Thermo take more MEP packages

The MEP contract for Dayur’s ‘Citadel’ tower in Dubai’s business bay has been awarded to Thermo. The US$83 million tower will be part of a cluster of regional and international offices in Business Bay.

DEPA to work on the interior design of Nakheel Apartments

DEPA Dubai, a subsidiary of Dubai United Group has taken the interior design contract on Nakheel’s Palm Jumeirah Shoreline apartments. DEPA will work on the prestigious apartments for the next 6 months.

New residential development for Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s Al Reem Island is set to see a massive US$8 billion development - ‘Najmat Abu Dhabi’ - a residential and commercial development being put out to tender now. The project will see hotels, schools and residential and commercial towers being built over a 6 million m2 area and will be expected to house 80,000 people. Work is due to be completed by 2012.

Drake & Scull get it lucky a third time

M&E contractor Drake and Scull have won its third contract on the Jumeira Lakes Towers development with work on the Good Impex Tower.

Work on Burj Dubai tower has commenced

Work on the 37 storey tower on the Burj Dubai site is underway and should be completed in two years time. The $53m contract was awarded by Emarr to the Arabian construction Company.

Palm Golden Mile contract awarded to Al Shafar

The contract to construct the US$272 million Palm Golden Mile, being developed by Nakheel, has been awarded to Al Shafar General Contracting. The Golden Mile, sited on the centre of the artificial island will include retail, office and residential units. The project is due for completion in the first quarter of 2008.

Work on Abu Dhabi’s Sky Tower set to begin

Work on the 83 storey Sky Tower in the $2.7 billion Gate Project in Abu Dhabi is about to begin. The elliptically shaped tower will be one of 8 towers and will be used for residential and commercial purposes.

Rotary rolls into Middle East

Northern Ireland based Mechanical and Engineering group – Rotary International – are teaming up with BK Gulf (the M&E division of Balfour Beatty) to work on contracts in the Middle East. Although they have been present in the Middle East for 10 years now, they hope to extend their roots with the BK Gulf arrangement.

Al-Liwan wins 35 storey JLT deal

Al-Liwan Contracting has won a US $63m contract to construct The Lakeside Residence, a 35-storey residential Tower in the Jumeirah Lakes Tower. The Residence will cover 50,000 m2 and will be constructed over the next three years.

Bridging the gap begins

Work on the US$16million contract to build a new two-lane bridge at the Wimpy Al Futtaim Interchange in Dubai is expected to begin April and be finished in 12 months.

P&T become ‘All-Rounders’

P&T Architects and Engineers have added structural and MEP engineering to their business services. These new areas will allow P&T to cover the full range of high-rise and low-rise building engineering consultancy services from design stage to completion.

Consultants appointed on Lagoons project

Sama Dubai has appointed Hill International and Halcrow as consultants on their $18billion multi-use island’s project - the Lagoons. The project, spread over 6.5million m2, will consist of residential buildings and retail buildings as well as offices and marinas.

MEP contract for Indigo Icon awarded to Trinity Engineering Services

The MEP contract for the 34 storey Indigo Icon Tower at Jumeirah Lake Towers has been awarded to Trinity Engineering Services. The tower, designed by Atkins, is being developed by Emirates Properties Investments.

Tallest hotel apartment building in the World set to appoint contractor

Sheffield Real Estate, the Dubai based developer has announced that it will award its $381m design and build contract for the Marina 101 tower to one of three pre-selected bidders. Construction of the tower, situated in Dubai Marina, will commence later this year and should be completed by the start of 2010. The tower will have 101 floors and reach a height of 412m.

ETA awards several packages for Jumeirah Lake towers

ETA Star, the Middle Eastern developer, has awarded packages worth $128m for the construction of two 39 storey buildings at Jumeirah Lake Towers. An Ascon – Al Aweer joint venture took the main contract on the $60m Gold Crest Executive Tower while Al Meraikhi won the $68m for the Gold Crest Views-Two Tower. Completion date has been given as mid 2008.

Dubai Metro Green line to be re-tendered

The contract for the construction of Dubai Metro’s Green Line is to re-tendered, much to the frustration of the originally appointed company ‘The Dubai Rapidlink Consortium.’ There is now a race between the major contracting rivals in Dubai to take the contract.

Biggest airport job in the World begins

The work has just begun, and three years are all contractors have to finish the first stage of the Dubai World Central Airport. The record breaking airport is set to break a number of records. It will be bigger that the land size of Hong Kong Island and will also feature the Middle East’s highest control tower. The whole project looks likely to be finished by 2020.

Nakheel has a re-think on ‘Tulip’ Trump International Hotel and Tower

Nakheel have abandoned their plans to build the tulip shaped building for Trump International Hotel and have decided upon a slightly less-bizarre shape, only slightly though.

The awkward shape of the building would have meant it would have been a virtually impossible task to clean the windows and in addition to that; a tunnel would have had to run through the centre of it to allow the Dubai Metro to pass. Construction on the new building will commence late in 2006 and should be finished by 2009.

Dubai Airports to get a vital link

A new ‘bonded’ highway has been planned to link the Dubai International Airport with the Dubai World Central Airport. The road has been designed to allow freight to remain in a ‘bonded’ state while being moved between the airports without using the existing road network. Dubai World Central Airport is set to become the world’s largest passenger and cargo hub with a capacity to handle over 12 million tons of cargo a year.

New retail zone for Bahrain Bay

Plans for a US$600 million residential and retail zone within Bahrain Bay have been launched. January 2007 will see the infrastructural work begin.

More New Developments for Dubailand

Several new developments for Dubailand have been announced this month, including Western City - a Mid-West themed resort with hotels, farms, a zoo and even a rodeo showground. Bawadi is another new development which will see a 10km strip being fitted out with 31 hotels.

IJM to build Lake tower

IJM construction has been awarded a US£35m contract to build a 34 storey office complex known as the T1 tower. The tower will be situated at the Jumeirah Lake towers in Dubai. The tower, which will have a gross floor area of 50,000 m2, will take two years to complete.

Possible Railway Line for Abu Dhabi

German company Deutsche Bahn (DBUL) has announced that it is planning a railway project for Abu Dhabi in the near future. Although unconfirmed, Siemens and Hochtief are likely to be involved with the construction.

Two contractors battling for the Al Tayer Tower

Contractors Al Rostamani and Al Shafar Contracting are battling it out for the main construction package on Dubai’s Al Tayer Tower. The tower, which will be around 55 storeys high, should be complete by June 2008 with work beginning in July.

Central Park recreation continues at Falcon City

It has been announced that the Falcon City of Wonders will now feature Central Park Towers in the overall development. The US$1.5 billion tourist city will feature recreations of the world’s famous landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Egyptian Pyramids. 

Culture Village announced for Dubai

Dubai is set to see the construction of a US$13.6 billion development called Culture City which will provide year-round world class cultural events. A Dubai Properties development, it will be situated next to Garhoud Bridge along the Dubai Creek and will cover an area of 12million m2. The village will be split into residential, commercial and retail zones with hospitality and entertainment area on the outskirts.

Three firms seeking Emirates road widening contract

Wade Adams, Dutco Balfour Beatty and Emirates Road Contracting have all submitted tenders for the US$65 million contract to widen the Emirates Rd from the border of Sharjah to the Arabian Ranches roundabout in Dubai – approximately 52km long. It is hoped the widening will help the serious problem of heavy truck congestion.

Atkins to build the World’s tallest tower

Atkins have been awarded the contract to act as structural engineers on the construction of the 250 storey Mubarak Tower in Kuwait – which will become the world’s tallest building at 1001m high. The tower will form the centre piece for the $150 billion City of Silk, which is being built over 25 years. The building will contain offices, apartments, a school, a medical centre and possibly a mosque.

Takenaka win work at Doha Airport

The Japanese company Takenaka Corp has taken the $243m contract to build a new terminal for the Royal Family at the New Doha International Airport in Qatar. The airport will accommodate 50 million a year people once it is fully operational in 2015.

Sunland – Arabtec joint venture takes Palazzo Hotel contract

The contract to build the 215 suite Palazzo Versace hotel in Dubai has been awarded to a Joint venture formed between Emirates Sunland Group (Australia) and Arabtec.

The hotel will be

based in the new Cultural Village and will be built along with an 80 storey apartment block with a combined value of $400m. The hotel is due for completion in 2011.

Baytur to build the Middle East’s largest convention centre

Baytur, the Turkish Contractor, have taken a $160m contract to design and build the Qatar Convention Centre – which will be the largest in the Middle East. The building will be 150,000m2 and will include 10 convention halls and a theatre. It will be able to hold up to 7,000 people.

Al Habtoor win

s piling contract

Al Habtoor has beaten four other companies to win the piling contract on the Emirates Financial Towers in Dubai. Work has already begun, with the towers due for completion at the end of 2008.

First golf course development for Abu Dhabi

Sorouh Real Estate and The Tourism Investment and Development Company are to build the first Golf Course development in Abu Dhabi. The value of the project is believed to be $272m and will consist of 389 villas and town houses.

Odebrecht Al Jaber JV to Build new Runway at Abu Dhabi Airport

The Brazilian co

nstruction firm Odebrecht and the UAE based Al Jaber group have joined forces and won a $272m contract to build a 4.1km runway at Abu Dhabi Airport. Work is due for completion by November 2007.

TAV wins apartment block work

Turkish Contractor TAV have been awarded a $163m contract to carry out packages 4 & 5 of the Mirdif Villas project in Dubai. The work involves the construction of 42 residential 4 storey buildings and should be completed by November 2007.

Third line added to Dubai Metro System

The Roads and Transport Authority have given final approval to an additional line on the Dubai Metro, named the Blue Line. Work on the Blue Line will begin in August with an expected completion date of 2011, one year after the othe

r two lines. The 47km long line will act as a shuttle service between Dubai International Airport and the new Jebel Ali Airport.

Contractors due to bid on Dubai’s Floating Creek Bridge

Work is due to start in September on the Floating Bridge which will be situated half a kilometre to the south of Al Maktoum Bridge on the Dubai Creek; and contractors are getting ready to bid by July. The likely bidders are Wade Adams, Six Construct and Balfour Beatty. The new bridge will be able to handle 3000 vehicles in each direction during the morning and evening peak rush hours.

City of Arabia infrastructure awarded to Leighton and Kier

A joint venture formed from the UK’s Kier International and Australia’s Leighton has been awarded a $200m contract for the construction of the entire infrastructure for the City of Arabia project in Dubailand. Work is expected to commence in a matter of weeks.

The Mall of Arabia p

art of the project, which is set to be the world’s biggest shopping mall, will involve a contractor that is to be announced next month. The City of Arabia project, which should be completed by 2008, will also feature a $200m monorail and thirty four towers for commercial, retail and hotel use.

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