Architecture and Design Commission

The Architecture and Design Commission is the entity responsible for activities related to architecture and design, as well as their development and preservation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This includes architectural, interior, urban, and civil design, in addition to gardening, afforestation, landscaping, and all related services and activities. Established in 2020, it stands as one of eleven cultural commissions whose simultaneous establishment was approved by the Council of Ministers. It operates under the Ministry of Culture.

One of the primary objectives of establishing the commission is to regulate the architecture and design sector in the Kingdom. Its work encompasses many important roles, mainly empowering professionals and offering training courses and professional development programs to them. Additionally, the commission is responsible for various functions, such as the development of laws pertaining to urban arts and design.

The Architecture and Design Commission has a public legal personality, financial and administrative independence, and an annual operating budget within the Ministry of Culture’s own budget. It is organizationally affiliated with the Minister of Culture, and the commission's employees are subject to social insurance and labor laws.

The commission conducts its operations from its main headquarters in the capital, Riyadh. It has a board of directors chaired by the Minister of Culture. The board supervises the commission's plans and programs and makes all necessary decisions to achieve its objectives. The commission has a CEO responsible for managing its affairs, appointed by a board of directors' decision.

The Architecture and Design Commission's logo features overlapping geometrical forms, representing architectural art, while the color palette used serves as a representation of the environment in which Saudi creators operate. The design draws inspiration from the Ministry of Culture's colors and logo.

The Commission offers training programs, conducts professional and educational courses, and accredits specialized certificate-granting entities for training in fields related to its specialties. It also provides scholarships for talented individuals and employs modern technologies to implement its initiatives and executive programs. In support of this direction, the Ministry of Culture launched a unified online platform for cultural external scholarships in 2020. The commission aims to develop and promote the Kingdom's architecture and design sector, as well as encourage its practitioner

The responsibilities of the commission, as stipulated by the regulatory arrangements, include several tasks, most notably: developing laws related to urban and design arts, establishing a database for the architecture and design sector, encouraging individuals, institutions, and companies to produce and enhance the content in the sector, licensing activities within the commission's scope, organizing events and competitions, and hosting local and international conferences and exhibitions. Additionally, it includes encouraging individuals, institutions, and companies to produce and enhance content in the architecture and design sector, as well as establishing a database for the sector.