Gulf Construction Online

UAE Focus

Update

01 January 2009

Damac hands over Terra Sol units
DAMAC Properties has commenced the handover process at Terra Del Sol, its project at Discovery Gardens.

Two buildings comprising 99 units each, Terra Del Sol 1 and 2 are part of the Mediterranean community at the massive Discovery Gardens project that spreads across a 26-million-sq-ft plot. Discovery Gardens consists of six themed communities inspired by garden living, and includes Zen, Mediterranean, Contemporary, Mogul, Mesoamerican and Cactus courtyard gardens. In addition to 198 units in Terra Del Sol, the company is gearing up to handover another 7,100 units by 2010.
Polymers park breaks ground
CONSTRUCTION work is under way and on schedule on Abu Dhabi Polymers Park’s first industrial plot in Mussafah. The first factory will host Bonar Emirates Technical Yarns, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation (ADBIC) and Low & Bonar, an international performance materials manufacturer. The total investment in the plant, which will manufacture artificial grass yarn, is estimated at $25 million.
Abu Dhabi Polymers Park is planning to construct three further factory buildings for leasing on the same industrial plot this year, for which the total expected investment amounts to more than $27 million.
RWI wins insulation contract
RUBBER World Industries (RWI) has won a contract to supply rubber insulation products for the Green Community West Villas and Apartments, a high-profile community in Dubai Investment Park. Alphanoor Electromechanical Works (AEW), the MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) contractor for the project, placed an order for RWI products worth Dh875,000 ($238,225). The contract involves the delivery of RWI’s elastomeric duct insulation sheet, a 13-mm-thick flexible, elastomeric thermal insulation that has a smooth black-coloured skin on one side, which forms the exposed insulation surface. The product is primarily used to retard heat gain and control condensation drip from chilled water and refrigeration systems, in addition to efficiently reducing heat flow on hot systems.
Radcon waterproofs Abu Dhabi hotel
Radcrete Pacific’s flagship product, Radcon Formula #7, has been chosen to waterproof the roof areas at the Marina Hotel on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
The hotel forms part of Aldar’s Yas Island development and is an integral part of the Grand Prix circuit, with the track actually running through the hotel.
The waterproofing is being carried out by the Australian firm’s UAE distributor, Ali Bushnaq of Wadi Rum Décor, who recently used Radcon Formula #7 to waterproof the waterpark at Bahrain City Centre. Bushnaq commented:   “We are very proud to be involved in such a high-profile project which will be seen by millions of television viewers all over the world during the Grand Prix.”
Bushnaq said that one of the advantages of Radcon that appealed to the developer was its speed of application: “With a traditional membrane, it is normal to do a few hundred square metres in a day whereas we can easily cover 5,000 sq m in a day with Radcon.   This is an important factor in the Gulf, where construction always has tight deadlines and where labour is short.”
Armani Hotel gets aluminium supply
GULF Extrusions is catering to the aluminium requirements of the Armani Hotel that is currently under construction as part of the Burj Dubai development. Gulf Extrusions is supplying aluminium materials for all working areas in the hotel including the main lobby arches, main lobby suspended ceiling and the Kandahar Restaurant, based on the requirements stipulated by the designers of the luxury hotel.
The company was awarded the contract by Fino International, a leading interior contracting and finishing company, which is responsible for the interior work of the Armani Hotel.
“Being associated with the Armani Hotel is no doubt a matter of immense pride for Gulf Extrusions, and the fact that we were chosen to supply aluminium profiles for such a prestigious project is testament to our expertise, the superior quality of our products and our impressive track record,” said general manager Modar Al Mekdad.
XL Tower goes up
Damac Properties has announced that XL Tower, a modern and elegant commercial tower located at Business Bay, has reached the Podium Three level. In June this year, the tower also recorded one of the largest concrete pour in the company’s history when a total of 5,500 cu m of concrete was poured in 25 hours.
XL Tower reflects a unique elliptical design and provides 153,000 sq ft of office space and over 8,700 sq ft of retail space at ground level including shopping arcade, covered walkway, and parking for staff and customers.
Parallel roads make progress
Work is progressing according to schedule on the roads parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road, at Al Barsha and Al Qouz industrial areas.
This phase at Al Barsha is expected to be ready next month, while the Al Qouz industrial phase is set to be delivered by the middle of next year, according to Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The new roads at Al Barsha and Al Qouz Industrial areas comprise two roads parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road, extending 15 km from Muscat Road (currently Meydan) to 611 Road in the Eastern Road, and 18 km in the Western Road from Al Barsha and Al Qouz areas.
The entire Parallel Roads Project extends for 108 km, running from Sheikh Rashid Road in the north and terminating at the outskirts of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and includes bridges and intersections.
Desal plant commissioned at Palm
Palm Utilities has commissioned the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant at the Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, one of the three Palm islands.
The SWRO project has been part of Palm Utilities’ intensified expansion strategy to provide cutting-edge utility solutions to premier development projects in the UAE and across the region.
Utilising ultra filtration (UF) as pre-treatment technology – the first wide-scale use of such technology in the GCC – the SWRO plant supplies drinking/potable water to Atlantis, The Palm hotel and other developments within the crescent. Another seawater treatment facility will be commissioned in mid-2009, increasing total daily capacity to 64,000 cu m.
The seawater treatment projects are part of an agreement that will hand over ownership and ongoing stewardship responsibilities for the water and sewage infrastructure of Palm Jumeirah to Palm Water, Palm Utilities’ water utility division.
ACW starts work on projects
construction work on ACW Holdings projects at Jumeirah Village – which include Hanover Square, Kensington Manor and Knightsbridge Court – has begun.
ACW Holdings general manager Ian Pask said: “The first property developments that we took to the market were in Jumeirah Village and it is an area that we expect to play an important role in Dubai. For these reasons and on behalf of our investors, we are very excited to begin construction of these developments and to be part of Jumeirah Village.”
ACW Holdings entered the UAE property market in 2005 with the launches of Knightsbridge Court and Kensington Manor and the success of these developments influenced the company to expand into commercial property with the launch of The Light Commercial Tower last year.