Saudi Arabia is quietly building its own design map
ARTDOM Riyadh 2026 will return to Saudi Arabia on 20-21 October, bringing an expanded exhibition, an international congress, and more than 6,000 professionals from architecture, interior and product design, real estate, and hospitality.
A year after its debut, ARTDOM Riyadh 2026 is coming back bigger, and it’s bringing with it one of the more interesting initiatives to watch out of the Gulf right now: a professionally curated design map of Saudi Arabia. For a market that’s been investing heavily in architecture, hospitality, and cultural infrastructure under Vision 2030, that’s not just an exhibition detail, it’s a signal of how the country wants its design landscape to be read internationally.
For DesignWanted readers, ARTDOM Riyadh 2026 is worth tracking because it sits exactly where design intersects with real estate, hospitality, and policy — three forces currently reshaping Saudi Arabia faster than almost anywhere else in the world. Here’s what’s on the programme.
Gallery
Open full width
Open full width
ARTDOM Riyadh 2026 – To know:
A design map of an entire country
The flagship initiative of ARTDOM Riyadh 2026 is the launch of ARTDOM Design Map Saudi Arabia, a new project that will bring together the Kingdom’s most outstanding public spaces into a single, professionally curated reference. Developed in collaboration with the international architectural community ARCHINET, the map sets out to explore how contemporary architecture, interior design, and cultural institutions are shaping the country’s new visual identity.
Over several months, an international panel of experts will evaluate projects nationwide across six categories: restaurants, hotels, museums & art galleries, wellness & spa destinations, landmark architecture projects, and furniture showrooms. Winners will be announced during the event itself, and the result will be the first professionally curated design map of Saudi Arabia — a reference point for architects, designers, developers, investors, hospitality professionals, and travellers interested in the country’s design scene.
Two days, one congress, and Vision 2030 on the agenda of ARTDOM Riyadh 2026
At the center of ARTDOM Riyadh 2026 is a two-day business congress dedicated to the transformations currently reshaping architecture, design, and real estate development across the Middle East. Expect leaders of architectural practices, development companies, hospitality operators, designers, government representatives, and international brands in the room, with discussions built around the future of cities, the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030, and new quality standards for public, private, and hospitality spaces.
On the opening day, speakers will unpack Saudi Arabia’s landmark national projects and how Vision 2030 is shaping architecture and construction, with representatives of OMRANIA by Egis discussing emerging market demands and new opportunities for international professionals. Additional sessions will dig into the future of hospitality design, premium residential interiors, and the creation of next-generation public spaces.
One programme highlight, Building the Bridges, will focus specifically on strengthening cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Russia in architecture, design, art, and trade, bringing together professional organisations, business leaders, and industry experts from both countries.
A growing international expert community
ARTDOM has positioned itself since its first edition as a platform for some of the world’s leading voices in architecture and design. Past editions brought in an ambassador network that included names like Giulio Cappellini, Rossana Orlandi, and Draga & Aurel, alongside regional figures such as Hany Saad, Arwa Alneami, Iman Abuljadayel, and Lissa Carmona.
For 2026, that community is expanding further, with leading architects, designers, gallery directors, and researchers from Saudi Arabia and Europe joining the network. It’s this group that’s shaping ARTDOM’s intellectual programme and feeding into initiatives like the Design Map, reinforcing the platform’s ambition: strengthening professional dialogue between cultures, disciplines, and international markets.
