Italian contractor Webuild has been awarded a $4.7bn project to build three dams for Saudi Arabia’s Neom megadevelopment.

The aim is to make a freshwater lake for the Trojena ski resort, and to create the setting for a hotel.

The dam will be shaped like the prow of a ship suspended over the valley below, and will house a luxury hotel.

The main dam will be made of roller-compacted concrete and will be 145m high and 475m long.

The artificial lake will cover an area of 1.5 sq km and will have an island reserved for diving and walking.

Pietro Salini, Webuild’s chief executive, said: “The 2.8km-long lake will be a key asset in the Trojena masterplan. The project is set to be an international engineering and construction marvel and we believe our team has the global experience and expertise to deliver this exciting infrastructure project.”

Philip Gullett, an executive director of Trojena, added: “The appointment of Webuild is a milestone in our construction progress. We have already completed around 3 million cubic metres of excavation at the lake site, and we continue to excavate 90,000 cubic meters of rock per week.”

Webuild is already building a 57km railway between two of Neom’s subprojects: Oxagon and the Line. Elsewhere in the kingdom, it is constructing Line 3 of the Riyadh metro.