Royal Commission RC

About the Royal Commission for Riyadh City

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The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) was established by the cabinet’s decree No. 717, dated 20 June, 1974 (29/05/1394H) to realize the will of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to establish a joint authority that leads, supervises and orchestrates the comprehensive development of the city of Riyadh. Therefore, RCRC serves as a unified command for all metropolitan development efforts.

The “Development of Provinces and Cities Law” was issued by the Council of Ministers’ decree No. (475) dated May 05, 2018 (Ramadan 07, 1439H). It stipulates that “Riyadh Development Authority” is an interagency body, with a legal personality and financial and administrative independence, and that it reports directly to the Prime Minister.

Also, the Royal Decree No. (A/470), dated August 30, 2019 (29/12/1440H), was issued, transforming the “Riyadh Development Authority” into a royal commission under the name “Royal Commission for Riyadh City”. According to the Royal Decree, RCRC, shall have a Board of Directors chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, and its members shall be appointed by order of the Prime Minister. Also, the responsibility for all tasks related to Riyad’s National Megaprojects shall be transferred from the “Committee of National Megaprojects” to the “Royal Commission for Riyadh City”.

Later, the Royal Decree No. (A/312), dated December 26, 2019 (29/04/1441H), was issued approving RCRC’s organizational arrangements and structure.

RCRC Board of Directors:

The Board of Directors is chaired by HRH Prince Muhammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister, and its members are appointed by order of the Prime Minister. The members shall be as follows:

• HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Province
• HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior
• HRH Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulrahman Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Province
• HH Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan Al Saud, RCRC Board Member
• HH Prince Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf, Mayor of Riyadh Province
• HE Dr. Majid Bin Abdullah Al Kassabi, Minister of Commerce
• HE Mr. Majid Bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, Acting Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs
• HE Eng. Abdulrahman Bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture​​ – Chairman of the Board of the National Water Company
• HE Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Aljadaan, Minister of Finance – Acting Minister of Economy and Planning
• HE Eng. Abdullah Bin Amer Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology
• HE Eng. Saleh Bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport
• HE Mr. Bandar Bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources
• HE Eng. Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Investment
• HE Eng. Ibrahim Bin Muhammad Al-Sultan, RCRC Board Member
• HE Mr. Yasir Bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, RCRC Board Member
• HE Dr. Khalid Bin Saleh Al-Sultan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Electricity Company

The Board is the supreme authority over RCRC’s affairs and is entitled to determine and take whatever decisions and actions it deems appropriate to achieve its objectives.

Agha Khan Award for Architecture, 1409H - 1989

The Award committee considered the Diplomatic Quarter a densely populated, modern ‎governmental district that successfully and effectively accommodates many embassies, ‎consulates and various types of related buildings in addition to providing general plazas and ‎gated recreational parks to the citizens of Riyadh. The committee recognized that the design ‎of the Diplomatic Quarter has been made environmentally self–sustainable through the ‎planting of trees, shrubs and grasses in the area and landscaping of the immediate rocky ‎desert surroundings. As a result, the committee found the project to be realistic and highly ‎innovative as well as self-sustaining in an arid environment.

Arab Cities Award for Architecture, ‎1410H‎ - 1990

The Diplomatic Quarter won the Arab Cities Award for Architecture. The Award by the Arab Cities Organization recognizes the Diplomatic Quarter as being the best architectural project built in an Arab city in a style that reinforces the credibility of Islamic Arab architecture and its growth and development values. The architecture of the Diplomatic Quarter reflects the traditional architecture of Saudi Arabia that reconciles with the environment of the region and provides open spaces and elegant landscaping. The natural environment has been used to isolate it from traffic pollution and noise.

Agha Khan Award for Architecture, 1410H - 1989‎

The jury of the Award hailed Al-Kindi Plaza, stating that it is located between the two main roads that divide the Diplomatic Quarter into two almost equal parts. The adjacent buildings along the sides of the roads have been designed and built according to the style of horizontal extension, separated by entrances and open spaces. The jury recognized Al-Kindi Plaza as a model that can be imitated and adopted by other Arab and Muslim societies in designing and building their cities.

This style, the jury added, preserves, in an attractive manner, the traditional link between the mosque and other public spaces. The jury considered Al-Kindi Plaza as representing a standard to be copied by the cities of the Arab and Muslim world.

Agha Khan Award for Architecture, 1419 – 1998

The jury of the Award stated that the design of Tuwaiq Palace realizes the highest level of ‎harmony between the design and shape of the Palace site with all its components and ‎successfully reinforces the concept of the oasis. With sidewalks, platforms and recesses ‎designed within an outer wall, the three main buildings are linked with each other in the shape ‎of tents. ‎ The Palace stands inside a long and undulating wall covered with local stone. It is between ‎seven and 13 meters wide and has a gradual slope that allows pedestrians to climb up to roof ‎level offering an open platform overlooking Wadi Hanifa. From this wall, a number of tents ‎made of insulated plastic material protrude to form open balconies on the outer surroundings. ‎In the vicinity of the Palace is a landscaped garden with a sunshade in the center made of ‎stained glass panels and a fountain that has been installed in the rocks. The artfully ‎coordinated and integrated design of the site extends to the outer surroundings of the Palace ‎and the adjacent rocky areas and includes playgrounds, swimming pools and car parks.