DOHA Festival City, the regional QR6-billion ($1.6 billion) entertainment, retail and hospitality destination, has made significant progress and is on target for scheduled completion of the first phase, following its ground breaking in October 2011.

Set to become a driving force behind Qatar’s diverse economic development and covering a total area of 433,847 sq m, Doha Festival City in the capital will have over 260,000 sq m of gross leasable area accommodating entertainment and leisure facilities, supermarkets, cinemas, hotels and conference facilities.

Ikea’s flagship store is the first piece of Doha Festival City’s wide ranging retail offer which will culminate in the delivery of the iconic mega complex that will host more than 500 international and local retail and dining outlets.

Greg Douglas, development director of Doha Festival City, said: “Hard rock made excavation more difficult than expected but we have managed to move over 102,000 tonnes of earth and made significant progress on the structural front. Three levels of the Ikea store, part of the first phase of development, has already been constructed.

“At 168 m, the Ikea store is longer than two new A380 Airbuses laid end to end and covers a GLA (gross leasable area) of approximately 32,000 sq m. The roof is the next stage for completion and will cover over 21,000 sq m, the size of two and a half football pitches.”

The general contractor package for Ikea has been awarded to the joint venture between Qatari Arabian Construction Company (QACC) and Amana Qatar Contracting Company with the mechanical, electrical and plumbing package awarded to Hamad and Mohammed Al-Futtaim Engineering.

Kareem Shamma, CEO of Bawabat Al Shamal Real Estate Company (Basrec), owner and developer of Doha Festival City, said: “The construction progress is testament to the expertise of all teams involved in this project. More than 777,000 man-hours have been invested to bring the project to this stage.”

Doha Festival City is conveniently located 15 km north of Doha on Al Shamal Road, one of the arterial routes that will connect the capital city to Bahrain via the proposed ‘Friendship’ causeway.