Gulf Construction Online

UAE Focus

Deyaar and Dubai South officials sign the agreement.

In brief

01 February 2017

Mixed-use project for Dubai South

A new multi-purpose development will be built on an area of 1.27 million sq ft in Dubai South, according to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Dubai South, the master developer of an emerging 145-sq-km masterplanned city around the new Al Maktoum International Airport, and Dubai-based developer Deyaar.

The new development, which will be owned 50 per cent each by Dubai South and Deyaar, features residential units, shops, retail outlets and hospitality facilities, said a Wam news agency report.

Sharjah to build eight substations

Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) plans to build three 132 kV and five 33 kV distribution stations in 2017 to meet the growing demand for electricity due to demographic, urban, economic, industrial, social and developmental expansions in the emirate, said Rashid Al Leem, chairman of Sewa.

Last year, it commissioned three 132 kV and eight 33 kV power stations in the emirate, the Sewa chief was quoted as saying by Wam news agency.

“During 2016, Sewa concentrated on getting more projects done for distribution of electricity across the entire emirate,’’ he added.

Dewa inaugurates substation

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has inaugurated a new 132/11 kV substation with a total capacity of 150 mVA at Al Quoz 4, in collaboration with state-owned property company Meraas Holding.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and chief executive of Dewa, said: “We are working to upgrade existing substations by increasing their capacity and introducing the latest globally-adopted technologies. Dewa plans to complete the construction of 100 substations of 132/11 kV in different phases over the next three years.”

DP launches homes in Dubailand

Dubai Properties (DP) has announced the launch of La Quinta, the second phase of its elegant and vibrant Villanova residential master community in Dubailand.

The announcement comes after the successful launch of Amaranta, the first phase of Villanova, last year. The premium three, four-, five- and five-plus-bedroom independent La Quinta villas at Villanova range in size from 2,204 sq ft to 3,863 sq ft, offering families in Dubai the choice of larger villas, a growing segment of the market.

One of the designs to be featured.

‘Seed to Seat’ designs on show

The American Hardwood Export Council (Ahec), is collaborating with seven prominent UAE designers for its ‘Seed to Seat’ project.

The designers have been given an open brief and asked to design ‘something to sit on’. The pieces, which will be made from a selection of four American hardwood species, will be unveiled at Design Days Dubai 2017 expo to be held from March 14 to 17 at Dubai Design District.

This is the first collaboration between Ahec and Design Days Dubai and builds on prior initiatives in the Middle East and internationally, which have aimed at promoting American hardwoods, and have involved the likes of the late Zaha Hadid, David Adjaye, Matteo Thun, Sou Fujimoto and Sir Norman Foster.

UAE extends Fujairah expressway

The UAE government plans to build a 15-km extension to the new Fujairah Expressway, which is aimed at improving the connectivity between Oman and the emirates, said a report.

Once the road is ready in 2018, drivers to Oman will be able to bypass the city of Fujairah and branch out into two inter-connected highways, one linking with E99 or the East Coast Road and the second meeting E102 or Sharjah-Kalba Road, reported The Oman Observer.

The first phase of the project stretching 4.5 km long will be ready by August this year, it added.

Nakheel invests in cycle tracks

Dubai-based master developer Nakheel is investing Dh150 million ($40.8 million) in bringing 105 km of bicycle tracks to its communities across the UAE emirate, with all routes linked to the government’s Cycling Masterplan.

The developer is also building a 10-km ‘super loop’ – for more experienced riders – as part of its cycle route network.

The Nakheel Communities Cycling Masterplan will be constructed over the next two years, with phased delivery between now and Q2 2019. Nakheel plans a series of subsequent bike tracks once the first 105 km are completed.

Perfiliev ... sees demand for K5’s solutions.

K5 to build $100m unit in Ajman

K5 Middle East, a firefighting products, solutions and technologies company, said it has begun construction on its first manufacturing facility in the Middle East at Ajman.

The work on the facility, being built at an estimated cost of $100 million, is progressing well, said Alex Perfiliev, CEO of K5 Distribution.

The move complements a recent report by Frost & Sullivan that the GCC’s fire safety market is expected to grow at an average of 15 per cent to touch $3.15 billion by 2020.

The UAE accounts for 34 per cent or $476 million of the GCC’s $1.4 billion fire safety market, driven mainly by the local construction boom.

Khalidia to set up Kizad warehouse

Abu Dhabi Ports has signed a musataha agreement with Khalidia International Shipping, a subsidiary of Emirates Business Group (EBG), to set up a third-party logistics (3PL) warehouse with a total investment of Dh80 million ($21.7 million) in Kizad, the Khalifa Industrial Zone’s trade and logistics cluster.

Located in Khalifa Port Free Trade Zone (KPFTZ), the warehouse will be developed on a 47,081-sq-m plot of land with a total capacity of 33,318 pallet positions. It is expected to be completed in Q2 of 2018.

Mega distribution hub for Carrefour

Majid Al Futtaim, a leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer, will open a major new distribution centre for Carrefour at the National Industries Park (NIP) in Dubai.

The centre, once operational, will be the largest and most advanced distribution hub of its kind for Carrefour in the region, said the company.

The facility is constructed on a land area of 1.5 million sq ft and offers a built-up area of over 800,000 sq ft, almost four times the size of Carrefour’s current largest distribution centre in the region.

It will also feature advanced warehousing, storage and logistics technologies. The centre’s multi-temperature storage is designed to meet the storage needs of the different food types including fruits, vegetables, meat and dry foods as well as warehousing for non-food goods. With a total storage capacity of over 400 million units, the hub is expected to manage more than 150,000 orders per day.