Alyusuf Décor has commenced work on the ceilings and partitions for the villas at The Oasis and The Lagoons estates within the Riffa Views project, becoming one of the first companies to be associated with the finishing works on the massive residential and sport venture coming up in Riffa.

“This is still early days for the finishing works as much of the primary works on the project are just being completed,” says Mohammed Alyusuf, architectural engineer and managing director of Alyusuf Décor, a subsidiary of Alyusuf Group of Companies. “We are hopeful of bagging further orders for villas as the project progresses.”
Under the current contract, Alyusuf will complete the interior finishes for the ceilings and the partitions for about 100 villas for PCC-Terna, the main contractor on The Oasis, the first of the estates launched on the development. The company is also supplying materials to Projects SA, GP Zachariades, Poullaides and Cybarco, the contractors on The Lagoons Estate, The Park Estate and the Riffa Views International School, respectively.
The deal between PCC-Terna and Alyusuf Décor was signed in June and work was expected to start by the end of last month (July). Under the contract, Alyusuf Décor is scheduled to handover 30 villas initially before the end of next month (September), while the remaining villas will be completed in phases over the next few months.
“We have won orders worth BD718,000 ($1.90 million) and the numbers are expected to be higher by the time the project is completed,” he says.
For the ceilings, the company will be using Boral plasterboards, both 12-mm-thick standard boards and 13-mm-thick water-resistant plasterboards. The plasterboards will be held together with GI (galvanised iron) furring and main channels from A-Metal, a UK-based manufacturer.
“Both the products fully meet the high specification requirements of the consultant,” says Mohammed. “The fact that the products that we supply and use have been approved by the Ministry of Health and are also certified by the Civil Defence Ministry for their fire and safety ratings, has made it easy for the consultants to appoint us on most of the specialised projects in the kingdom.”
Commenting on the project, he says: “Compared to the other projects that we have completed, Riffa Views has been relatively easy as the interior design of the villas is very modern and does not have intricate designs. This project has come our way, thanks to our expertise in completing similar villa projects elsewhere at the Al Areen Resort and the Amwaj Islands.”
Apart from trying to get a share of the remaining villas, the company is also looking to have its ceilings, partitions and flooring systems specified for the other components of the project.
Established in 1993, Alyusuf Décor is part of the Alyusuf Group of Companies that also includes Alyusuf Building Materials, Alyusuf Glass and Mirrors Company, Alyusuf Aluminium Factory, Alyusuf Thermoglass and Globart.
Alyusuf Decor specialises in a range of works that include: carpentry and joinery works; gypsum ceiling and partitions works and gypsum ornamental works; false ceilings with 600 by 600 mm grids (acoustical, vinyl face with foil/PVC backing, glass reinforced gypsum panels and aluminium); GRC works; and interior decoration and design for villas, offices and commercial buildings.
The company has been involved in some of the leading projects in the kingdom, including the Bahrain City Centre project.
Alyusuf Décor has also undertaken the ceilings work of some of the prestigious malls in the kingdom including the Marina Mall, Dana Mall, Bahrain Mall and the recent Seef Mall West expansion and has now signed a contract with PetroHolland for the complete design and fit-out of its offices on the 32nd floor of the Bahrain World Trade Centre.
“Impressed by our designs, PetroHolland has asked us to design a further three offices across the globe,” Mohammed says.
Commenting on the company’s plans, he says: “We intend to launch a few new products through the year, including some parquet flooring solutions from Krono Original, a leading German manufacturer. The flooring comes with the Uniclick system, which makes installation simple and is ready to walk on immediately after fitting.
“The flooring, which comes with a 10-year guarantee, features a subtle woodgrain effect, easy maintenance, has a high resistance to impact, to household chemicals and stains.”
Alyusuf Décor is also actively promoting the recently-introduced Trilite magnesium silicate boards, which has already been used at the City Centre project. The boards are non-combustible, moisture-resistant, insect and vermin-proof and highly impact-resistant, says Mohammed.
Commenting on the business in Bahrain, he says: “Projects are expected to keep most of the companies in the kingdom busy for the next six to seven years. In addition to the ongoing projects, we see developers and promoters unveiling projects that are bigger in both scope and size and these developments promise a positive outlook for the business fraternity within Bahrain.”
Meanwhile, two other companies under the banner of the Alyusuf Group – Alyusuf Glass and Mirrors Company and Alyusuf Thermo Glass – are currently working at a frenetic pace to meet the glass requirements for the villas within the Riffa Views development.
Says Basim Alyusuf, managing director of Alyusuf Glass and Mirrors Company and Alyusuf Thermo Glass: “We have won several contracts at the project through both the companies. These deals involve the supply and installation of glass panels for the staircase handrails and balustrades, mirrors and external window glass fittings. While the first three products are being supplied through Alyusuf Glass and Mirrors Company, external windows will be supplied by Alyusuf Thermoglass.
“The total value of the orders so far is close to BD300,000 and we are confident that the figure could go higher as more and more villas are released for completion by the contractors,” says Basim.
The supply of the glass products, which began in June, is expected to be completed by July next year.
Currently, the products from the two companies will be used on a total of 531 villas within The Lagoons, Oasis and Park estates of the development, which are being supplied by Alyusuf Glass and Mirrors Company. The external window glass for 64 villas being built by Poullaides Construction Company is being supplied by Alyusuf Thermo Glass.
For the interior requirements of the villas, Alyusuf Glass will be supplying the Ultra Silver Mirror from Guardian, which is corrosion-resistant and uses a silvering process that replaces copper with palladium, resulting in a more durable mirror. This innovative process, which was developed by Guardian, produces a high-performance mirror that substantially reduces black edge corrosion.
Ultra Mirror has an ultraviolet coating for added durability and is available in all ranges of sizes and thicknesses, along with bevelled, pencilled, polished and flat edges.
Apart from the mirrors, Alyusuf Glass is also supplying clear-tempered glass for balustrades and shower glazing for the project from Saint Gobain.
Commenting on the progress of work so far, Basim says: “We expect to complete the supply and installation of 40 per cent of the 457 villas by early August.
Alyusuf Thermo Glass will supply special coated glass from Saint Gobain for 64 villas. The product that we have agreed to supply is the green-tinted Cool-Lite KNT 464 from Saint Gobain, which is being used for the first time in Bahrain. The KNT 464 is a solar control glass, which blocks up to two-thirds of the heat by reflecting it to the outside. The glass has a microscopically thin coating on one face which provides an attractive appearance and reduces glare from direct sunlight.
The current order for KNT 464 at the Riffa Views’ villas is for 11,000 sq m of glass, 30 per cent of which will be supplied by the end of the month (August), while the entire delivery will be completed by January next year. The first batch of the glass will be supplied to the contractors by the second week of August, says Alyusuf.
“This is just the beginning of the orders for thermally-insulated glass for the external windows and we are confident that the orders could grow as the project progresses,” he adds.
Alyusuf Thermo Glass is a high-tech glass processing factory, which was inaugurated in June last year. It specialises in the manufacture of insulating glass units for all glazing applications, like high-rises, commercial buildings and malls, villas and residential projects. The company’s recent expansion of its Tubli facility, has allowed it to increase its production capabilities by a big margin and also manufacture a wide range of high-quality thermoglass units that have already found its way on some of the prestigious projects in the kingdom.
The BD1.8 million facility, now has a 5,000 sq m working area and a warehouse of 2,000 sq m, and allows Alyusuf to produce 800 sq m of glazed units on an average shift, giving it a maximum capacity of up to 2,400 sq m of glass on an average day.
At the facility, the company has invested in state-of-the-art machinery from Germany, Austria, Italy and Finland, says Basim. “Currently, the company has a Jumbo size Lisec cutting line, which can cut glass sheets in sizes of up to 6 m by 3.7 m.”
Apart from this, the company has also invested in a 4800 by 2440 glass tempering line from Tamglass Finland, and two insulating glass unit production line with a fully automatic sealing robotic machine from Lisec Austria.
“Besides installing the latest in machinery, we have also been focusing on improving on our human resources through hiring the right person for the job,” says Basim. “Today, we have employees with the right expertise on our team and this is helping us achieve ISO certification standards. We are eagerly awaiting the certification from ISO,” he concludes.