Gulf Construction updates you with the latest calendar of events from the Middle East. MAY 5-8: 5th Doha International Furniture Decoration and construction Exhibition, at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre, Qatar.5-9: International TurkeyBuild Istanbul 2004 Fair, at the Tuyap Fair and Congress Centre, Istanbul, Turkey.

Airport Build and Supply Exhibition, the Middle East’s specialised professional forum for the selection and pre-qualification of suppliers and contractors for the region’s airport development programmes, is expected to feature an even larger number of exhibitors when it opens at the Airport Expo Dubai in the UAE this year.

MEW to award Hidd desal contractManama: Bahrain’s Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) is expected to award the contract on the BD150.4 million ($400 million) water desalination project in Hidd at the end of the year.

Qatar District Cooling Company (Qatar Cool) has signed a landmark agreement with Commercialbank to provide chilled water-cooling at the bank’s new building in Doha’s West Bay for at least 20 years.

Hyder Consulting and WS Atkins, both from the UK, have prequalified for the consultancy contract of the Sitra Causeway project in Bahrain. A construction tender is expected in the third quarter of this year.

Corus report incorrect Dear Sir,Our attention has been drawn to an article printed in your January 2004 issue entitled  ‘Corus wins back rights to market Versacor’.

Jean Nouvel, architect, has handed over the final blueprint of the $200 million Bilbao Museum of the Middle East project to Landmark of Lebanon. Landmark is a 75 per cent Kuwaiti- and 25 per cent Lebanese-owned company.

Keller Grundbau has been awarded the piling and foundation contract for the BD6.5 million ($17.2 million) new headquarters of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) in Seef area, Bahrain. The main contract will be awarded next month.

Work on Bahrain National Holding Company’s (BNH) new headquarters is nearly complete. With final cladding panels having been installed on the facade of the 11-storey says comntractor GP Zachariades. The new landmark is coming up alongside the kingdom’s highest building – Al moayyed Towers – in the new Al Seef District of Manama, Bahrain.

Dolphin Energy Limited has named Saipem of Italy as the successful bidder for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of sealines offshore Qatar at a cost of more than $115 million.

Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Investments has announced an ambitious expansion roadmap that is set to dominate the Middle East’s mall market.

Following the rebranding of Le Meridien Kuwait this year, the luxury hotel group will introduce the second phase of its four-project expansion in the country with the opening of the 70-room Le Meridien Tower Kuwait at the end of June.

The foundation stone for the $110 million Tala Island and $40 million Al Marsa the Floating City were laid recently. Both are key components of Amwaj Islands on the northern tip of Muharraq in Bahrain.

The General Organisation for Youth and Sports (Goys), in co-ordination with the Ministry of Works and Housing, has awarded a BD12 million ($31.9 million) contract to Bahrain’s Al Dahrani Construction Company to build sports clubs in Riffa, Sitra, Juffair, Tashan, Budaiya and Hamad Town.

Ahmadiah Contracting and Trading Company  has received a letter of intent from La Ala Al Kuwait Real Estate Company for the KD40.8 million ($138 million) phase 1 infrastructure package on the Al Khiran Pearl City development near Al Zour complex in Kuwait, close to the border with Saudi Arabia.

Following  successful launches in Bahrain and Qatar last year, Union Architectural Hardware has opened two further Union Design Centres (UDCs) with its partners in Oman and Kuwait. In Oman, the firm has established the centre in collaboration with Khimji Ramdas at its showroom at Bait Al Ahlam.