Saudi Arabia is steering new retail and tourism development away from the “generic glass box” model and toward Salmani architecture, a Najdi-inspired style that blends historic building logic with modern engineering. The shift is being formalized through the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism, guided by the Saudi Architecture and Design Commission, as part of the broader Vision 2030 agenda.
For contractors, the masonry takeaway is clear. This is not just a façade story. A major feature is the “Earth Envelope,” including Al-Madmakh wall profiles that use tapered earth masonry walls built on stone footings. The article notes that traditional earth walls can exceed 600 millimeters in thickness, creating a thermal lag of 10 to 12 hours that helps push peak heat transfer into the evening. Walls are finished with qasab, a hand-troweled mud-and-straw plaster that adds insulation and weather protection.
Openings are doing real performance work, too. Designers are using Al-Manqour geometric perforations and triangular openings, described as furuh or furjat, to bring in indirect light while reducing glare and cooling demand. Combined with courtyard-centered layouts, shaded alleyways, and attention to airflow, the districts are meant to function as walkable “pedestrian villages” rather than sealed, air-conditioned mega-malls.
If you’re a mason contractor working in hot, arid climates, or bidding restoration-style work that borrows from traditional assemblies, this trend puts a spotlight on fundamentals: wall mass, thickness, geometry, and finish quality. It also raises practical questions early in preconstruction, including how tapered wall sections will be laid out, how perforated screens will be built and kept consistent, and what workmanship and curing expectations are needed for earthen plasters that serve as the exterior weathering layer.
Read the full, original article from Nomad Lawyer here.