Colombini Casa opens showroom

COLOMBINI Casa, together with its local partner Finasi, opened its first UAE showroom in Dubai, recently.

The move is aimed at bringing in a globally recognised design footprint to the emirates and reaffirming its standing as a leader in both the Italian and international home furnishings market.

Colombini Casa said it maintains high-quality craftsmanship and passion for the avant-garde. Authentic design pieces are tailor-made according to client requirements, offering a high degree of personalisation to suit individual spaces, taste and budgets, it said.

Emanuel Colombini, CEO of Colombini Casa, said: “Entering this exciting and dynamic market is an opportunity we are looking forward to, and certainly runs in line with our global expansion plans. Colombini Casa represents a unique concept of design, where the ‘Made in Italy’ stamp plays a leading role.”

The 300-sq-m showroom is located at Finasi’s design hub in Deira.

Alstom launches smart grid centre

ALSTOM has inaugurated the Middle East’s first smart grid centre in Dubai, which the company said was a major step in its long-term commitment to providing sustainable electricity infrastructure to the UAE and the region. 

Alstom Smart Grid Centre, the first-of-its-kind in the region, will enable Alstom’s customers to locally develop and integrate software and perform factory acceptance tests on site.

Customised training on all smart grid applications will also be provided, using simulated protected customer network data for case studies, ensuring the most efficient implementation of new technologies as customers use smart grid solutions to monitor and manage their own network. “As smart grid technologies are integrated to existing infrastructure, customers in the region will benefit from the centre’s close links to Alstom’s state-of-the-art smart grid centres in France and the US,” said Grégoire Poux-Guillaume, president of Alstom Grid.

Nakheel to build two malls

DUBAI-based Nakheel will build two new shopping malls covering a total of 1.5 million sq ft in its Jumeirah Village complexes in the emirate as part of its growing portfolio of retail projects.

The regional mall at Jumeirah Village Triangle will feature a 15-screen cinema, an 80,000-sq-ft hypermarket, an entertainment area, a department store and a selection of retailers, restaurants and cafes. The mall will serve Nakheel’s communities including Al Furjan, Jumeirah Park and Jumeirah Village.

The second shopping mall located in Jumeirah Village Circle will comprise cinemas, a large supermarket in addition to a variety of retailers and restaurants.

Etihad Rail signs deal with DB

ETIHAD Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway network, has signed a joint venture with DB Schenker Rail, a subsidiary of German-based Deutsche Bahn (DB), to operate and maintain the railway.

DB is Europe’s largest railway company, operating passenger and freight services on the approximately 33,500-km German rail network, and maintaining a strong presence in rail operations in various countries across Europe. The joint venture, Etihad Rail DB, which will be led by its chairman Mattar Al Tayer, will initially provide railway operations and maintenance expertise for Stage One, setting the foundation to also act as consultant for the operations of the future stages of the Etihad Rail network.

Etihad Rail DB will manage operations for Stage One of the Etihad Rail network, transporting granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais. The 264-km route will facilitate the transport of granulated sulphur from inland sources to the port of Ruwais for export.

Meanwhile, Etihad Rail has been awarded the Project Finance Deal of the Year 2013 for financing Stage One of the project to the tune of $1.28 billion (Dh4.7 billion).

Hospital project consultant named

TURNER & Townsend, a global programme management and construction consultancy, has been appointed consultant for the construction of a medical facility in Dubai Healthcare City in Dubai.

The new north wing of Mediclinic City Hospital is a 20,000-sq-m facility that will include oncology and day wards, operating theatres, laboratories, and physio and dialysis clinics, alongside corporate offices housing support staff.

As project manager, Turner & Townsend is working to achieve operational completion of the north wing by the third quarter of 2015. The company has appointed the building’s design team, with tendering for the full works package to follow.

Wilson Associates opens MEA office

US-BASED interior architectural firm Wilson Associates has opened its Middle East and Africa (MEA) office in Dubai to tap the boom in premium hospitality project development in the region.

The regional office will become an important addition to the firm’s other key global offices and will support its existing projects in the Middle East and Africa, while developing new projects in the region.

“The Middle East is leading the global race to design truly outstanding architectural landmarks, and we want to continue to be an important part of that story, just as we have for the past two decades. We want to continue our legacy of designing tomorrow’s landmarks,” said Olivier Chavy, CEO of Wilson Associates.