As Senior Digital Delivery Director at Red Sea Global, David Glennon is well-versed in the company’s mission to set new standards for sustainable development. At the BIM & Digital Twins Saudi Arabia 2023 Conference & Expo, held in Riyadh on 14 and 15 February, Glennon outlined the company’s focus on becoming a leader in sustainable development and its path to digital maturity.
Glennon stressed that Red Sea Global is committed to enhancing habitats in ways that continually renew the environment, adopting and developing pioneering technologies that optimise operational efficiencies, and using scientific research, data, and technology to make informed decisions.
The company’s principles extend to creating socio-economic benefits and employment opportunities, which includes growing the tourism and hospitality talent pool through external partnership and training initiatives. As a result, Red Sea Global is free of single-use plastics, is carbon-neutral, has zero waste to landfill, and gets 100% of its energy from renewable sources. Furthermore, the company has a 30% net positive conservation benefit and meets LEED Platinum Building standards.
Glennon shared that Red Sea Global is fully aligned with all 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) to address global challenges. The company has stayed true to its mission, and its visionaries, innovators, and pioneers seek to change the real estate and hospitality sector, challenge conventions, and do better for people and the planet.
In terms of development, Red Sea Global has two commitments: The Red Sea and AMAALA.
Overall, the Red Sea will develop:
- 22 islands developed
- 6 inland sites
- 50 hotels approx. 8000 keys (including 900 condo units)
- 1300 residential units
Meanwhile, AMAALA’s overall development includes:
- Three masterplans: Triple bay, The Island, and Miraya
- a total of 27 hotels with approximately 3,700 keys (including 550 residences) and
- approx. 690 residential units.
The Red Sea Project offers unique opportunities that demand a fresh approach to delivery, according to Glennon explained that the company is taking a project-centric, data-centric, and customer-centric approach to delivery.
The project-centric focus includes BIM, GIS, and project management information system (PMIS). Meanwhile, the data-centric focus includes data and analytics, automation, and data-driven insights. Finally, the customer-centric focus includes a smart destination, the internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI).
Red Sea Global: Digital Maturity
Glennon continued elaborating on Red Sea Global’s path to digital maturity, pointing out that the developer has maximised the use of off-site manufacturing. This also includes using precast, prefinished, volumetric concrete, precast concrete for walls and floors, flat-packed timber buildings, and volumetric steel.
Glennon emphasized that Red Sea Global is pioneering in project delivery while enabling the Smart Destination strategy. Smart Destination is a key enabler and differentiator for the company, with over 40 smart services integrated with 60 assets, including the airport, hospitality, entertainment, utilities, roads, and mobility.
Overall, Glennon’s presentation at the BIM & Digital Twins Saudi Arabia 2023 Conference & Expo highlighted Red Sea GLobal’s pioneering approach to sustainable development and its commitment to being at the forefront of digital maturity.
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