São Paulo – Construction company Braengel, from Curitiba, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, one of the companies in the Alicerce Business Solution holding, will be responsible for the design of a complex with a hospital and a five star hotel in the city of Riyadh, in the capital of Saudi Arabia. The works will cover an area of 76,000 square metres, to include a luxury spa, gym, shopping centre and several restaurants. The focus of the project is to offer aesthetic medicine services to women in the Middle East.
The partnership was established at the invitation of prince Abdulaziz Bin Mishaal Al Saud, who presides AlShoula Holding Group, a company that operates in the areas of construction, finance and aviation, among others. “They want to build a hospital turned to reconstruction, obesity and diabetes in Riyadh,” said Marinho Uhlmann, president and CEO of Alicerce. According to him, the prince said he wants the hospital to be an “icon” in the Middle East, attracting women from other countries in the region to Saudi Arabia.
Construction of the complex should begin in October this year, and the forecast is that works be completed in two years. The investment will be US$ 500 million, of which 60% will come from Saudi and Qatari businessmen, and 40% from Brazilian companies. Uhlmann says he cannot reveal the names of the Brazilian companies, but stated that they are “a group in the health sector and a group in the building sector”. The agreement for promotion of the project was signed last month.
Focussing on the aesthetic treatment of women, the complex will also bring good work opportunities for women in the country and also for Brazilians. “They want to provide support for women in the health area to work at the hospital,” said Uhlmann. In total, the complex should employ around 7,500 people.
At the spa, for example, the entire work force will be formed of women. The site will be managed by a Brazilian company, which is yet to be chosen by the Saudis. According to Uhlmann, three luxury spa operators in Brazil are being considered to run the Arab enterprise. “It will be the most luxurious spa in the Middle East,” said the businessman.
The hospital alone will have an area of 42,000 square meters and the hotel, 19,000 square meters. The remaining area will be occupied by the other of the complex services. “This project may be expanded, and even doubled. Not the hospital area, but the shopping centre area,” said Uhlmann, explaining that the project is not yet complete.
Braengel will be in charge of the architectural design of the complex, and the Saudis will be in charge of construction. In the medical and service areas, Brazilians and Saudis will operate together. Plastic surgeon Luciana Santos will be the doctor in charge of the Brazilian team. The Arab doctors will be led by Jordanian surgeon Yousef Al Ramahi.
There will be around five Brazilian medical teams replacing each other at the Saudi hospital every three months. There should be 15 surgeons, mostly women, operating with their teams and living in the hotel complex while in Saudi Arabia. The hotel will also house spa clients and common tourists.
Saudi-Brazilian Bank
Another partnership between Alicerce and Saudi businessmen is the establishment of a Saudi-Brazilian bank, which is being intermediated by the Brazilian holding. “The bank will be established to foster bilateral investment,” said the businessman.
He explains that there are already Brazilian banks interested in establishing the partnership, and that the Saudi government should nominate a local bank for establishment of the partnership. The details for establishment of the new bank should be laid out in March, when there will be a new financial sector business delegation to Saudi Arabia.
Alicerce Business Solution includes ten companies. The holding was established ten years ago and has been operating in the international market for five years. The Arab countries in the Middle East are its main area of operation.
*Translated by Mark Ament
