BAHRAIN has been named as the Middle East’s most expensive country to build and appears in the top 20 list of the most expensive countries across the globe, according to the annual International Construction Cost Report by built asset consultancy, EC Harris.

KUWAIT has moved a step closer to building the nation’s largest refinery at a cost of at least KD4 billion ($14.5 billion), reviving a project that stalled two years ago following political opposition.

Qatar property rental prices stable RENTAL rates in Qatar have remained stable over the second quarter of this year, particularly in apartment rental areas such as Al Sadd and The Pearl-Qatar, with average two-bedroom apartment monthly rental rates of QR6,250 ($1,716) and QR13,000 respectively showing no movement from the first quarter.

VANIR Construction Management has invited expressions of interest from qualified contractors for major expansion work on the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

THE Muharraq sewage treatment plant (STP) and sewer trunk main project – the first wastewater treatment PPP (public-private partnership) in Bahrain – is expected to reach financial closure shortly.

DOW Chemical Company plans to invest in a best-in-class manufacturing facility for Dow Filmtec reverse osmosis (RO) elements in Saudi Arabia.

APC by Schneider Electric, a global leader in critical power and cooling services, has installed InfraStruXure and InRow RD units to protect and cool Microsoft’s virtualised environment at the Yamamah University in Riyadh, and a Tier 3+ dark data centre for Arab National Bank (ANB).

SAUDI Arabia and Egypt have decided to launch fresh studies to build a gigantic 32-km bridge linking the two countries in a renewed bid to forge closer ties and boost bilateral trade and investment, said the Saudi English daily Arab News.

MSHEIREB Properties has appointed Interface Engineering and Green Building Services as site-wide Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) consultant for its signature project Msheireb (formerly Dohaland) in downtown Doha.

BRITISH specialist consultant TPS has started work on a new development at Muscat International Airport in Oman, which will include an iconic air traffic control (ATC) tower, an air transport management complex, a contingency and training centre, plus fire and sea rescue facilities.

THE High Commission for the Development of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has introduced for the first time in the Gulf the use of asphalt rubber in the construction of King Abdullah Road project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

THE Sohar refinery expansion project has made headway with leading contractors expected to be invited soon to prequalify for the project.

PLANS for the development of a major integrated tourism complex (ITC) in Muscat governorate, dubbed the Omagine Project, have moved forward  following the signing of a key shareholder agreement by its promoters, according to the Oman Observer.

CONSTRUCTION projects, mainly infrastructure and affordable housing development, worth billions of dollars are expected to be launched in Bahrain in the next few months.

GROHE, Europe’s largest manufacturer of sanitary fittings and a world leader in this industry, not only garnered its fourth ‘red dot: best of the best’ award for its Digital Collection but was also singled out for the coveted ‘design team of the year 2011’ accolade at this year’s ‘red dot award: product design’.