[6][2]
- 04
A national BIM mandate?
Some industry sources report a BIM mandate for major projects from January 2024. We have not found the official text, so we do not treat it as settled. What counts, project by project, are the owner's requirements: ask for the EIR before you price the work.[5]
- 05
What we do for you
- MEP Design→MEP design in BIM, from final to construction design: electrical, special, mechanical and plumbing systems.
- BIM Validation→Validation of models and shop drawings at every cycle, with filterable reports: we did it for more than 100 buildings.
- Project BIM Management→Multidisciplinary coordination and a federated model for clash management at every stage.
- BIM Data Enrichment Automation→BIM automation tools on the client's standards, to work across hundreds of models without repetitive manual steps.
Checklist
Before you start a BIM project in Saudi Arabia
- Establish which BIM rules apply: the EXPRO manual (government projects), a Royal Commission or giga-project standard, or the owner's EIR.
- Identify the local Architect of Record and who will file the Balady application.
- Check that the design is developed to the 2024 edition of the Saudi Building Code.
- Set levels of development per stage and BIM uses (coordination, quantities, 4D, operations) in the BEP.
- Define the rules, frequency and format of model validation reports.
- Agree the CDE, naming and the handover data format for operations (IFC, COBie).
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Saudi Arabia?+
The local municipality, through the Balady digital platform of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH). There is one application covering planning and the Saudi Building Code, submitted by the local practice acting as Architect of Record.
Is BIM mandatory in Saudi Arabia?+
Industry sources report a mandate for major projects from January 2024, but we have not found the official text. For government projects EXPRO's national manual includes a BEP template; otherwise the owner's requirements in the EIR apply.
What did BIMON do on King Faisal Air Academy?+
For One Works we delivered the MEP construction design of 109 buildings, multidisciplinary coordination at every stage and validation of BIM models and shop drawings at detailed, construction and as-built stages, with reports and dashboards updated at every cycle.
Can BIMON act as Architect of Record?+
No. That role belongs to a local engineering practice. We work inside the design team, alongside the Architect of Record and the lead consultant, on BIM, MEP and model checks.
Middle East contact
Working on a Gulf project?
Tell us the project, the country, the stage and your role (owner, lead consultant, contractor). Riccardo Pagani, BIMON's CEO, will reply in English or Italian within one working day.
- r.pagani@bimon.it
- Offices
- Rome · Milan · Padua
- Time zone
- CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) · Riyadh, Doha UTC+3
Sources
Sources accessed on
- [1]RIBA Plan of Work: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Overlay (sections 5–7: Building Permit, Saudi Building Code) · RIBA · 2026
- [2]Project Building Information Modeling Execution Plan (BEP) Template, Volume 6, Chapter 6 (EPM-KE0-TP-000025) · Expenditure & Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO)
- [3]3 new construction codes added as part of the 2024 Saudi Building Code modernization · Amlak · 2025-01-08
- [4]Saudi Arabia updates Ministry name to reflect focus on municipalities and housing · Saudi Gazette · 2024-07-21
- [5]New BIM mandates in Dubai and Saudi Arabia (industry summary, not the official text) · LRQA · 2024
- [6]National Manual of Project Management · Expenditure & Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO)