01 May 2004

Piling work has started on the Waterfront Centre, Dubai Festival City’s (DFC) 2.5 million sq ft retail, hospitality and entertainment hub, following the excavation of over 800,000 cu m of material to create space to house underground parking and services.

The Dh52 million ($14.2 million) contract, awarded to Swissboring Overseas Piling, will see over 2900 piles driven into the waterfront Crescent site that will provide the foundations for a 160,000 sq m platform to support the iconic super-centre.
“This marks a milestone in the evolution of one of the most important elements of DFC,” says Phil McArthur, director of marketing and leasing of DFC.
“The Waterfront at DFC has been developed in conjunction with some of the world’s most acclaimed designers, operators and consultants to ensure we deliver a world-class down-town waterfront venue.”
The deep excavations made were necessary to allow for two levels of basement parking and the support foundations for the three levels of leasing area above ground.
“A key advantage of the Waterfront Centre compared to other down-town facilities will be its expansive car parking,” said McArthur.
“We have allowed for a ‘car parking to leaseable area ratio’ of 6.2 which is the highest in Dubai. This will ensure visitors have a hassle-free experience and that we in turn do not become a victim of our own success,” he added.
Piling work should be complete by August this year but work will commence on the substructure in June.
“This will be a fascinating structure to observe under construction,” said McArthur. “The entire building is fan-shaped – designed to curve around the man-made marina and that’s exactly how it will rise out of the ground, just like a fan opening alongside the Creek.”
The Waterfront Centre structure at DF C is due for completion in late 2005 and will open by September 2006.
DFC has selected the InterContinental Hotels Group to manage its planned marina-view conference hotel.
The 500-room InterContinental Dubai Festival City Hotel is being built at a cost of Dh600 million ($163.4 million) and is scheduled to open in January 2007.
The high-rise hotel tower will also have 100 executive apartments and 3,000 sq m of conference and banquet facilities.
It will offer guests and visitors an exciting and diverse waterfront dining and entertainment experience.

• Update
• Deadline extended for competition
• Work under way on The Palm's bridge
• Tenders due for Abu Dhabi hospital expansion
• Sharjah launches $27m road project
• RAK mulls railway plans
• Largest span dome comes up at Jafz
• Indian practice opens UAE office
• Dubai autodrome launched
• Coflexlite unit opens in Abu Dhabi
• $270m tourist lagoon shapes up
• Dubai Festival City piling work begins

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