Msheireb Properties, Qatar’s leading sustainable developer, said has awarded the contract for the construction of the raft foundations of Phase Three of its flagship project Msheireb Downtown Doha to HBK Contracting Company.

The seven-month contract with HBK Contracting Company represents another milestone in the ongoing development of the Msheireb Downtown project, described as the world’s first sustainable regeneration of a downtown area in a major city.

Raft foundations are used to spread the load of a building structure over a large area. The Phase Three raft slab will be 45,500 sq m in area and 1.5 m thick on average. Spread over 150,000 sq m of gross floor area (GFA), Phase Three of Msheireb Downtown Doha features 15 mixed-used buildings. These include two office blocks with 90 retail units; 11 residential buildings with 350 apartments; a mosque of more than 2,500 sq m; and a five-star Park Hyatt hotel.

The raft foundations contract is the second contract awarded by Msheireb Properties to HBK Contracting Company, which is currently completing the superstructure for Msheireb Downtown Doha’s main building works.

Mohammad Al Marri, chief officer for design and delivery at Msheireb Properties, said: “This opportunity to expand our working relationship with HBK Contracting Company, a leading local contractor, is an encouraging development and reiterates our commitment to work with local companies and further promote Qatari expertise in sustainable urban development.”

Sheikh Ali bin Hamad K Al Thani, chairman and managing director of HBK Contracting Company, said: “We reaffirm our commitment to the developer’s strict guidelines on sustainability and advanced environmental performance as we have demonstrated in the Phase One A contract with Msheireb Properties along with our partner Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company.”

In another development, Msheireb Properties has signed an agreement with Qatar National Broadband Network (Qnbn) to deliver a next-generation high-speed communications network to the development.

Under the new agreement, Qnbn will equip Msheireb Downtown Doha with a future-ready network that is capable of sustaining IP-based high-speed broadband, communications, multi-media and television services.