THE Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay project is currently ahead of schedule, with work now completed up to the fifth floor level of the 201-m-high 50-storey tower, the hotel’s management team has revealed. The project, which was officially launched earlier this year, has logged over 500,000 accident-free working hours on site.

OMAN has launched work on the Salalah Port expansion programme, following the recent award of a RO55-million ($142 million) contract to Hani Archirodon Construction to expand the cargo terminal and liquid jetty at the port.

BAHRAIN is drawing up plans to build one of the first major solar energy projects in the Middle East – a smart solar grid in Awali that will pave the way for future smart cities in the region. “The Middle East has been evaluating for quite some time the integration of solar energy for reduction of reliance on non-renewable energy sources.

SAUDI Arabia’s Construction Products Company (CPC) has announced that it is expanding its footprint in India by developing an industrial park in partnership with IL&FS Engineering & Construction Company (IECC), formerly known as Maytas.

STATE oil giant Saudi Aramco and Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical have awarded multi-million-dollar contracts for the estimated $7-billion Rabigh II petrochemical expansion project in Saudi Arabia. South Korea’s GS Engineering and Construction said it has won a $1.

RESIDENTS and tourists in Madinah will soon be able to find their way around the ancient Saudi holy city with ease, thanks to a ‘wayfinding’ masterplan developed by Limah Design Consultants.

Cemena plans major expansion BAHRAIN-BASED Cemena Holding Company, a leader in building materials, has outlined plans to expand its business in the region. The plans were revealed at an annual general meeting focused on Cemena’s profitability, returns and business diversification.

QATAR’S Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has signed several contracts worth QR1.4 billion ($384.48 million) to bolster infrastructure development in the country. The contracts involve road, drainage network and two educational building projects. The road projects include upgrading of Lahwilah and Rayyan roads and related infrastructure.

BAHRAIN will soon start construction of its first “green town” after new government plans were unveiled recently.

SIGMA Paints has launched a new smart-phone application that enables users to search, match and share colours wherever they are.

CAPITAL, one of the largest and most active alternative investment firms in the Middle East, has launched an ambitious SR1-billion ($266.6 million) residential project in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh – marking its formal entry into the kingdom’s residential market.

JACOBS Engineering Group has been awarded a contract by Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and The Dow Chemical Company.

AECOM Technology Corporation has been selected as the designer for a design-build contract to upgrade North Road in Qatar as part of the wider $20-billion Qatar Expressway project.

A MEMORANDUM of understanding (MoU) has been signed to complete technical and economic feasibility studies for implementing the first cultural and entertainment project as part of the giant Makkah Gate scheme in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

KSB Pumps Arabia (KSB), a major joint venture between the KSB of Germany and Saudi Arabia’s Abunayyan Group, has unveiled plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

OMAN recently opened a dry dock complex in the Wilayat of Al Duqm in Al Wusta Governorate. The development is one of the vital projects implemented by the country’s Transport and Communications Ministry.

CONSTRUCTION costs in Qatar are expected to increase 18 per cent by 2017, according to a forecast by Meed Cost Indices (MCI). MCI launched a forecast Tender Price Index (TPI) for Qatar in May, following the successful launch of the Middle East’s first TPI for the UAE last February.

TWO bridge projects for accommodating roads and railway tracks linking mainland Kuwait and the island of Bubiyan are 95 per cent completed, the country’s Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Planning and Development, Dr Fadhel Safar has revealed.

BT BUSINESS Solutions (BT-BS) has seen a robust increase in its order book with more than 40 Saudi companies currently relying on its expertise in ERP (enterprise resource planning) based on Oracle technologies to achieve superior results. One such client is Saudi Binladin Group (SBG).