Damac completes Cairo mall

DAMAC Properties, the Middle East’s largest private developer, has completed the first phase of a mega mall in Cairo, Egypt.

Park Avenue on Cairo Alex Desert Road will be Cairo’s premier boutique retail and commercial destination, with 657 retail units and 84 office units over 120,625 sq m of developed land. There is also provision for 2,050 parking spaces.

“Damac Properties is now a mall developer. We have built thousands of residential, office and retail units all across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and now with the Park Avenue mega mall, we are a certified retail developer. This represents a huge milestone for us,” said Niall McLoughlin, senior vice-president of Damac Properties.

The complex will host a selection of fashion boutiques as well as a multitude of stores from furniture and home accessories to jewellery, electronics and giftware. In addition, there will be a range of fast-food outlets, trendy cafes and restaurants, many with al fresco dining.

Gyproc systems win approval

HIGH-performance Gyproc lightweight systems are now fully approved for structural fire protection in new building projects in Qatar, following certification by the Qatar Civil Defence Department (QCDD).

The prestigious approval extends to the GypWall Classic and GypWall Quiet partitioning systems from Gyproc Middle East, part of the world-leading Saint-Gobain construction products group.

It means that specifiers in Qatar can now use the latest Gyproc fire safe design solutions in a range of buildings from hospitals, schools and government offices to high-rise developments requiring fire-rated partitions and walls, according to the company.

Top lawyer joins Pinsent Masons

BILL Smith has joined the projects and construction disputes team of international law firm Pinsent Masons in the UAE, as a partner. A top lawyer, Smith was partner to the construction division of Blake Dawson (now trading as Ashurst), Sydney, Australia. Smith, who had previously worked for Pinsent Masons in London, has more than 15 years of experience in construction, engineering and infrastructure sectors.

Aquatech to build plant in Yanbu

AQUATECH, a global leader in water purification technology for industrial and infrastructure markets, has won an order to set up a demineralising plant for Ibn Rushd, a Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) affiliate petrochemical facility, in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

The technology supplied by Aquatech is a mixed-bed demineraliser of 130 cu m per hour capacity. The plant will treat desalinated water and convert it to demineralised water for downstream use as boiler feed water. The treated water will have 0.1 Msiem/cm conductivity, and silica levels of less than 0.1 ppm.

The plant is expected to be completed in early 2013.

Centre to boost scientific spirit

THE newly established Bahrain Science Centre, which aims to make science more popular in Bahrain, will be operated during its first two years (2012 and 2013) by private company MTE Studios, which provides specialised museum and science centre consultancy services.

In addition to its six exhibition galleries, the Bahrain Science Centre also has an auditorium, three laboratories for geosciences, astronomy and biology, a small reference library and a café/shop. In addition, astronomy and optics activities will take place on the roof at night. It currently has 50 world-class interactive exhibits in six exhibition galleries.

These galleries are called: ‘Discovery Room’, ‘Keeping Kids Healthy’, ‘Test your Skills’, ‘Our Dynamic Earth’, ‘Biodiversity’ and ‘Travelling Exhibition Hall’.

The centre has sufficient parking for private cars, can accommodate about 80 visitors at a time and receive between 150 and 200 visitors a day.

Dhofar varsity 90pc complete

WORK on Dhofar University’s new campus in Muscat, Oman, is 90 per cent complete, according to Dr Anwar bin Mohamed Al Rawas, chairman of the board of directors.

Of RO31.031 million ($80 million) worth of contracts awarded, completed works amounted to RO29.057 million ($75 million), including the cost of furniture, computers and laboratories.

The project has received a Royal grant of RO17 million ($44 million), a government grant of RO3 million ($7.7 million) as well as RO803,816 ($2.09 million) donations from shareholders and non-shareholders.

The Wave marks milestone

THE Wave, Muscat has marked a new milestone with 800 homes now handed over to their owners. Construction of more than 1,200 homes have been completed since the first phase of work started in 2006. The freehold residential development offers luxurious homes with retail and leisure facilities.

Manara project progresses

MANARA Developments, a Bahrain-based real estate company, said it has completed 70 per cent of work at its ambitious housing project Wahat Al Muharraq, while progress was being made on its other projects as well.

Wahat Al Muharraq is a villa project aimed at meeting the requirements of modern Bahraini families with limited income.
In the first phase, the project comprises 47 villas.

Manara is currently involved in three projects aimed at middle- to limited-income earners in several locations across the kingdom.

Among these are the Phase One of Janayin Al Hamala comprising 148 villas, the start of Phase Two of Wahat Al Muharraq, which will deliver 180 villas, and finally, the second phase of Tubli Gardens project, which consists of 27 villas.

Amwaj project status ‘a mystery’

INVESTORS in a BD70-million ($185.6 million) development at Amwaj Islands in Bahrain are still in the dark about the progress of the project – three years after it was due to be finished.

The Amwaj Gateway was launched in July 2006 and was originally scheduled to be completed in May 2009, said a report in the Gulf Daily News.

Developers had earlier said ‘all is well’ and denied construction had been halted. However, Bahraini and expatriate investors claim they are unable to reach developers to enquire about the status of the project, which remains at a standstill.

The project is spearheaded by Bahrain-based RealCapita and Yara Investments and covers a total area of 360,000 sq ft. It consists of six 20-storey towers that will accommodate a total of 550 different units.

The development includes condos, apartments, a hotel, restaurants, shops, townhouses, swimming pools, gymnasiums and a private beach, all within a gated community.

RealCapita officials have not responded to numerous attempts by the newspaper to contact them.

Vacuum sanitation launch in Qatar

ROEDIGER Vacuum along with its Middle East partner Corodex Electromechanic will be introducing its award-winning and environment-friendly vacuum sanitation systems to Qatar.

The system aims to decrease the dependence on water by using air as the medium, as a result of which only one litre of water per flush is required. Other advantages include an easy installation process. Several stadiums worldwide have already adopted this technology.

“The technology will provide the end-user with water savings and a light carbon footprint during the operational lifetime of the equipment,” said Marc Lyachenko, regional manager of Roediger Vacuum.