Gulf Construction Online - Record breaker

Dubai

Meydan One ... Phase 1 to open in 2020.

Record breaker

01 April 2017

Salini Impregilo has been appointed to build Meydan One Mall, being developed as the first phase of the massive Meydan One development.

The ground has been broken for a key component of Meydan One, which aspires to be Dubai’s number one attraction when its first phase opens in 2020. The massive urban development aims to break at least seven world records.

Work was launched on the Meydan One Mall last month following the award of a $435-million contract by the developer Meydan Group to the Italy-based Salini Impregilo to build the mall.

Meydan chairman Saeed Humaid Al Tayer says: “In our vision for Meydan One, we have brought together all the wonders of a retail and leisure experience into one space, making this the number one destination for the UAE and indeed, the Middle East. With construction now under way, the Meydan One Mall is scheduled to be completed by 2020, in line with Phase One of the development.”

Meydan One Mall will feature 620 retail shops including two major department stores and a 131,150-sq-ft hypermarket as well as a retractable skylight.

Salini Impregilo will prepare the area for development by overseeing the excavations and building of the sub- and superstructures for the complex, including the foundations for a ski slope and the concrete support for the steel structure above the mall.

Construction is to begin this year and finish within 23 months.

The mall will be the first ever to be constructed in close partnership with leading international retailers. High-end luxury brands will have a specially designated shopping strip with extra-large displays at the 1,315-ft-long Central Canyon, directly accessible from the road.

The unique retractable skylight, measuring 160 m by 100 m, will set the mall apart from other retail destinations, offering al fresco dining and shopping to the thousands of visitors.

The largest dancing water fountain in the world will act as just one of the mall’s main attractions, measuring 380-m long, while the 1-km indoor ski slope will become the most popular spot for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts in the region. The complex will also feature four- and five-star hotel rooms and apartments directly connected to the ski slope venue.

A 258,300-sq-ft indoor multi-purpose sports facility will be located within the mall, providing regulation size sports fields and courts for various sporting activities, while skiing and snowboarding will be facilitated on the indoor ski slope. Outdoor sports options will include football pitches, mountain biking, walking and running trails, a skateboard park and a BMX park.

The mall will also feature more than 100 food and beverage outlets, a 21-screen cinema with a food court hosting an additional 20 outlets. It will have more than 12,000 parking spaces.

The 40.4-million-sq-ft Meydan One, which will be home to more than 83,000 residents, is a massive urban development project located between Meydan and Al Khail Road and strategically positioned within the heart of Mohammed Bin Rashid City (MBR City).

The mall is the first of several phases to the project, which will include a water canal; the 711-m-tall Dubai One, one of the tallest residential buildings in the world; a civic plaza with dancing water features; a 4-km canal; a tourist port; Meydan Marina; 5.3 km of bicycle and jogging trails; a 9-km boardwalk, a 300-m-long beach and a one-of-a-kind heritage village.