Fog collection as a source of fresh water supply in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In order to harvest water contained in fog, the topographical features and the climatic conditions of 27 cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were studied. The topography, altitude and orientation are some of the factors that determined the selection of the site. It was identified that the southwest of the region in the kingdom was the most suitable location for the fog‐collection process. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of fog water collection and the site, three identical standard fog collectors (SFCs) with two different local collection materials were designed and manufactured. Experiments were conducted at two different locations in the area close to Abha, namely Soodha. The maximum amount of water collected was 22.9 L/m² in a day and 7.25 L/m² in a 2‐h period. It was found that there was a high probability of fog when the relative humidity was higher than 95%. The results from the chemical analyses of eight sets of fog water samples collected were compared with World Health Organization drinking water standards. It was found that the level of heavy metals was negligible and the level of Fe was marginally high for the first flush only. The study indicates that in terms of both quality and magnitude of yield, fog is a viable source of water and can be successfully used to supplement water supplies in the fog‐prone regions of the kingdom.     

Safety management in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia

Safety programmes of sixteen construction companies in the Eastern Province were evaluated and it was found that larger firms had more formal safety training which resulted in higher standards of overall safety.     

Assessment of fog collection as a sustainable water resource in the southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is an arid dessert with less than 100 mm yearly rainfall in addition to a high‐water consumption per capita. The collection of fog water is a simple and sustainable technology and may offer a supplementary water supply. Data were collected for a whole year from the Rayda reserve weather station, and two standard fog collectors (SFCs) were installed near the weather station. The results indicated that the average water collected by the local mesh was 6.7 L/m²/day, compared with 5.5 L/m²/day collected by the imported mesh. The highest quantity of water was collected in March by the local mesh, at 22 L/m²/day. The effectiveness of the fog collection was calculated and compared with the international standards. The obtained results indicate that fog can be utilized as a supplementary water source for the agriculture sector in the southwest KSA.     

Factors affecting construction practices in Makkah Al-Mukkaramah, Saudi Arabia

Each year the Hajj attracts over one million pilgrims to Makkah with all the enormous administrative, social and economic implications this signifies. The authors conclude that there are unique factors affecting construction practice in Makkah and it is apparent that early action is always needed to correct aspects of construction, less costly overruns are an inevitable consequence.     

Urban development in Saudi Arabia: Building and subdivision codes

Saudi Arabia is experiencing an extremely rapid urbanization. Large numbers of people from rural and nomadic habitats, as well as foreign immigrants, are moving into the country's urban areas. The rapid growth in population and urban land use has been greater than the nation's capacity to plan and absorb population in a systematic manner. Policies to guide urban development which are environmentally compatible with the landscape and climate of Saudi Arabia must be created and adapted. These policies must also be consistent with the cultural orientation of the society. In this article a modern building and subdivision code is proposed which takes into consideration these environmental and cultural conditions.     

Value engineering in public construction projects in Saudi Arabia

It was found that value engineering was in limited use since it has been introduced in 1981. The main reason for the lack of adoption being unfamiliarity with the concept among public sector organizations, as well as local architectural/engineering firms in the Kingdom.     

Design — Construction interface problems in Saudi Arabia

During the last decade the construction industry in Saudi Arabia employed 15% of the total labour force and used 19% of energy consumed in the country. Abdulmohsen Al-Hammad and Sadi Assaf discuss the results of a survey which identified the interface problems in design and construction, and document the lessons to be learned from that boom period     

Assessment of the types of public building maintenance contracts in Saudi Arabia

The study revealed that Fixed Price, Cost Plus and Purchased Labour contracts are the top three maintenance contracts adopted whilst Unit Price, Cost Plus A Percentage Fee contracts are alternatives used in the Kingdom. Some other types of maintenance contract were thought to be inappropriate by ministry departments.     

Privatization of water-supply services in Saudi Arabia: A unique experience

Water-supply services worldwide experienced a wave of privatization over the last three decades, with majority of documented cases deemed failures. This paper reviews the Saudi water-supply service privatization initiative in the context of international privatization models and industry practices. The study shows that the Saudi model is unique in both structure and performance. It concludes that the model is a successful one to date and could be implemented in countries having a similar socio-economic structure. However, the long-term performance and sustainability of the model are inconclusive and need careful assessment based on financial and technical criteria.     

The effect of contractor size on mark-up size decision in Saudi Arabia

This study is a part of a larger study addressing the bidding decisions of construction contractors in Saudi Arabia. It examines the mark-up size decisions of small, medium, and large contractors in Saudi Arabia. These groups are found to consider and evaluate many factors subjectively when they set mark-up sizes for projects. However, the importance of these factors varies as the contractor's size changes. Bidding document price, strength in the industry, time allowed for submitting bids and other factors are the greatest contributors to the discrimination between contractor sizes.     

Important causes of delay in public utility projects in Saudi Arabia

This study was conducted to determine the most important causes of delay in public utility projects, based on the frequency and severity of the causes. A survey of randomly selected samples of contractors, consultants, and owners was carried out to assess the frequency of occurrence and the severity of impact of sixty potential delay causes. A frequency index and a severity index were determined for each cause. An importance index for each cause was then computed as the product of the frequency and severity indices. The results showed that the three parties surveyed generally agree on the importance ranking of delay causes. The causes were grouped also into six major categories of delay. The analysis showed lack of agreement among the parties on the ranking of the major categories of delay.     

Public owners' satisfaction with consultancy practices in Saudi Arabia

Between 1970 and 1985 the public expenditure on three development plans in Saudi Arabia amounted to 1940 billion Saudi Riyals. This paper addresses the professional relationship between the public owners and the local architectural and engineering practices which has been measured in the form of overall satisfaction under a five-point scale ranging from excellent to poor, a second aspect identified satisfaction related to the design service and finally, a measure of satisfaction was gained from owners' response to their professional relationship with the practices.     

Safety design practices in residential buildings in Saudi Arabia

A survey of current safety practices in the design of residential buildings in Saudi Arabia identified deficiencies in governance and design procedures. A systematic safety compliance checklist was developed to address these deficiencies incorporating existing local safety instructions and international safety codes and standards. Checklist use is intended to ensure compliance with minimal safety requirements in the design of residential buildings.     

Assessing safety measures in residential buildings in Saudi Arabia

The incidence rate of fire in residential buildings in Saudi Arabia accounts for 69% of all building fires. A field assessment of current safety issues for residential buildings in Saudi Arabia is used to identify common safety deficiencies. The survey showed that most residents are ignorant many safety aspects in their homes. A safety audit checklist for assessing the effectiveness of safety measures in existing residential buildings is also presented. Based on these findings, a number of strategies for designers, local authorities, building owners and residents is suggested.     

Professional architectural/engineering consultancy practices in Saudi Arabia

The local architectural engineering firm in Saudi Arabia is handling projects up to 175m SR a year on average. It will have been in practice 13 years, employing 91 people, most holding a B.Sc. degree. Practices are mainly selected by competitive bidding and paid under a fixed fee arrangement. The authors found that the public authorities are the major employers of local A/E design services.     

Promoting public space governance in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia

Undermanagement of the considerable range of areas reserved for public spaces within modern residential areas in Jeddah has not only reduced socialization for inhabitants, but has become a public burden that continues to prove a drain on urban life. This, in turn, has stimulated the development of regulatory and organizational reforms. The reforms have inexorably drawn all departments and agencies involved in public space management into a new field of responsibility. As they came into operation, new actors appeared in the field of public space management. Although the aim of the reforms was to resolve inter-municipal regulatory conflicts and to place a renewed emphasis on local and private actions as alternative sources of managerial control, the new public space governance arrangements are riddled with tension as a result of the multiplicity of actors and the absence of a well-defined institutional framework; this in turn led to greater confusion about responsibilities. This article attempts to understand the complexities of the ongoing management of public spaces in Jeddah in the light of recent theories of governance, with the aim of developing a conceptual framework that may suggest innovatory approaches through which to address these complexities. Broadly speaking, the investigation – which is based on extensive documentary analysis, a qualitative survey and systematic field observation – notes that, in order to tackle management issues such as non-responsiveness, bureaucratic rigidity, the fragmentation of responsibilities and so on, it is imperative to give further consideration to the role of legislation within an appropriate institutional framework.     

Factors affecting the relationship between contractors and their sub-contractors in Saudi Arabia

Delay in contract progress payment, lack of construction quality, errors and delay in shop drawings and/or approval of sample materials were ranked highest as interface problems, whilst legal disputes, scheduling conflicts amongst sub-contractors, geological problems and weather conditions were ranked lowest.     

Fuel-price reform to achieve climate and energy policy goals in Saudi Arabia: A multiple-scenario analysis

Saudi Arabia experiences annual growth of 6% in its power demand. Generation expansion has been driven by low domestic retail fuel prices leading to a power generation mix based on fossil fuels only. In light of current climate change discussions, this research assesses future generation expansion under different potential fuel-price reforms by an enhanced OSeMOSYS model. Results demonstrate that domestic retail fuel price levels >20% [>60%] of expected international wholesale fuel prices¹ are necessary to minimize emissions when considering emissions penalties [without pricing for emissions]. By 2030 renewables can reach 70% penetration by capacity and 30% by energy.     

The metamorphosis of the urban fabric in Arab-Muslim City: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has experienced rapid growth inurban development since the 1960s. This urbangrowth is not based on the traditional urbanplanning principles which have been followed inSaudi Arabia for many centuries. Instead,various imported urban forms and planningregulations have been implemented in thecountry. These relate neither to thetraditional built environment and culture norto the local climate of the city. As a result,major cultural and climatic problems haveoccurred. The aim of this paper is to identify andanalyze the types of built environment inRiyadh, as an example of Saudi Arabia's cities,and discuss the cultural conflicts resultingfrom the use of imported planning principlesand regulations. In light of this analysis anddiscussion, the planning regulations will bereviewed and recommendations will be made foramendments.     

Evaluation of engineering properties of scoria in central Harrat Rahat, Saudi Arabia

 Although black scoria deposits occur extensively in western Saudi Arabia, there has been little work undertaken on its engineering characteristics as a light-weight aggregate which can be used in concrete for structural, masonry and insulating purposes. In an attempt to remedy this, central Harrat Rahat was selected for an engineering evaluation of scoria deposits in the vicinity of major cities where it may provide an easily accessible resource for natural aggregate. The petrography of the scoria and the deleterious material content were found to be acceptable by ASTM standards, but grading analyses indicated it would need to be processed before use. The other physical properties of the scoria such as bulk density, specific gravity and absorption indicated that samples from Jabal Halat Ash Shaykh quarry gave acceptable results. The porosity of the scoria is relatively high and some of the pore spaces are not interconnected. The material is pozzolanically active and can be also used as an additive to Portland cement. Received: 16 April 1999 · Accepted: 25 March 2000