Dewa plans substations for expo

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is building three 132/11 kilovolt (kV) substations with 45 km of high-voltage (132kV) cables in support of the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.

The total cost of projects will be Dh420 million ($114.32 million) and the substations will be ready by 2017.

Dewa is also building water transmission networks, pumping stations and distribution stations. With a budget of Dh515 million ($140.176 million), these projects will increase water-flow rates and ensure an adequate water supply to meet the increasing demands.

Flammable materials ban in buildings

Dubai has banned the use of all kinds of flammable materials in buildings including in cladding and facades in the wake of the recent fire accidents in the emirates, reports said.

A municipality circular prohibits the use of any combustible material including paints, packaging materials, glues, and fixtures used inside buildings and ceilings which are less resistant to ignition than walls, unless they meet set fire rating requirements.

Ruler reviews $2.1bn project

Sheikh Mohammed  bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, last month reviewed the masterplan for One Central, a Dh8 billion ($2.1 billion) development being managed by Dubai World Trade Centre Authority.

One Central is an integrated mixed-use project covering an area of 540,000 sq m. It will have five Leed (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold certified office buildings and four hotels with a total of 2,000 rooms. The project will also include residential towers offering 1,300 premium apartments and townhouses and a 2,500-capacity multi-purpose theatre.

Healthcare City expands

Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is to build the first hospital in its Phase Two expansion at Al Jadaf Dubai.

The 100-bed Clemenceau Medical Centre will be the free zone’s third general hospital and will have advanced facilities such as robotics surgery and wide-ranging inpatient and outpatient services.

The centre is being developed at a cost of Dh400 million ($109 million) in partnership with Khansaheb Investment, and is expected to receive patients by 2018.

DHCC has also joined hands with Nshama to establish the Al Fursan mixed-use development under its Phase Two expansion. The integrated community will comprise premium apartments, serviced residences, four- and five-star hotels, and retail and leisure features.

Azizi plans $125m residences

UAE-based Azizi Developments will mark its entry into Dubai’s booming hospitality sector with the launch of its first serviced residences at Al Furjan next year.

The Dh460-million ($125.2 million) project comprises two towers by the name of Candace Aster and Candace Acacia. To be managed by Candace Hotel and Resorts, the serviced residences will be delivered by third quarter of 2017. Construction work has already begun.

Sustainable City nears completion

UAE-based Diamond Developers said work on the first phase of its five-million-sq-ft ‘Sustainable City’ in Dubai is nearing completion.

Located in Dubailand, Phase One will feature a five-cluster residential complex, with each cluster featuring a central wind-tower, solar-shaded parking lots, pedestrianised streets and five playgrounds. It will also include an eco resort, banks, clinics, a communal area, mosque, a ‘green school’ from kindergarten to grade six, as well as an environmental research centre.

Musanada completes key works

Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) has completed infrastructure works worth Dh206 million ($56 million) on Phase Two of the Neima residential project in Al Ain and handed it over to the municipal authorities.

Musanada also said it has completed expansion and renovation work on Al Waqan Hospital, at a cost of Dh127 million ($34.5 million), in two phases.

Anantara hotel contracts awarded

Thailand’S Minor Hotel Group (MHG) has awarded contracts for two new hotels – Anantara Jebel Dhanna and Avani Jebel Dhanna – in the Al Gharbia coastal region of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Aecom and Dhabi Contracting have been appointed as the lead architecture and interior design consultant for the project. Work on the hotels will begin shortly for a scheduled opening in 2018.

Anantara Jebel Dhanna Villas will have a total of 60 keys across three villa types,  while the  neighbouring Avani Jebel Dhanna Hotel will have 230 keys across two different room types.

Sewage plant expansion on way

Work is set to start on the Dh1.3-billion ($354 million) second phase of Jebel Ali’s sewage treatment plant following the approval by the government.

On completion, the plant will have a capacity of about 675,000 cu m per day, up from the current 300,000 cu m. The plant will not need further expansion until 2025, and the final cost of the project is likely to hit Dh2.85 billion ($775 million).

$233m tourism project launched

A New tourist destination called Al Qana will be developed by Abu Dhabi’s municipality at a cost of Dh850 million ($233 million) on a 150,000-sq-m area in the Maqta area of the capital.

The project will include an aquarium, a 98-berth marina, cafes and restaurants, and three or four-storey furnished apartments which will be available for rent.

To be developed on a built, operate and transfer (BOT) basis, the project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018.

Nuclear plant reaches milestone

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has achieved a significant milestone at Barakah nuclear energy plant in Abu Dhabi by successfully completing the construction of a concrete dome for the Unit Two Reactor Containment Building (RCB).

The dome is the final structural component of the vast RCB, which now stands over 70 m high and houses the nuclear reactor. Enec worked closely with Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), Hyundai/Samsung Joint Venture (HSJV) and Seoyong Construction throughout the complex construction process.

Overall, the construction of the four reactors is now more than 62 per cent complete and the project is scheduled to be delivered by 2020.

Vincitore debuts with luxury project

Vincitore Real Estate Development has launched its debut project in the heart of New Dubai.

Located at the Arjan community in Dubailand, Vincitore Palacio will feature branded, exclusive residences. It will include 175 units comprising studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

Vincitore Palacio will have a sophisticated double-height lobby, ornamental façade, custom-designed elevators, temperature-controlled swimming pool, a sunlit gymnasium, round-the-clock secured access, and a sun deck for each apartment.

It is scheduled to be completed by August 2017.

Alef awards new mall contract

UAE-based Alef Group has awarded a contract to Omis Contracting for the construction of Zero 6, a shopping mall in Sharjah, which will include an eight-screen cinema complex featuring the biggest Imax theatre in the UAE.

The Dh210-million ($57.1 million) mall, whose name is inspired by Sharjah’s telephone code (06) will come up over an area of 37,000 sq m at Juraina and is expected to open in April next year, The National reported.

About 10,000 sq m of the mall will be dedicated for retail, 3,000 sq m for food and beverages and
3,000 sq m for the eight-screen Cinema City.

Arabtec may break even in 2016

Loss-making Arabtec may break even in 2016 and should return to profit the following year, the company’s chairman said.

The Dubai contractor made a loss of Dh2.35 billion ($639.9 million) in 2015, which it blamed on rising costs and tough market conditions.

“2015 was a severe year, 2016 is still tough. I am confident of 2017, that’s when I see (profit),” Mohamed Al-Rumaithi said. “For 2016, maybe we will break even.”

Abu Dhabi to hand over 2,000 homes

The Abu Dhabi government is set to hand over 2,048 homes to its citizens across the emirate, including 236 units in Al Ain and 349 in the Western Region, said a report.

Besides this, about 4,495 plots will also be distributed to the citizens including 2,432 plots in the UAE capital, 1,713 in Al Ain and 350 in the Western Region, reported the state news agency Wam.

Street design app enhanced

Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council (UPC) has launched an upgraded app that allows planners and engineers to design safer, pedestrian-friendly streets.

The new Abu Dhabi Urban Street and Utility Design tool was unveiled at last month’s Cityscape Abu Dhabi exhibition. Developed by the UPC, the software provides cross-section and overhead views of a variety of street scenes, allowing designers to set road and sidewalk elements, and incorporate features such as parking, public transport, landscaping and utility corridors, all within the guidelines of the UPC’s laws.

$1bn medical city nearly ready

Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) said over 80 per cent of the work at the Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City in Abu Dhabi has been completed and is due for handover this year. The Dh4-billion ($1.08 billion) medical city is being built over an area of 300,000 sq m. It will have 732 beds, two royal and 36 VIP suites besides parking for 1,610 cars. On completion, the facility will be handed over to Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha).

Hira opens new plant

Hira Industries has launched a new technical foam manufacturing facility in Ras Al Khaimah.

The state-of-the-art facility in Al Ghail is spread over 125,000 sq ft and employs 150 staff. It will produce and export Aerofoam technical foam worldwide.

Manish Hira, managing director of Hira Industries, said: “With the wealth of construction projects carried out in the region, the demand for Aerofoam is tremendous and we are seeing rapid growth year on year.”

TDIC awards $340m contract

A joint venture between San Jose Contracting and Pivot Engineering & General Contracting has been awarded a Dh1.25-billion ($340 million) main contract from  Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) for Mamsha Al Saadiyat, a 1.4-km beachfront mixed-use project and the first residential development within the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi. Featuring 416 homes that include one- to four-bedroom apartments, penthouses and townhouses, it is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2018.

Canadians to build giant skylight

Canada’s OpenAire has won a contract to manufacture a huge, aluminium elliptical-shaped dome for the 31-storey Sharjah Mall in Sharjah. The project includes a hotel, luxury apartments, restaurants, family attractions and a spa. It is being developed by the International Private Group (IPG) with Gambert Architectural as consultant.

The skylight will be the largest aluminium dome in the Middle East, standing 74 m long by 47 m wide by 21 m high and casting the retail areas in natural light.

Al Gharbia Pipe builds new plant

UAE-based Al Gharbia Pipe Company has started work on a large-diameter pipe manufacturing plant in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), the first of its kind in the UAE.

Built with Japanese technology, the plant will serve the oil and gas sector, with the infrastructure and construction sectors as secondary markets. It is expected to launch operations in 2018. Once fully operational, capacity is set to reach 240,000 tonnes annually.

ANS Global comes to Dubai

ANS Global, a specialist in the design and installation of ‘living walls’ of plants, has launched operations in Dubai to meet demand from the Middle East.

The walls provide the opportunity to transform any vertical surface, inside or out, improving energy efficiency and acting as a noise and pollution filter.

The company will work alongside Dubai-based interior landscaping company Plantscapes.

Aldar builds edutainment theme park

UAE-based Aldar Properties has started work on an edutainment theme park in Abu Dhabi that is being jointly developed with KidzMondo.

The theme park will open at The Mall at World Trade Center Abu Dhabi during the first quarter of 2017.

Built for children between the ages of 2 to 14, KidzMondo theme parks are miniature cities where children are able to develop a sense of responsibility and a culture of teamwork.