Gulf Construction Online

UAE Focus

Max ... GBS chief executive.

Update

01 March 2009

Ground broken on 5th Avenue tower
WORK has started on a new tower within the Emirates Lake Towers residential development in Ajman, UAE.

Called 5th Avenue Ajman, the freehold tower is one of five projects being undertaken by GBS Group Holding. Construction started immediately after a ground-breaking ceremony last month and the project is to be completed by the last quarter of 2011, according to CEO Max Shaw.
Emirates Lake Towers will comprise a total of 51 towers and a five-star hotel.

Paints firm adopts new image
AL GURG Leigh’s Paints (AGLP) of the UAE has launched a new look to reflect its commitment to an environmentally-friendly future and will be known as AGP (Al Gurg Paints). The new corporate image is designed to reflect the rapid growth of the company and its commitment to build a more sustainable future with an updated look that marks the biggest change in the company’s visual identity to date.
“The most dramatic change in the industry has been the focus on more environmentally-friendly solutions, and I am proud that AGP is at the forefront of these developments,” says AGP chief manager Sunil Gudur. “Our new identity and operations will more clearly reflect that change.”

Zabeel buys into flooring firm
DUBAI-BASED Zabeel Capital has acquired a 51 per cent stake of ASP Access Floors’ operations in the UAE, which is responsible for the company’s operations in the Middle East and Asian markets. Founded in Australia, the company specialises in the manufacture, installation and supply of turnkey raised flooring solutions across the globe.
In an industry where the business community and property developers are looking to acquire or handover quick premium commercial space, the partnership can offer the investor a new fast solution through the manufacture and installation together in a one-stop process, says Jbran Rahal, managing director for Zabeel Capital.

Twin system for Latifa Tower
THYSSENKRUPP Elevator has received an order to supply two Twin systems with a total of four cabs as well as 17 conventional elevators for the Latifa Tower in Dubai. On completion of the 210-m-high residential and office building planned for 2010, these will be the first Twin elevator installations in use in Dubai. While the upper Twin cabs in the tower will travel in the shafts at up to 6 m per second, the lower cabs will reach a speed of up to 4 m per second.
In addition to the two Twin systems, two of the 17 conventional elevators are also suitable for use as Twins. If needed, they can be extended into a complete Twin system through the installation of a second cab.

Tiger’s golf course gets grass
GRASSING work has commenced on the 18-hole championship Al Ruwaya Golf Course in Dubai, the world’s first golf course to be designed by Tiger Woods Design.
Part of The Tiger Woods Dubai, a 55 million sq ft golf community development, the golf course will feature three different varieties of grass. Tifway 419 will be used in the fairways and rough, TifEagle on the greens and tees, and Tifdwarf on the approaches and expanded collars. All three strains have been procured from Atlanta, Georgia, in the US. The grassing is under way under the supervision of IMG Golf Course Management.
Located at Dubailand, The Tiger Woods Dubai is fast taking shape as an exclusive golf community encompassing 22 palaces, 75 mansions, and 100 luxury villas and community service facilities.

Aquarius pledge on payments
CIRRUS Developments, developer of the Aquarius Gate, has implemented a new payment plan under which customers will only need to make future payments once certain construction milestones have been met.
The move has been approved by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) and follows a proactive approach by Cirrus Developments to have the new payment plan for its $816 million project reviewed and supported by Rera.
Aquarius Gate comprises two towers – one residential and the other commercial – located in Madinat Al Arab, the premier beachfront community at Nakheel’s Waterfront.

DEC Towers handed over
DUBAI real estate developer Dheeraj & East Coast is in the final stages of handing over its first project, DEC Towers, to end-users and investors.
A freehold development, the twin, DEC Towers, stand out for their contemporary design, latest amenities and the view of Dubai Marina, which has emerged amongst the most-sought-after residential addresses in Dubai. DEC Towers offers 507 residential units, around 2,900 sq m of retail area, in addition to supporting services and facilities.

Lights installed at industrial city
AL HANOO Holding, the main developer of Emirates Industrial City (EIC), has completed installing the lighting for internal roads and roads in EIC after connecting with Sharjah’s electricity grid.
The installation included 275 lights with the collaboration of Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, after finishing asphalting works for the roads surrounding EIC.

i-Rise is on track
REALTY Capital has announced that construction on its 37-storey i-Rise business tower in Dubai remains on schedule and will finish on time in mid-2010. The casting of the tower’s fourth podium floor slab is under way while works for the fifth podium level are already in progress. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations as well as block-works are also ongoing at the basement and podium levels.
Being built at a cost of $272 million, the 1.8 million-sq-ft development at Tecom will become one of the largest office towers in the region upon its completion.

Rainbow Towers rising
CONSTRUCTION of the Dh1.7 billion ($462 million) Rainbow Towers is witnessing exceptional progress and is on track for delivery by 2010, according to Sweet Homes, a leading UAE-based developer. The announcement follows the awarding of the Dh450-million ($122 million) main contract to Sharjah’s Master Civil Construction Company (MCC) for three of the nine 31-storey residential buildings, which comprise the entire project. MCC has committed to completing the main works within 24 months.

Palladium opens doors
THE PALLADIUM, Dubai’s multi-purpose entertainment venue, will open this month. Built at a cost of Dh220 million ($68 million) by entertainment and media entrepreneur Raymond Gaspar, the venue is capable of staging everything from large scale theatre and musicals to rock and classical concerts; opera to exhibitions; weddings and banquets, conferences to seminars.

Paints firm adopts new image
CAUSEWAY, a specialist in construction software, has opened a new office in Dubai to serve the Middle East. The company already has an impressive list of clients that include Al Raha Beach through the joint venture company Aldar Laing O’Rourke. Other clients include Al-Futtaim Carillion, Laing O’Rourke Middle East, Arabtec, Cyril Sweett, Davis Langdon, EC Harris, Faithful & Gould, Mace International, Turner and Townsend and the Ministry of Interior of Bahrain.

Safety drill conducted
NATIONAL Projects and Construction (NPC) last month conducted an extensive fire and emergency evacuation training at the NPC site at Reem Island involving 563 personnel including subcontractors.
The drill, which was held in coordination with the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, also had participants from Tamouh, the master developer of Reem Island. The speedy response during the evacuation procedure underlined the entire team’s preparedness for emergency situations. The exercise was meant to enhance safety procedures across construction sites in the UAE, an initiative that is taking on greater importance this year.