THE UK-headquartered Carillion has signed a contract to deliver a state-of-the-art medical facility with the largest outpatient centre in Saudi Arabia, adding yet another high-profile project to its extensive Middle East portfolio which has expanded considerably over the past year.

The latest contract in the region, awarded by the Aldara Medical Corporation for Phase Two of the Aldara Hospital and Medical Centre in Riyadh, is expected to be worth approximately £70 million ($119.2 billion) and comprises construction of the superstructure and fit-out for the facility.

Phase One substructure construction has already been executed by Saudi Tarouk and is currently 94 per cent complete. Meanwhile, Phase Two pre-mobilising work has begun as well.

During this phase, Carillion will work hand in hand with Aldara’s engineering team, international project manager Faithful and Gould (a member of the Atkins Group of Companies) and leading designer HOK and Hobbs and Black.

Carillion chief executive Richard Howson says: “We are delighted to have been selected to deliver this prestigious project, our second hospital project in Saudi Arabia, which offers significant opportunities for growth that contribute to the improving outlook in our Middle East markets. We look forward to working closely with the Aldara Medical Corporation and to using our extensive experience in the healthcare sector to ensure that the Aldara Hospital and Medical Centre is completed to the highest standards.”

With the announcement of Phase Two, Aldara Medical Corporation has progressed to an advanced stage of construction. The new facility, located on Al Takhassusi Street, near King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre and Al Faisal University, is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Upon completion, it will encompass some of the most advanced medical and information technologies in the world. Aldara Hospital and Medical Centre is collaborating with a world-renowned US healthcare system to implement best practices related to both patient care and administrative processes.

Carillion is a leading construction and international support services company, which has delivered more than 20 technically advanced major hospitals and healthcare facilities. The company has established strong partnerships in the Middle East, where it has gained extensive experience in delivering and managing construction projects over nearly 50 years

Aldara Hospital and Medical Centre ... high-quality finishes.

Its joint venture business in the UAE, Al Futtaim Carillion, has secured a string of major contracts this year. Its latest successes in Dubai include deals worth about £300 million ($511.32 million) to build two major luxury hotels as part of Phase Four of the Madinat Jumeirah Resort.

This prestigious project, which will be located on a beachfront site next to the Burj Al Arab hotel, will be built to world-class standards with high-quality finishes throughout and will include a number of restaurants and leisure facilities. Construction of both hotels will begin shortly and is scheduled for completion in 2016. 

Earlier this year, Al Futtaim Carillion was awarded at least three other key contracts in the UAE including the construction of the first phase of the Dubai Trade Centre District (DTCD) and The Avenue Phase Two City Walk development, both in Dubai; as well as the five-star Hard Rock Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

The DTCD is a 146,000-sq-m development between the current Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and Emirates Towers in the heart of the city’s Central Business District. The £61-million ($104 million) contract includes an eight-storey office building and a 588-room business and tourism hotel and is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2015.

The DTCD development will be designed to best-in-class quality standards and Phase One will include international Grade-A quality offices, which have achieved Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold pre-certification from the US Green Building Council.

Meanwhile, the £150-million ($255.6 million) deal awarded by Meraas to build The Avenue Phase Two City Walk development includes the construction, commissioning, testing and completion of the second phase of a high-quality family entertainment and retail development of over one million sq ft in the Jumeirah area of Dubai. Al Futtaim Carillion completed the first phase of this major development in 2013.

Construction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2015.

In Abu Dhabi, Al Futtaim Carillion was awarded a £110-million ($187.4 million) contract by Aabar Properties to build a five-star Hard Rock Hotel, which will be the first of its kind in the Middle East. Located on the capital’s corniche, it will comprise 378 rooms and will also feature an assortment of signature restaurants, entertainment and meeting facilities, including the renowned Hard Rock Café.

Other key attractions will include a sky lobby on the fifth floor podium, a lobby bar with outdoor entertainment deck and hookah lounge, as well as a 37th-floor Sky Bar with swimming pool. The resort will also host the Body Rock fitness centre and signature Rock Spa. Construction is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2017.

Carillion’s Oman venture Carillion Alawi, meanwhile, has a firm foothold in the sultanate’s market. The company has recently been appointed as the infrastructure contractor for Saraya Bandar Jissah, Oman’s newest integrated tourism complex (ITC) taking shape in the east of the capital Muscat.

Carillion Alawi will execute the RO10-million ($25.97 million) package that comprises installation of all utilities required at the development and creating the fundamental network provisions for the leisure and residential components at Saraya Bandar Jissah.

These include the complete networks for electrical power, water supply, irrigation, storm water drainage, sewage and communications, in addition to road finishing work and street-lighting.

Late last year, it was awarded a £92-million ($156.8 million) contract by The Oman Hospitality Company to build the Kempinski Wave Hotel in Muscat. The 24-month contract involves the construction of a beachfront resort including a 309-room five-star hotel and 77 hotel apartments, to be operated by Kempinski Hotels.

Carillion Alawi has previously delivered projects worth £75 million ($127.8 million) for The Wave, Muscat development.