Business Bay work on schedule
LUXURY lifestyle developer Damac Properties has confirmed that enabling works at two of its developments in Business Bay in Dubai are making good progress with the main contracts to be awarded shortly.
Work on the developments – Commercial Square and Water’s Edge – is now under way with contractors already making good progress on shoring, fencing and ground clearance. Commercial Square is a 21-storey office tower and Water’s Edge is a 20-storey commercial waterfront development at the heart of Business Bay.
Contractor Zetas have already cleared much of the site in preparation for the main construction of Commercial Square. Foundation works are now well advanced with the award for the main contract expected within the next few months. Similarly, teams from National Piling are on site at the company’s Water’s Edge development.
RWI lands Al Raha Beach deal
RUBBER World Industries (RWI) has secured a Dh1 million ($272,235) rubber insulation contract for the prestigious Al Raha Beach development in Abu Dhabi.
The leading manufacturer of ‘Gulf-O-flex’ closed-cell rubber insulation in the Gulf and Southeast Asia, will supply top-quality rubber insulation products, which will be used in two major projects within the Dh54 billion ($14.7 billion) leisure development – Al Bandar, a focal point for marine, leisure and family activities in the community, and the 51,000 sq m commercial office space where Aldar Properties will establish its headquarters.
Conspel Emirates, a sub-contractor for the mega project, has awarded the contract to RWI, which is currently in the process of delivering rubber insulation tubes and duct insulation sheets.
Al Waha handover begins
DUBAI Properties Group (DPG), a member of Dubai Holding, has begun handover of Al Waha, an exclusive freehold community within Dubailand. This luxurious enclave of 260 villas in Dubai features terracotta roofs, warm colours and cobbled driveways surrounded by a tranquil desert landscape. The community includes 80 ground-level two-bedroom villas from 1,785 sq ft, 80 single-level villas from 1,829 sq ft, 50 three-bedroom villas from 3,483 sq ft and 50 four-bedroom villas from 3,992 sq ft.
Law firm hires expert
LEADING international law firm Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) has appointed former Ince & Co lawyer Paul Suckling as a construction litigation partner for its Dubai office. Dual qualified as a solicitor and quantity surveyor, Suckling, who has working in the region since 2002, plays the role of a project counsel through the lifetime of a project.
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i-Rise set completion in November
REALTY Capital Middle East has announced the completion of concrete casting of the 30th floor slab of its centerpiece i-Rise office tower project in Tecom site C in Dubai. The tower is expected to be completed in November.
The 36-storey i-Rise tower contains corporate and executive offices as well as retail space on the ground floor with an approximate total built-up area of 1.9 million sq ft. It will have 19 high-speed elevators and 2,300 parking spaces. All electromechanical works of i-Rise are now being completed through the lower levels up to 27th floor. The contractor has also started placing aluminium cladding on the external facade up to the 25th floor. Fit-out works are also well in progress.
iGuzzini expands team
ITALIAN lighting manufacturer iGuzzini has included a new territory manager to its Middle East team. Based in Dubai for three-and-a-half years, James Sayer has gained considerable project management experience with a leading regional trading company and will support iGuzzini’s Northern Gulf partners and specification clients on current and future projects.
Peri moves to new office
PERI is now operating from its new headquarters at Palace Towers in Dubai Silicon Oasis, dedicating the entire 1,000 sq m space on the 24th floor to its different departments such as technical, logistics, accounts, sales and customer support. It stockyard will remain in Brashy Building in Al Quoz.
Rimal completes Reem project
RIMAL Engineering Products (Rimal), a premier agent for construction and building materials in the UAE, has completed its work at the prestigious Sun and Sky towers on Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Rimal was brought onboard by main contractor ACC to provide the plaster for all internal areas and supply and install kitchens in all the 1,156 residential units and 38 commercial floors – involving 1,192 kitchen units and more than 5 million kg of plaster in total.
Healthcare project deal renewed
DUBAI Properties Group, a member of Dubai Holding, will renew its agreement with Al Basti & Muktha, a leading building and civil construction company in the UAE, to complete Al Khor Hotel and Residences in Dubai Healthcare City, a member of Tecom Investments. The five-star development, located in Phase One, has already achieved 60 per cent completion. The community will consist of two towers, a 34-floor hotel to include 444 rooms and a 43-floor apartment building with 405 serviced apartments.
Almasah project nears completion
CONSTRUCTION work on Sahara Living at Dubai Industrial City is nearing completion, says Almasah International Real Estate, which expects the project to be handed over by October.
Spread across an area of 18,116 sq m, Sahara Living is a residential development consisting of 84 villas, valued at Dh100 million ($27 million), targeted at the middle-income investors and families. Each of the three-bedroom villas at Sahara Living includes a small garden, with villa clusters grouped around community pools, barbecue areas and playgrounds – all surrounded by lush greenery.
Reem Dubai Contracting, tasked with the main construction works at Sahara Living, began construction in April 2009. Almasah presently has 19 projects under construction worth Dh3.2 billion ($871.9 million), which includes Chess Tower, in Dubai Sports City, Nathalie Tower, Blue Moon Tower and Noah’s Arc Tower, on Palm Jebel Ali with 14 other projects located in Jumeirah Village South valued at Dh2.1 billion ($572.2 million).
Masdar City project ‘under review’
THE $22-billion Masdar City development is understood to be undergoing a six-week review. With two of Masdar City’s most senior executives having quit the project, CEO Sultan Al Jaber is now reported to be enforcing a comprehensive ‘rethink’ of the development. Masdar project, unveiled in 2007, is expected to be the world’s zero-carbon city and the first city to rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources.
World islands ‘is a success’
SPECULATIVE reports suggesting that The World islands are sinking are wholly inaccurate, Nakheel, its developer, said in a statement.
“Construction of the islands was completed some years ago and there has been no subsidence since,” the statement said. “A system known as vibro-compaction was used to increase the load-bearing capacity of the reclaimed land mass. This process causes the soil to vibrate vigorously, minimising the tiny air gaps between the sand particles and locking the particle corners and edges together, which in turn lead to very deliberate and calculated compaction and settlement.”
The load-bearing capacity of The World islands is about twice that of mainland Dubai, Nakheel added.
“A suggestion also that some of the islands have slipped and spread into each other is also completely incorrect. The islands at the centre of The World were merged purposely to create land for specific developments, and the shape of other islands was changed at the request of owners,” it stated.
Nakheel has indicated that it has sold around 70 per cent of the islands and development by a number of owners has begun.