Dubai Real Estate News
UAE Property Market Trends and Reviews

"; The main construction contract for the Burj Al Alam, the 501-meter tall commercial tower at the Business Bay district of Dubai, due to be one of the tallest buildings in the world, will be awarded within four to five weeks.

The Sales Co-ordinator of the project at Fortune Group, Muhammed Athar, said that the company is carrying on the final stages of negotiation with contractors, but declined to reveal the names of the firms who had been bidding for the deal.

About Dh.1bn had been kept aside from the original budget, and the construction is now likely to touch Dh.3bn. This is mainly due to lower building material costs, and the contractor for the project would be announced within five weeks, Athar said.

Athar also pointed out that the finances would be managed by the company's own resources, although other sources may be considered, if required.

Launched in 2006, Burj Al Alam was more than 50 percent sold. The foundations work was done by Middle East Foundations and is now complete. The tower, as per the scheduled, will be ready by the first quarter of 2012.

Labels: Business Bay, Fortune, New Contracts

"; Nakheel's new project in International City, namely, the 'Forbidden City' has been awarded for construction of its first phase, to Gammon and Billimoria.

The new affordable housing cluster draws inspiration from the legendary Royal Court Palace of Imperial China. Forbidden City will comprise 4000 low-rise studio, single and double bedroom apartments. Located at the core of the development will be a landscaped vista, leading its way to an ornate grand Mosque, the spiritual centerpiece of the community.

The work on the development, which began last April would be complete by 2011. The project would be completed in four phases.

The prices of studio is nearly Dh.730,000 while that of single bedroom apartments would be Dh.950,000 and double bedroom would bear a starting price of Dh.1.4million.

According to Rashid Obaid Al Helli, General Manager, Nakheel's International City, about 40 percent of the units at the Forbidden City have already been sold out. Here, a buyer is forbidden to purchase more than three properties, so as to eliminate speculators and help end-users enter the market.

However, Nakheel plans to retain few rental units in the project. Apart from 40,000 homes, the project includes 50 retail stores, restaurants, food outlets, boutiques and internet cafes. The close proximity to the Dragon Mart (the wide range of Chinese merchandise outside mainland China) and the Lake District (a well-planned residential community offering wonderful views of Al Warsan Lake) are few other attractions for residents. The Al Warsan Lake is one of the few freshwater wetlands in UAE, housing 190 species of birds, including the rarest ever known to Arabian Peninsula. Nakheel plans to introduce suitable amenities here, which would enable public to enjoy the wildlife there.

Gammon & Billimoria LCC is the new joint-venture company by two of the leading Indian construction companies, who have joined hands in Dubai, and is all set to undertake general construction projects in the UAE and GCC countries, with their immense wealth of experience on all kinds of civil and building engineering works.

Labels: Forbidden-city, International City, New Contracts

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Labels: Arabtec, New Contracts

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Labels: Abu Dhabi, New Contracts

"; Saba Properties JLT has awarded Arabtec LLC, a subsidiary of Arabtec Holding PJSC, with a Dh.664mn construction contract of its latest tower, Saba 4.

The Saba 4 tower, located in Jumeirah Lakes precinct of Dubai, has its infrastructure works well under progress, and the development of main structure will happen in first quarter of 2009.

The tower, which is 222 meters in height, has 51 storey dedicated for business space, parking, and several other amenities, required to cater to needs of offices.

The Chairman of Saba Properties, Javaheri, said "Arabtec has a wonderful engineering vision, which has manifested in development of high quality developments, whether commercial or residential, with an integral architectural framework. This has proven to have outstanding status in the market through construction of various landmark projects and strategic plans. We are pleased to work with Arabtec, and will render complete support to this agreement and future agreements that would help realize the expectations of both our companies."

Arabtec Holding PJSC, known as Arab Technical Construction Company PJSC, is a Public Joint Stock Limited Liability Company, formed in 2004 for investment in the contracting sector through establishing, acquiring and owning shares in construction related companies in UAE and abroad.

Labels: Arabtec, New Contracts

"; The main construction contract of Omniyat's Dh.1.7bn 'The Opus', a commercial and retail development at Business Bay, has been awarded to Multiplex, one of the leading commercial construction contractors in the region.

As per the contract, Multiplex has been given the responsibility of managing the development's construction and timely and on-budget delivery of the development.

The President and Chief Executive of Omniyat, Mehdi Amjad, said "The main factor behind awarding the contract of The Opus to Multiplex, is their excellent track record of delivering highly complex, prestigious and challenging projects. We are confident that Multiplex and Omniyat can work together to complete construction of The Opus in a timely and cost-effective manner."

The Opus, located on a unique 'Island' plot, is ideally positioned to provide tenants exclusivity, with a spectacular view of Burj Dubai and the Signature Towers, without any adjoining properties or projects.

Designed with the commercial tenant in mind, The Opus will be ready by 2010. At present more than 80 percent of the development has been sold out.

The project, designed by Zaha Hadid, the renowned architect, will enhance the Business Bay skyline with its unique, iconic, and artistic architectural structure.

Labels: Business Bay, Commercial Property, New Contracts, Omniyat

"; Two firms have been appointed by Al Manal Development, to build the La Vista Residence project in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO).

Al Qandeel Contracting Company and Zahrat Al Safa Construction Company, has together won the combined contract, worth Dh.250million. The work on the residential property development is likely to commence in March this year.


Comprising seven residential buildings, with each being eight storeys high, the La Vista Residence Project, offers a total 832 residential units. The work on the first five buildings will be undertaken by Zahrat Al Safa Construction Company, while the work on the remaining two will be undertaken by Al Qandeel Contracting Company.

The project spreads over a built-up area of 943,000 square feet, covering 290,000 square feet of land. The project, which is likely to be complete by August 2009, offers a studio, single and double bedroom apartments, and is a pure family-oriented community with good schools and shopping malls in the neighbourhood. Other amenities include swimming pool, party hall, gymnasium, sauna and Jacuzzi kids pool, apart from 24 hours security and covered car parking for 860 vehicles.

Located in Dubai Silicon Oasis, in close proximity to the New Ring Road, Emirates Road and Dubailand and Academic City, more than 75 percent of the units have already been sold, ever-since the launch of the project, which happened in May 2007. The prices per square feet have surged by 15 percent, following the launch.

Labels: Construction Projects, Dubai Silicon Oasis, New Contracts

"; Dubai Contracting Company (DCC) has been awarded a contract to construct new mixed-use tower in the Meydan City.

Located in the heart of Dubai's urban frontier, the project includes a total built-up area of 300,000 square feet, dedicated to luxurious, residential, commercial, and office spaces.

The tower would form a significant contribution to the Meydan City development, which includes 26 storeys, with two basements, a ground level and five podium floors.


Meeting both professional and residential needs, the modern high-quality tower will depict the standards applied to all other DCC turnkey projects.

"Located just about 7kms from the Dubai International Airport, the Meydan City, is a major future hub for Dubai, with high expectations for the project," said the DCC Contracts Director, Ian Harper.

Labels: Business Tower, Construction Projects, New Contracts

"; One of Dubai's leading real estate developer, Omniyat Properties, has awarded the main construction contract of its 'The Pad' development to a UAE-German joint-venture, Al Rostamani Pegel.

The Pad, is an iconic 24-storey futuristic tech-savvy residential real estate development in Dubai, and is also the recipient of the prestigious 'Best International Apartment' award at the CNBC International Property Awards in Las Vegas, which is one of the largest industry accolades of its kind, in the world.

The President and CEO of Omniyat Properties, Mehdi Amjad, said "The Pad has earned various awards and distinctions from international development community for its advanced technological design and functionality."

The works have already commenced, and will be complete by December 2009.

Labels: Construction Projects, New Contracts, Omniyat

"; Sorouh Real Estate has awarded a contract worth Dh.465m to Al Geemi and Partners for construction of utilities and roads and infrastructure in Shams Abu Dhabi.

The integrated development, worth Dh.25billion is the flagship project of Sorouh on Reem Island, which on completion, would house 55,000 residents.

"Al Geemi and Partners are the leaders in construction industry who play a major role in development of Abu Dhabi, and we are happy to work with the leading contractors in the industry," commented Mounir Haidar, the CEO of Sorouh Real Estate.

Al Geemi and Partners have been handed over the responsibility to construct the main loop road, internal roads network, water mains, internal utilities, traffic control system, storm water works, street lighting, telecommunications, sewerage, irrigation and gas works.

On completion, Shams Abu Dhabi will comprise 100 towers with 22000 residential units, apart from a park covering one million square feet in area. The entrance of the development would have the eight-tower development, The Gate district with Sky Tower comprising 74 storey and Sun Tower comprising 64 storeys.

The First phase of the project would be complete by 2009.

Labels: Abu Dhabi, Construction Projects, New Contracts, Sorouh

"; A leading Dubai real estate developer, Realty Capital Middle East FZ LLC, has awarded to Al Naboodah Contracting, a contract worth Dh.555 million for construction and implementation of the i-Rise Tower. The 37 storey commercial realty project is located in the TECOM (Technology and Media Free zone) in Dubai.

The tower will be the largest in the region, comprising a built-up area of more than 1 million and eight hundred square feet. The unique wave-like profile of the tower reflects the advanced infrastructure and the technology-focused vision of the development.

The i-Rise Tower will provide office modules that begin from 700 sq ft in size, in a free-zone location. The development also comprises the best amenities. The commercial project is so designed to include executive and corporate offices, coffee shops, restaurants, 18 high speed elevators, fitness center, retail space, a multi-storey car park and a helipad.

The CEO of Realty Capital - Middle East, Marwan G. Mansour, said "Time is critical for this project, as investors expect timely delivery of the project. With Al NAboodah on their wheels, we are confident about delivering the project in time, while also meeting the highest quality in standards. Currently the phase one of the project is progressing smoothly, and hence we expect a smooth transition to the second phase of construction."

Labels: Business Tower, Construction Projects, New Contracts, Office Space

"; Zenath Real Estate has announced the commencement of construction works on the Dh.50million worth, auto Showroom complex in Dubai Investments Park.

Zenath, part of Khalid Abdullah Al Ghurair Group, is constructing a showroom in Partnership with Western Auto, a leading automobile trading company in UAE, also a part of ETA-Star Group.

Spread across an area of 101,000 Square Feet, the auto Showroom Complex comprises seven showrooms with various sizes, located in close proximity to the Emirates Road, Green Community, and the Emirates Road.

Apart from housing Western Auto vehicles, the showroom complex will be rented out to other automobile retailers who can influence the facilities and location of the complex. The complex will have ample parking space for visitors and each showroom will display advertising materials, and placement of promotion by the retailers.
The project is due for completion towards mid-2008.

The Group Director of Zenath, SM Sadique, says "The construction of the state-of-the-art auto showroom in partnership with Western Auto will add a new dimension to our project portfolio."

Zenath announced the launch of a new string of commercial, residential and hotel projects in UAE, worth Dh.2billion. Other projects in pipeline are 10 luxurious hotels across the country, a shopping mall in the Dubai Investments Park, and numerous other residential and commercial projects in and around Dubai.

Western Auto specializes in sales and purchase of vehicles in all categories. They provide a range of retail packages to meet all customer needs that range from import-export of automotive brands to luxury models, purchase and sales of new and used cars, finance packages, vehicle insurance and warranty, supply of spare parts, vehicle registration etc.

Labels: Construction Projects, New Contracts, Real Estate Projects

"; Omniyat Properties, the real estate branch of the UAE-based 'Omniyat Holdings', has awarded its AED345 million (US$92million) 'Bayswater' project, a 25 storey commercial tower, to China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), appointing them as the main contractor for the project.



The project, which is expected to come up on a prime waterfront location in Business Bay district, Dubai, has now stepped into its second phase, after the enabling works were completed by Al Dhafra Piling Contracting Company (APCC). At present, about 25 percent of the main construction and 33 percent of the overall development have already been completed.

Omniyat Properties have agreed that the work is progressing as scheduled, and the work is likely to be completed by the third quarter of 2008.

CSCED is the most successful and one of the largest international contractors in the world, bringing with it the rich experience of working in landmark properties across the glove, and have received numerous awards for timely delivery of projects, and for meeting quality standards.

The contract has been handed-over just after the confirmation from the developer that the first phase of construction work on this freehold commercial tower has been completed.

The Managing Director, CSCEC, Yu Tao, expressing the company's excitement to be involved in the unique and innovative project, said that they are proud to be associated with a developer such as Omniyat Properties, who has been developing the most technologically advanced properties.

The tower, designed by Dubarch, the leading Dubai-based architects, is unique in its shape and is an optical illusion which looks like two slim towers side by side to the viewer, taking the shape of the letter X.

The tower is targeted to medium-sized companies looking for Grade-A office space.

The tower projects hi-tech features such as multiple access points, high ratios of parking to office space, 825 bays spread over the four podium floors and two basement. The building comprises two penthouse office floors, a podium with terrace, and a few waterfront loft-style offices.

Labels: Business Bay, Business Tower, Commercial Property, New Contracts, Office Space, Omniyat

"; City of Arabia, the milestone project in the heart of Dubailand, has announced the appointment of Hill International, a leading global consulting firm, as the Construction Managers for the mega shopping complex, Mall of Arabia, which is one of the largest and ambitious retail outlets in the world.



Hill International has worked on major construction management projects such as the Shams in Abu Dhabi, Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and Comcast Center in Philadelphia.

"We are delighted to appoint Hill International as our Construction Managers. We have had a long standing relationship with Hill since 2005, and hence we appointed them as the Project Managers for City of Arabia development. We are confident that Hill can manage the construction of mega Mall of Arabia, with the progress of this challenging and innovative project further," say Ilyas Galadari, the Chairman, Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group.

The City of Arabia is the largest private property projects in the major development in Dubailand. The downtown Dubailand comprises the Mall of Arabia, the largest shopping mall in the region, a dinosaur theme park with 100 animatronic dinosaurs, the Restless Planet; and a 10km Wadi Walk, with Mediterrancean style apartments, shops and cafes apart from the canal - thirty four tower blocks for mixed use i.e., hotel, residential, commercial.

This realty project in Dubai, on its completion, will provided housing for about 35000 residents.

Labels: City-of-Arabia, Construction Projects, Dubailand, Mall-of-Arabia, New Contracts, Shopping Mall

"; The construction contract for the first phase of the Dh.800million Yasmin Village has been awarded to Jog Union Engineering by its developers Union Group of Companies (UGC) and the RAK Real Estate.

Yasmin Village is a rural, family-oriented commercial and residential project located in Ras Al Khaima.

The project will help in creating an environment-friendly neighbourhood, where only hybrid battery operated cars will be used. It will be a closed community with an environment-friendly surrounding wherein almost all aspect of the nature, including water will be recycled.

The UGC Director for Business Development, Mahesh Ram said that Jog Union was awarded the construction contract after a thorough due diligence process and after carrying out various rounds of critical evaluation.

Labels: Construction Projects, New Contracts, Ras Al Khaima

"; The construction contract of Dubai Investment Properties (DIP) LLC Office Tower in Business Bay district of Dubai has been awarded to Dubai Contracting Company (DCC), a major international construction company in Dubai.

The project involves development of a luxurious forty five storey commercial tower, with a separate fourteen storey car park and two basements on Sheikh Zayed Road.
The Investment and Marketing Manager of DCC, Wissam Otaky, said "The DIP tower is a great addition to our projects portfolio, and provides office space solutions with premium quality finishing."

The commercial project will spread over an area of 70,172 square meters, and will comprise of the latest and state-of-the-art technologies, meant for business purposes with supreme functionality, without any kind of compromise on elegance and aesthetics.

DCC, along with Arkiteknik International Consulting Engineers, who are also the architects behind projects such as the Twin Towers Deira, Flora Creek, and the Grand Hyatt Dubai, will together carry the project forward. The tower is in preliminary stages of construction and is due to be completed by 2009.

Labels: Business Bay, Construction Projects, New Contracts

"; Nakheel has appointed SMRT Engineering, a subsidiary of SMRT Corporation of Singapore, for the operations of Dh.1.4 billion monorail in The Palm Jumeirah.

The contract will be finalized and SMRTE will soon be appointed as the operator for The Palm Monorail.

The contract was awarded to SMRTE by Nakheel through a competitive tender. There were four international submissions that have been reviewed over a span of three months.

The Palm Monorail is the first of its kind in the Middle East, and is expected to be developed by a group of major international companies under the leadership of Marubeni Corporation. The monorail is a Hitachi-based double tracked system that are 5.45kms elevated with four stations. The project is hundred percent automatic and driverless, although an attendant will always be available on board. The monorail has the capacity to carry about 2400 passengers per hour in each route in four separate trains, with three cars. The maximum capacity would be to carry 6000 people in nine vehicles.

The construction work is expected to be completed by November 2008, and happens to coincide with the Atlantis launch, The Palm Jumeirah.

The Palm Monorail, apart from being the first such system in the region, will also turn out to be a global milestone for the transportation industry.

Labels: Construction Projects, Nakheel, New Contracts, Palm Islands, Palm Jumeirah

"; According to a statement, The L&T - ECC (Eastern Contracting Company) joint venture has been awarded the $150 million construction contract for construction of Victory Heights Golf Residential and Development.

The Victory Heights Golf Residential and Development is basically a joint-venture between the Dubai Sports City and Arcapita, an investment Bank based in Bahrain.

The L&T-ECC joint venture will construct the final phase of the Victory Heights luxury residential community project in Dubai Sports City.

The project comprises construction of 295 villas in the Calida, Novelia, Carmen and Morella villages of the community. The entire project of Victory Heights covers 25 million square feet of space and contains 935 town homes and villas located in and around 'The Dunes' golf course. Prices begin from Dh.2.87 million.

Labels: Dubai Sports City, New Contracts, Real Estate Company, Villa Projects

"; The General Construction Company (GCC) has been appointed as the main contractor for the Al Mazaya Business Avenue project at the Jumeirah Lakes, worth Dh.1.25billion. The contract work has been handed over to GCC by Al Mazaya Holding.

The project comprises three towers of forty five storey each, for commercial purpose. The cost of construction is said to touch Dh.799million. The project is scheduled for delivery by 2009.

The Executive Manager and CEO of Al Mazaya Holding, Khalid Esbaith, said “The economic growth of UAE has prompted several international firms to open branches in the UAE and Dubai. However, there is a lack of office space. Al Mazaya Business Avenue will help in alleviating the shortage of commercial office space to a great extent.”

Among the three towers of the project, the first tower was snapped by the Hilal Al Zarroni Group and Dynasty Enterprises for $111 million, the second building was stumped by Hilal Al Zarooni and Baraq Group for $109 million. The third tower will be let out as a long term investment for Al Mazaya to generate revenue.

Labels: Business Tower, Construction Projects, Dubai Real Estate, New Contracts, Real Estate Company

"; Al Jaber, the Abu Dhabi-based group, has been awarded the Dh.977 million contract for construction of 579 villas in the Victory Heights cluster of the Dubai Sports City.

The Victory Heights Golf Residential Development is a joint-venture between the Dubai Sports City and Arcapita, a Bahrain-investment bank.

The Phase one comprises construction of the 579 of the total 935 villas of the prestigious victory heights golf course villa community, located within Dubai Sports City.

The total value of the contract is Dh.977million, and the first set of homes will be delivered during April 2008.

The General Manager of Victory Heights, Yasser Abdullah, said "The Victory Heights development is a unique endeavour and choosing the right contractors is imperative to ensure first-class quality. Al Jaber met our stringent requirements with their excellent track record and experience with other high level developments across the region."

Apart from a few five-bedroom A and B type villas, majority of the Phase one of the golf course villas and townhouses have already been sold out.

Labels: Dubai Sports City, New Contracts, Real Estate Projects, Villa Projects

"; Aldar Properties, the leading Abu Dhabi developer, has awarded the construction contract of its Al Gurm Resort Residential villas to Six Construct.

The construction will include the supervision of the infrastructure development, and its related service. The luxury villas will be developed in different phases and is scheduled for completion by May 2009.

The Al Gurm Resort will be located in the tropical mangrove forests of Abu Dhabi, on the edge of waters with lagoons and indigenous wildlife, with about sixty species of birds. The resort will consist of seventy three luxury homes, and about 158 five-star suites and will be managed by the Banyan Tree Hotel Resorts.

The Aldar Chariman, Ahmad Al Sayegh, said "Aldar is proud of the Al Gurm Resort project. Apart from being an icon for Abu Dhabi, the stunning residential development will significantly add to the already expanding tourism sector of the emirate, through the world-class hotel that is likely to be established."

Labels: New Contracts, New Hotels, Resorts

"; Arabtec, together with Dubai Contracting Company (DCC) have won a contract, worth Dh.1 billion for working on a hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

The work includes the main hotel building construction, comprising four basement levels, mezzanine and ground floors and fifty one storeys, Arabtec has revealed.

The contract is worth Dh.1,076 million, but the company who has awarded the work is yet to be disclosed.

Arabtec Holding, Managing Director, Riad Kamal, said "The participation of DCC with Arabtec in this joint venture is due to the successful track record of earlier joint-venture for the construction work of the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai."

Arabtec, established in 1975, employs more than 24,000 people.

Labels: Arabtec, Construction Projects, New Contracts

"; The contract for Dh.500million flagship project, 'The Prism' at the Business Bay, has been awarded to Commodore Contracting by Credo Investments.

The President of Credo Investments, Sajjad M. Rashid, and the Commodore Contracting Chairman, Ameen Hesdin, have signed the contract for the project, due to be one of the most prestigious commercial properties in Business Bay.

The CEO of Credo Investments, Mohammad Dewji, said, "We have appointed reputed companies for contracting and project management, and as Business Bay, by itself is a prestigious development, we offer an equivalent quality standard to our investors in The Prism. The quality and safety which pervades in all our projects have helped us in creating trust among all our clients."

Rashid also mentioned that the ideal location of The Prism is a great advantage. The Prism, being located at the entrance of the 64million square feet Business Bay, overlooks Shaikh Zayed Road.

Rashid assured that all aspects of the project are being taken into consideration carefully, so that the property could be handed over on time.

The work on three main elements of Business Bay, such as the laying of foundation towers, establishing ultra-modern infrastructure and extension of Dubai Creek are going on at a speedy pace. Quite a few local and global companies have already chosen it as their business location in future.

Labels: Business Bay, Construction Projects, New Contracts

"; Ed Zublin has been awarded the Dh.380 million contract by Aldar Properties for construction of Inja-zat's data center and office facility.

Injazat Data System, one of the leading Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) and Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) company has announced that the new project will enable advanced IT-enabled services and hosting facility.

The project, located at Madinat Mohammad Bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, covers 17,000 square meters in area and comprises a two storey Tier IV data center with a data hall of 2000 square meter in size designed to support about 9000 serves and associated infrastructure.

It also comprises a headquarters with five storey, that has the capacity to accommodate about thousand employees, featuring a 200-seat auditorium, library, gymnasium, coffee shop, eight storey car park and other recreational facilities.

"The selected contractor and design teams for the project are quite reputable and are ideal to implement the scope of requirements for such a high-profile project. Zublin was selected after an extensive commercial and technical evaluation process and were chosen on the demonstration of their expertise and market experience to implement the project," said the Senior Development Manager of Aldar Properties, HAzem Al Nowais.

The Manager of Data Center Services at Injazat said that the data center is likely to offer world-class services, while also giving us the ability to expand our service coverage across the entire region, providing clients with high level of performance.

Labels: New Contracts, Office Space

"; Tameer Holding has entered into an agreement with Arabian Construction Company (ACC), worth Dh.605 million, for being the main contractor of Elite Residence in Dubai Marina.

ACC has already been custom-made to work on Tameer's Princess Tower in Dubai.

The Elite Residence comprises ninety one storeys with eighty two residential floors, four basements, four car parking floors, covering an area of 1.4 million square feet at a height of 380 meters.

"Our timetable for completion of the project is thirty months, after the preparation of piling operations and the site", says Hassan Auji, ACC General Manager.

Labels: New Contracts

"; The Engineering and Contracting Company (ECC) has been appointed as the main contractor for the Smart Heights project at TECOM by Damac Properties.

The project is due for completion by end of 2008.

Smart Heights is the second project of Damac in TECOM, the first being 'Executive Heights', an office tower.

Smart Heights offers an office space of 288,000 square feet with 22,000 square feet of retail outlets and six levels parking. Among the other amenities are the day care center and health care.

International Foundation Group was the enabling works contractor.

Labels: Damac Properties, New Contracts, Real Estate Company

"; A Malaysian Contractor, Tidalmarine Engineering (TME), has been awarded the Dh.600 million contract of constructing the Mina Al Fajer Resort in Fujairah, by the Mina Al Fajer Real Estate.

A statement from the company said "The selection of TME comes just after the launch of the project, which highlights the commitment of Mina Al Fajer to complete the project as scheduled, towards end of 2009."

Ahmad Ali Khafan Al Daheri, the Vice Chairman of Mina Al Fajer Real Estate, and the TME Regional Manager, Nik Abdullah, entered into an agreement on behalf of their companies.

The Construction of Mina Al Fajer Resort is expected to start this month and is likely to be completed by 2009.

Mina Al Fajer is basically a sea-front community which includes a marina, 13 solarium villas, 80 Marina Apartments, in addition to a five star restaurant with 200 rooms, which will be managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

The Managing Director of Mina Al Fajer Real Estate and Director of Development and Investment, Abdul Rahman Al Awar, said the Marina, being an important aspect of the resort, it is vital to have a partner who has expertise to complete such a project on time.

Al Awar mentioned "The marina at the Mina Al Fajer Resort is one among the main attractions of the entire development, so we have taken great care to choose a company that will build it the way we envisioned it."

Labels: Mina Al Fajer, New Contracts

"; Arabtec Holding yesterday announced that it has been awarded a Dh.370m ($101 million) contract of designing and constructing villas at Umm Al Quwain Marina.

About 277 villas are being planned under the leadership of Emaar Properties. The project will be completed within two years.

With this, the total number of villas currently under construction by Arabtec will reach a total of 2,801, with 759 villas for Emaar, 558 for Dubai Properties and 1484 villas for Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Programme.

During the last four years, Arabtec had already completed 4,964 villas with 4,386 villas for Emaar properties at Emirates Lakes, Emirates Hills, Springs, Meadows, Arabian Ranches and about 560 villas for Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Labels: Arabtec, Emmar, New Contracts, Umm Al Quwain, Umm Al Quwain Marina

"; India’s Larsen and Toubro (L&T ) has won a Dh.177.6 million (Rs.2billion) deal from Nakheel for construction of residential project in Dubai. The project will be under the execution of ECC, the construction division of L&T.

The project comprises construction of luxury villas and other infrastructure facilities such as club house and children’s play area at Jumeirah Islands.

The entire construction work, which involves construction of 31 luxury villas, is due for completion within 548 days from the day of commencement of works.

This is for the third time that, Nakheel, the leading project developer in UAE, has been awarding projects to L&T. The other two being the middle bridges at the trunk of Palm Jumeirah Island which has already been completed, and the Mogul Gardens.

Larsen and Toubro Limited, the $4 billion Engineering and Construction Company with global operations, is one of the most respected and largest companies among the private sectors in India.

Labels: Luxury Homes, New Contracts, Residential

"; Sharjah-based Tameer Holding yesterday said it has awarded a contract worth Dh522 million to Al Rajhi Projects & Construction to build phase one of the Al Ameera Village project in Ajman. Al Rajhi will construct 41 residential buildings in Al Ameera Village, with work beginning this month.

“Al Ameera Village is one of the most important developments in the UAE right now. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Al Rajhi,” said Omar Ayesh, President, Tameer Holding.

When completed, Al Ameera Village will contain a five-star hotel, shopping mall, and residential and business facilities. With extensive amenities for families and executives, it is located off the Emirates Ring Road close to both Sharjah and Dubai.

“Ajman is now a market in itself, with other property developers becoming increasingly attracted to the emirate. But Tameer Holding was the leader in penetrating this relatively underdeveloped emirate,” Ayesh said.

Ziad Al Mous, General Manager, Al Rajhi, said the plans for Al Ameera Village show the project will “accelerate the progress of Ajman as a whole due to its improvement of the local infrastructure, its general services and the international standards of its architectural design”. [Emirates Today]

Labels: Ajman, New Contracts

"; Sports City yesterday awarded contracts worth Dh830 million to a joint venture of Dubai-based Arabtec Construction and German company Max Bogl for construction of two stadiums.




The total development cost of Dubai Sports City, the world’s first integrated purpose-built sports city, is expected to touch $3.2 billion (Dh11.7bn) when it is completed in 2010. It will be an increase of almost 30 per cent since launch in March 2004. The increase to soaring raw material prices and an expansion of the multi-purpose outdoor stadium to accommodate 60,000 people from the previous capacity of 25,000.

The joint venture will design and build a 60,000-seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium and a 10,000-seat multipurpose indoor stadium. The stadiums will be designed by gmp, an international firm that designed the Olympic Stadium in Berlin and the Commerz Bank Stadium in Frankfurt.

The multi-purpose stadium will fully comply with specifications for international football, rugby, American football and athletics events.

The indoor stadium will allow for a wide range of sporting events such as ice hockey, basketball, tennis and volleyball. The venue will also be capable of hosting concerts and other major public gatherings.

A 25,000-capacity cricket stadium and a 5,000-seat hockey stadium, both of which are due for completion in early 2008, complete the quartet of major stadiums at Sports City. The first phase will be completed by the first quarter of 2008, and the residential components by the end of 2008 and 2010.

Labels: Dubai Sports City, New Contracts

"; The Emirates Financial Towers awarded the construction of its tower worth $120 million at the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) to TAV (Tepe Akfen VIE Investment Construction and Operation).

Emirates Financial Towers are basically twin structures comprising 26 Storeys with Grade A office space, residential units and shops.

The contract follows a number of earlier agreements of Emirates Financial Towers with companies such as Al Qurg Engineering for the supervision of construction works, Projacs International for project management, MAG Robotic Systems for development of the hi-tech parking facility which is likely to have fully automated parking space, the largest ever in the world.

The Chief Executive of Emirates Financial Towers, Hani Abu Auida, has mentioned that TAV has been awarded the contract due to their high achievement records that are in consistency with the goals of Emirates Financial Towers so that it reaches the highest professional standards while also adhering to the deadlines.

TAV has won this project by competing with five other companies. Though the prominent development of TAV is the airport construction, it has several other projects in UAE, Turkey and other countries. The completed projects of TAV are worth $1 billion, while its ongoing projects are worth about $1.3 billion.

Labels: Construction Projects, New Contracts

"; One of the leading real estate companies in the region, Tameer Holding, has awarded the designing contract of its major project Tameer Towers, in Shams Abu Dhabi, to Gensler.

Shams Abu Dhabi, situated in Reem Island, is one among the most wonderful real estate development projects in Abu Dhabi.

This deal is following the earlier agreement between Tameer Holding and Sorouh Real Estate for development of the Gate District and Abu Dhabi Towers at Shams Abu Dhabi. The agreement between these two firms is considered as a unique one in the Abu Dhabi property market. The total cost of the whole project is expected to touch Dh.13billion.

Gensler is the biggest and reputable architectural firm in the world. The President of Tameer Holding, Omar Ayesh, has mentioned that the vast experience of Gensler will be a major contribution to the expanding portfolio of their firm across the region.

Labels: Construction Projects, New Contracts

"; The Dubai Municipality is planning to turn the construction dump of Al Warqa into a leading residential unit, by creating a unique design.The execution of this project will be carried out as per the directives from the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

A technical task force, which is headed by the Acting Director General of the Municipality, Hussein Lootah, has already been set up. The team is said to have visited the site for identifying the acceptable altitudes and coordinates, and other planning requirements.

The dump in the area will be reclaimed by restructuring the contour elevations, and the area will be filled with arable soil and sand. A big public garden is likely to be done and other infrastructure facilities including drainage and sewerage network is being planned.

Another alternative for disposal of construction waste has also been explored. The Warqa dump usually receives 35,000 tonnes of construction wastes a day from 2800 odd trucks, in addition to 300 trucks of surplus sands from projects. The municipality has entered into a contract with a company specialized in managing and recycling the construction waste.

Labels: New Contracts, Residential

"; Sobha has been awarded Dh.125million IT Plaza Construction Contract at

Labels: New Contracts

"; Two construction deals for the $33-billion logistics and aviation project in Jebel Ali, has been awarded to a Kuwait group, MA Kharafi & Sons, by DWC (Dubai World Central).

The Kuwait-based group, MA Kharafi &Sons, have been handed over the task of constructing the Dh1.5b Headquarters and office park of the DLC (Dubai Logistics City) which is scheduled for completion by March 2009.

The second construction contract was awarded to National Company, which is also
a part of Kharafi group which involves construction of two utility complexes so
that the district cooling requirements for facilities of DWC’s first phase could
be met.

DLC has sixteen air cargo terminals with a capacity to handle air cargo of about twelve million tones, and covers an area of 25 Sq kms. The total area covered by DWC is 140 Sq kms, developed by DCA (Department of Civil Aviation in Dubai). With a capacity to handle about 120 million passengers, the DWC is likely to be the world’s largest Airport.

Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed al Maktoum, the Chairman of DWC, who is also the President of DCA and the Chief Executive of Emirates Group, mentioned that the great aviation city which is centered on the DWC International Airport will actually place Dubai in top-most positions for tourism, commerce and regional logistics.

A couple of other projects are also under negotiations which include construction of a passenger terminal building contract, which is likely to handle a few million passengers every year and scheduled for completion by the year end.

Another six runways are being planned. The work is likely to reach its peak during end of 2009 and initial part of 2010 involving about 20,000 on-site workers.

DWC expects a population of 900,000 on completion.

Labels: New Contracts

"; ETA Star, the Dubai-based property developer has handed over construction contracts for three projects in the UAE, which is worth more than Dh.1 billion.

The company has entered into a deal with Dubai-based contractors Civil Company for construction of a four block apartment complex, Centrium, at the International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) located in Emirates Road.

In the meanwhile, the tender for Al Manara Project (a commercial tower designed by Singapore firm) which is located at the Business Bay master development was handed over to Ascon by ETA Star.

The last contract was picked up by Fast Contracting for the work on a
residential project Star Heights, located in Al Nahda, Sharjah, the
construction of which, is likely to last for more than twenty five months.
The officials of ETA Star said that the company is laying emphasis on the construction of the main structures. The Al Manara project is scheduled to be completed by 10th January 2009, while the Centrium is due for completed by 15th May 2009.

The Executive Director of the ETA Star company, Abid Junaid, has assured the investors that the projects will be completed by the scheduled dates. Lot of Real Estate Developers have been in crisis due to lack of contractors and sub-contractors, limited labour pool and the fluctuating raw material prices, which in turn is leading to major delays in project deliveries.

Labels: New Contracts

"; The infrastructure works for the first phase of the Dh.6.6 billion “Al Barari” project has been awarded to Al Naboodah Engineering Services, by Al Barari Development Company.

About three hundred lavish villas are likely to be constructed at the royal enclave of Nad Al Sheba with a net land area of 9.2 million sq. feet. Al Naboodah has been contracted to provide the roads, irrigation, high voltage electrical network, sewerage and drainage network, lakes and waterways for the project in addition to other such contracts.

According to the Chairman of the Al Barari Development Company, the Villas offering a luxurious living will have only eighteen percent of the development built up. The balance 82 percent is earmarked for lakes, waterways, botanical gardens and walkways, with each villa being only a few steps away from a botanical garden. The development takes the form of a tree, with 30 clusters (leaves) in the initial phase, comprising of nine to twelve villas per leaf. Each villa will have five to seven bedrooms with views of adjoining wildlife reserve, botanical gardens and waterways.

Labels: New Contracts

"; Oger Abu Dhabi has been awarded the Dh.1.5 billion construction package for building the new campus of UAE University in Al Ain. The construction project has been awarded by to Oger by the Mubadala Development Company.

The bid made by Oger was most competitive both in long-term commercial and technical value as against the other four bidders namely Arabtech, ACC, CCC and Al Habtoor. The Chief Operating Officer of Mubadala Development said that the competition was very close, but Oger Abu Dhabi had the best value proposal.

The new campus is likely to have modern teaching and recreational facilities including student and staff accommodation. The construction is likely to be completed in four years time, with the first phase scheduled to be ready by mid-2008.

The General Manager for Oger, Mohammad Fakhouri, mentioned that by working in a competitive market, Oger Abu Dhabi is committed to provide Mubadala Development its distinctive and highest quality services that match the international standards.

Labels: New Contracts

"; Shapoorji Pallonji has been appointed as the main contractor by Damac Properties for its Park Towers project worth Dh.600 million at the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC). According to the developer, the construction is expected to begin in January and is scheduled to be completed within twenty seven months.

This multi-million project is evocative of The Gherkin, in London city and is linked to the DIFC through underground areas. According to Damac CEO, Peter Riddoch, the Park Towers at DIFC will be built with the highest construction standards and will provide the latest in living standards and services. He added that Damac will build the best for DIFC which suits their requirements, in hosting leading investors and financial service companies.

Labels: New Contracts

"; Nuzul Holding BSC and Ascott International have bagged two contracts in Bahrain and Qatar.

Ascott International inked management contract with Nuzul Holding BSC for two serviced residences - Somerset Juffair in Manama, Bahrain, and Somerset Corniche in Doha, Qatar.

Somerset Juffair in Manama, Bahrain is 118 unit while Somerset Corniche in Doha, Qatar is 200 unit. With this contract, Ascott International will manage the twin properties for 10 years.

Labels: New Contracts

"; Kuwait's Abyaar Real Estate Development has appointed Pulse Holdings to drive develop all commercial, hospitality and retail outlets.

Pulse will activate Abyaar's Dubai Marina apartment towers which will be followed by a further major development to be launched at this year's Cityscape. Pulse was chosen for its proven retailing expertise at the luxury end of the market.

With previous experience of placing prestigious brands in the most successful mixed-use projects in Dubai, including Emirates Towers and Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Pulse understands the needs and expectations of consumers, developers and retailers.

Pulse revealed that the Abyaar contract involved maintaining the company's key differentiators through profiling the retail mix to meet stakeholders' exacting demands.

Labels: Luxury Homes, New Contracts