Gulf Construction Online

UAE Focus

BurJuman ... the new space.

Update

01 April 2009

Mall completes expansion
BURJUMAN has completed the construction of 34,000 sq ft of new retail and restaurant space, which includes a redesigned exterior façade and direct main entrance from Khalid Bin Al Walid Street (Bank Street).

The new space currently has 10 retailers, with Unicare medical centre scheduled to open in the next few months along with other tenants by the end of the year.
The $4.9-million expansion is expected to fully complement the existing offer at the mall through a vibrant combination of value-added and quality stores in the new wing. BurJuman has shifted many of its existing retailers to the expansion to diversify its offer throughout the mall, providing customers with a wider range of services. The new wing can also be accessed from inside Paris Gallery, one of BurJuman’s flagship retailers.
Landscaping contract extended
DESERT Landscape has signed a new agreement for continued landscaping works at The Tiger Woods Dubai. The company has already played an integral role in the development of the project’s 28-hectare on-site turf nursery and 30-hectare tree nursery, providing more than 11,000 trees and 150,000 shrubs to the golf course alone.
The new agreement confirms its commitment to the construction of specific golfing components such as cart paths, lakes, streams and waterways, subsurface drainage and automated irrigation systems. To date grassing is complete on two holes.
The Tiger Woods Dubai is a private residential community that will include the world’s first golf course design created by Tiger Woods Design – the Al Ruwaya Golf Club.
Sorouh mock-up villas ready
SOROUH Real Estate has completed the ninth construction mock-up villa at alghadeer Sorouh. The mock-up villas have been built to scale by experts in sustainable architecture.
Each is fully fitted out and located in-situ to study a whole raft of best practice building initiatives from around the world prior to the selection of a building contractor. A key consideration in the selection processes will be energy saving and insulation techniques that offer environmental and cost-saving benefits to occupiers and the entire project, as well as quality, speed and efficiency of construction.
alghadeer Sorouh is a 3-million-sq-m development with investment zone status on the borders of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Part of the wider Saih As Sidirah regional master planned development, alghadeer Sorouh is on track to becoming one of the most significant new commuter destinations in the emirates from the delivery of the first homes in 2012.
Scania plant set for launch
SWEDISH truck and bus manufacturer Scania’s new industrial facility for assembly of complete vehicles in Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone) was poised to open for business late month.
With this industrial plant, Scania will become the first automotive assembler in the UAE and will supply completed vehicles to the whole GCC.
Located in a 20,000-sq-m industrial site in Jafza, the facility meets the highest environmental standards and is a green building, with Leed Gold certification. The installation will have the capacity for customisation of about 1,400 vehicles per year.
Operations will initially encompass vehicles for construction haulage, such as tipper and concrete trucks, but the facility will also be adapted for bus chassis assembly in the future.
Van Oord makes cutbacks
DREDGING company Van Oord has had to relocate the majority of its Dubai-based employees to projects in other parts of the world due to the severe delays and cancellations of Dubai’s water development projects, according to a press report.
Van Oord made a €190 million profit in 2008 and has been involved in projects such as the Palm Deira and The World. However, with the slowdown in projects – especially Nakheel’s water developments – its profits are likely to dip in 2009, the Gulf News reported, adding that from 1,900 staff and 10 ships in Dubai in 2008, Van Oord has now cut staff to a few hundreds, while only one ship remains.
i-Rise takes five
REALTY Capital has recently completed the fifth podium floor slab of its centrepiece i-Rise business tower in Dubai, which remains on schedule for its announced mid-2010 completion date. Work is now under way for two more slabs to complete the podium structure, which consists of larger concrete and steel quantities. Mechanical and electrical works are likewise running on schedule on the ground and podium floors, while the interior design team has started reviewing the finishes and is working out on the best possible design to match i-Rise’s façade.
GeoMax enters the Gulf
SWEDEN'S instrumentation specialist GeoMax has entered the Gulf with the appointment of Hillsborough as its distributor in the UAE.
Part of Hexagon Group, GeoMax’s portfolio of instruments includes total stations, GPSs (global positioning systems), lasers, rotators, optical and digital levels, related software and accessories for the surveying, engineering, construction, cadastre and GIS (geographic information system) market.
“The UAE market has a tremendous potential. With Hillsborough, GeoMax can rely on a partner which is familiar with the local market and well known to customers,” says Ola Rollén, the CEO of Hexagon. “Hillsborough’s team has the experience and knowledge in serving the needs of the local surveying, engineering and construction market.”
Aconex wins Al Zorah contract
TECHNOLOGY firm Aconex has been selected by Al Zorah Development Company to provide its online collaboration solution to the $1.6 billion infrastructure phase of one of the UAE’s largest developments, the Al Zorah masterplanned city in Ajman. The Aconex system will be used to manage information and link organisations involved in the project.
Aconex provides a web-based platform for managing project information such as drawings, documents and correspondence. By using the system, organisations involved in the development will be able to view, distribute and track their information online in real-time, from any location and at any time.
Scheduled over a 16-year period, with a potential construction value of $60 billion, Al Zorah is expected to be home to more than 200,000 people and include schools, leisure facilities, championship golf courses, marinas, and hotels.
Adnec car-parks on track
WORK on two multi-storey car-parks at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre will be completed by the end of the year, according to Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec). On completion, the car-parks will be able to accommodate approximately 6,200 vehicles.
Ahrend opens Mideast showroom
DUTCH furniture expert Ahrend has opened its Middle East showroom and headquarters at the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai along with its joint-venture partner, the Kanoo Group.
The showroom consists of two areas: one displaying a distinct range including the Ahrend Jetstream table, and another ‘living’ showroom, where specialists demonstrate the advantages of Mehes, Revolt and Facet – three classics designed by Friso Kramer – in a open and functional space.
Dewan celebrates silver jubilee
DEWAN Architects & Engineers celebrated 25 years of success and commitment to excellence in design and the built environment last month.
To commemorate its silver jubilee, the company hosted a full-day event for its employees, and key clients and partners, at the Maya Island Resort in Abu Dhabi on March 7. The event was attended by over 250 employees and guests.
Chairman Mohamed Al Assam awarded special commemorative 25th anniversary plaques to all “Dewanees”, the affectionate term coined for all staff who have served in the firm for more than 10 years and also announced a special anniversary bonus to all employees.
ETA Melco wins contract
MEMON Investments, a leading Dubai-based property developer and part of the international business conglomerate, the Memon Group of Companies, has awarded ETA Melco an elevator contract worth Dh1.52 million ($413,000) for Memon Investments’ Dh450-million ($122 million) Champions Tower IV. This is the third contract to be awarded by the developer to ETA Melco, following recent elevator contracts for Champions Tower II and Champions Tower III. All the Champions residential towers are located in Dubai Sports City.
Naboodah to build Harvard facility
AL NABOODAH Contracting has won a contract to construct a 350,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art facility for Harvard Medical School Dubai Center Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research (HMSDC).
The new facility in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) will serve as HMSDC’s permanent home and feature a 340-seat auditorium, a simulation centre utilising leading-edge technology and a collection of educational resources.
HMSDC is a part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Medical Centre in DHCC.
Ras Al Khor residences ready
THE first of 1,732 units at a residential leasing project in Ras Al Khor will be handed over this month, according to wasl, the asset management group owned by Dubai Real Estate Corporation (DREC).
The Dh645-million ($175 million) project is expected to meet anticipated demand and marks the transition of the industrial nature of the Ras Al Khor into a residential community. Built over an area of 2.4 million sq ft near Dubai-Hatta Highway, the project features 1,288 two-bedroom apartments and 444 one-bedroom units. A phased handover will continue until September 2009.
Memon’s Gardenia under way
MEMON Investments has kicked off work on the Dh150-million ($40.8 million) Gardenia I and II project in Jumeirah Village following the award of a Dh2.4 million ($653,000) shoring and excavation contract to the International Foundation Group (IFG). The developer also awarded a Dh520,000 ($141,500) elevator contract to Shanghai and Arabian Electromechanical (SAE).
Incorporating a mixture of residential, commercial and retail spaces, the five-storey project features studios, one- and two-bedroom units, and loft apartments, as well as retail units on the ground floor.
Demolition expert boosts presence
UK demolition contractor Clifford Devlin has expanded its operations into the Middle East with the establishment of a permanent presence in the UAE.
The company has set up offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to coordinate its technical demolition services throughout the Gulf. Its regional construction partner in Abu Dhabi is the Bin Moosa Group.
Clifford Devlin’s Middle East operation will be coordinated by commercial manager Nabil Zeini. He will be supported by a UK management team, which will help transfer its specialist demolition skills to a local workforce.
Towers ahead of schedule
ARABTEC Construction has accelerated the pace of construction on the Silverene Twin Towers residential development in Dubai Marina. Under a contract with Cayan Property Investment and Development, construction on this luxury development project, worth Dh638 million ($174 million), is ahead of schedule.
Raft-casting work has already been completed using 16,300 cu m of reinforced concrete, and the core walls of both towers are already above ground level using Arabtec slip-form. The slab is already on the third level.