Saraya Bandar Jissah, the developer of Oman’s newest integrated tourism complex (ITC), has awarded two major contracts for construction of its Wajd and Nameer residential zones to Towell Construction and Company (TCC). A part of WJ Towell & Company, TCC is a leading construction company with major operations across the sultanate.

Qatar-based Ali Bin Ali Group has announced plans for the Katara Plaza project, the first open-air air-conditioned commercial mall to be developed on an area of over 38,000 sq m at the Katara Cultural Village in Doha.

The first stage of Bahrain International Airport’s (BIA) passenger terminal construction has officially been launched with the commencement of enabling works on the airport grounds. The new-look airport is set to be four times larger than the existing complex, and will be completed in four years.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Housing has signed a major agreement with Diyar Al Muharraq, one of the country’s leading urban developer, for the purchase of 3,100 residential units at its upcoming residential project.

A project which sports Technal’s thermal-break aluminium systems has become the first development in Oman to gain a coveted international green building certification, says the regional office of the France-based aluminium systems provider.

Kirby Building Systems, a global leader in pre-engineered steel building (PEB) systems, plans to make significant efforts to penetrate the vast African market following its success in the Middle East. “We will be venturing into that area more aggressively because we see strong potential.

Designs for a multi-million-dinar medical city in Bahrain’s Southern Governorate are due to be completed in December. Work on the King Abdullah Medical City project will begin as soon as the designs are completed.

Egypt has unveiled plans to build a 200-m-high pyramid skyscraper, Zayed Crystal Spark, on a 798,000-sq-m area at Sheikh Zayed City in Cairo. The upcoming development – a mix of government, commercial, and entertainment space – will be constructed through a public/private partnership.

The $3.6-billion Liwa Plastics Project, which aims to manufacture polyethylene for the first time in Oman, will invite bids for the construction of the project by the end of this year in order to commence operations by 2018, a report said. The project has been launched by Orpic (Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company).

Euroconsult Engineering Group, said it has won a design contract worth €500,000 ($548,105) from the Oman government for the widening of a 36-km highway linking the cities of Ibri and Yanqul.

Bahrain plans six museums Six museums are among projects planned by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, its president Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa said. These include a modern arts museum, the Al Muharraqi museum and a children’s museum. Three more museums are being planned for Saar, Barbar and A’ali, it said.

Qatar is planning to construct 24 mega reservoirs in five different parts of the country in a bid to boost its water storage capacity to 2,400 million gallons by 2026, said a report.

The overall export of US softwood lumber in 2014 increased 26 per cent over the previous year with total exports to the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region reaching $27.4 million. The top five markets for American softwoods in the region last year were Egypt ($8.268 million), Libya ($5.245 million), Algeria ($2.981 million), Jordan ($2.

National Bank of Oman (NBO) has awarded a contract to construct its new state-of-the-art head office to Al Turki Enterprises, a 100 per cent Omani-owned construction company. Expected to be completed in 2017, the new head office will be based in the strategic location of Al Athaiba.

Qatar-based Lusail City Real Estate Development Company (LCRDC) has awarded QR6.2-billion ($1.7 billion) contracts for development works at Lusail City, one of the country’s high-profile real estate developments, said a report.

Oman has awarded 25 large road projects worth RO376 million ($973 million) as part of its efforts to develop the country’s infrastructure to global standards, said a report.