PLANET S.A. has been selected by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City as the lead consultant for the strategic “Cooling Riyadh Project,” a pioneering initiative aimed at addressing urban heat challenges in one of the world’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas.
The project represents one of the most ambitious international efforts to mitigate the urban heat island effect at metropolitan scale and is considered the first initiative globally to comprehensively redesign urban thermal conditions across an entire city.
Implemented within the framework of the Green Riyadh Program, the assignment includes the development of a city-wide cooling strategy for Riyadh, the preparation of urban planning and building material guidelines, and the identification of five pilot districts where innovative urban cooling solutions will be tested and evaluated.
The project is aligned with broader national climate transition initiatives in Saudi Arabia, including the Saudi Green Initiative, which continues to support large-scale environmental and sustainability investments across the Kingdom.
Over the course of 12 months, the project will deliver a comprehensive framework for understanding Riyadh’s thermal challenges and a practical roadmap for reducing urban heat through data-driven analysis, sustainable urban planning, and resilient infrastructure practices. Beyond its local impact, the initiative is expected to serve as an international reference model for cities facing increasingly extreme temperatures due to climate change.
The assignment further strengthens PLANET’s growing presence in the Middle East and reinforces its role as a trusted partner in delivering high-impact infrastructure, sustainability, and resilience projects in complex international environments.
