Housing Minister oversees KACST efforts in construction technology localization

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Eng. Majid Al-Hogail met today with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) President Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud Al-Desouki, at KACST headquarters to discuss collaboration opportunities and optimize the benefits of National Laboratories and Innovation Oases projects and initiatives in the energy and manufacturing, environment and sustainability, and future economics.

During his visit to KACST, Al-Hogail was briefed on the "Housing in 30 Days by Saudi Hands" development project, which aims to transfer and localize building and construction technologies and revolutionize traditional construction methods, by manufacturing housing components from locally sourced environmentally friendly materials by using, transferring and assembling building automation systems and fourth industrial revolution technologies. The project contributes to reducing the cost of building and construction by 23% and raising the production capacity in the construction of housing units by 5,000 units per year, in partnership with the private sector.

His Excellency was introduced to several KACST projects that contribute to reducing the manifestations of visual distortion and improving the quality of life. The projects included the smart control panel project for Riyadh, which enables decision-makers to develop a complete vision of the most important problems facing the city and its residents through real data and deep analyses in which the latest technologies are used. Another project was the solution of the visual distortion problems in cities through business accelerators and hackathons.

Al-Hogail attended a detailed presentation on the efforts of KACST to improve the quality of life and preserve the environment in Saudi cities and achieve sustainable development through the project of biological control of dengue fever, which contributes to reducing the number of mosquitoes that transmit the virus and limiting the spread of the disease and create a pure environment free of chemical pesticides.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Minister was briefed on the artificial palm wood project, which contributes to increasing the local product and reducing imports of wood and industrial insulation in the Kingdom, and the plastic materials recycling project to produce plastic bricks, which have 90% better heat insulation compared to cement bricks.