Gulf Construction articles from January 2009

Gulf Construction archives from January 2009

Iraq awards $3bn power contract to GE.
January 22, 2009... Iraqs Ministry of Electricity and GE Energy signed an agreement last month for power generation equipment and services valued at nearly $3 billion to provide much-needed electricity to support Iraqs future economic development. The contract...

Saudi cable firm wins $356m Qatari order.
January 22, 2009... Saudi Arabias Riyadh Cables has won a contract worth QR1.3 billion ($356 million) to supply high-voltage power cables to the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) The contract is said to be the largest single cable...

Diab gets to the core for cladding.
January 22, 2009... Structural core materials manufacturer Diab has been awarded a major contract by Premier Composite Technologies to supply core materials for 35,000 sq m of composite cladding that will be used on the final 200 m of the Development of King...

Qatar smelter opts for GRFP reinforcement.
January 22, 2009... Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GRFP) reinforcement bars are being used to build Qatalum, a multi-billion-dollar aluminium plant thats on the rise in Messaied Industrial City, Qatar The smelter is being built by Qatar Petroleum (QP) and...

Sandviks hammers tackle virgin quarry.
January 22, 2009... City Cement Company (CCC) of Saudi Arabia has built a new cement plant at a massive limestone deposit near Riyadh, and is using two new Sandvik Rammer hydraulic hammers to open up the virgin quarry Produce from the quarry, which is a...

UPDATE.
January 22, 2009... Price drop boost Landbridge chances Saudi Arabia is considering relaunching its Landbridge Railway project, on the back of recent declines in the cost of building materials, especially steel, according to reports The cost of the project...

Developers listed for $40bn city.
January 22, 2009... Saudi Arabias industrial development agency Modon has shortlisted 10 developers for Sudair City, a massive project that will cost Dh146.9 billion ($40 billion) to build, according to a regional press report It will be the largest...

$500bn investment needed.
January 22, 2009... The Middle East will require investments of more than $500 billion in electricity infrastructure to facilitate economic growth in the coming years. At the same time, several countries in the region lag behind in their infrastructure planning....

Daikin networks to save the ozone.
January 22, 2009... An innovative computerised network built by Daikin Industries (DIL), which centrally manages information for the recovery of fluorocarbons, has won a prestigious Japanese environmental award The eleventh Ozone Layer Protection and Global...

Culture village progresses.
January 22, 2009... Work on Qatars Cultural Village is progressing, as the country prepares to become Arab Capital of Culture in 2010, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari was quoted as saying in local press reports The...

alfanar to build $118m substation in Makkah.
January 22, 2009... The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) last month awarded Saudi Arabias alfanar Construction which is part of the alfanar Group a contract worth SR444 million ($118.37 million) to build a 380 kV substation in west Makkah. This project is...

Bulroc steps up to Oman drill test.
January 22, 2009... Omans Geosol Engineering has been successfully using Bulroc down-the-hole (DTH) drilling equipment on foundation piling contracts At a project in Barr Al Jissah near Muscat, Geosol had to construct micro piles through rockfill to depths...

Juffair residences right on track.
January 22, 2009... Work on a 20-storey residential building in Bahrain is on track for completion this year, despite a shortge in building materials, according to the projects contractor The Gardenia Tower, located in Juffair, is an exclusive residential...

Saudi Lighting campaigns to save energy.
January 22, 2009... Saudi Arabias largest luminaire manufacturer Saudi Lighting Company is to continue a campaign to save energy in the kingdom, which it successfully held last year The Riyadh-based lighting specialist will also launch new energy-efficient...

$816m development at Bani Yas well under way.
January 22, 2009... Significant progress has been made on Bawabat Al Sharq, a mixed-use development community being built at a cost of Dh3 billion ($816 million) in Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi. Phase One, which is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2010,...

Rainbow rising as $122m contract is awarded.
January 22, 2009... Leading UAE developer Sweet Homes has awarded a contract worth Dh450 million ($122.5 million) to Sharjah-based Master Civil Construction Company for the construction of Towers B10, B14 and B15 three out of the nine towers comprising its...

Schindler branches out with two offices.
January 22, 2009... Schindler has established its own branches in the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to sell, install and service the companys elevators and escalators in these fast-growing markets The company has been present in the two emirates for many...

Structures up at Emirates Gardens.
January 22, 2009... DAMAC Properties Dubai has completed of the main structure of its Emirates Gardens development. Emirates Garden (Phase One) is the companys first project in Jumeirah Village and comprises three separate buildings each of four storeys. The...

Al Nasr wins $158m golf community contract.
January 22, 2009... The UAEs Al Nasr Contracting Company has won a contract worth Dh582 million ($158 million) for infrastructure works on The Tiger Woods Dubai, an exclusive 55-million-sq-ft golf community development located within Dubailand The contract...

Designs approved for two metro stations.
January 22, 2009... Architectural designs for two stations on the Green Line of the Dubai Metro have been approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai The design, which is derived from the...

Turning Japanese at Dubais new terminal.
January 22, 2009... Planters, the regions leading interior landscaping company, has executed the interior landscaping of the new Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport Planters was tasked with styling the interior landscaping of this ultra-luxurious...

Meva in fine form for worlds largest reservoir.
January 22, 2009... Construction has begun in Dubai on what will become the worlds largest water reservoir built in pre-stressed concrete, using the worlds largest and most powerful wall formwork system supplied by Meva Formwork Systems. The three giant...

Customised offices will help save costs.
January 22, 2009... Dubais soaring office rental rates are putting a premium on office design, with many organisations finding that customisation is no longer a luxury but a necessity, according Ofis, a leading supplier of office furniture. According to some...

Omniyat to deliver as per schedule.
January 22, 2009... Omniyat Properties says it is committed to deliver all launched projects on time. With nine projects under way, at a value of more than Dh13 billion ($3.53 billion), Omniyat Properties will deliver all projects over three years, at the rate...

DCC wins contracting award.
January 22, 2009... Dubai Contracting Company (DCC) received the Construction Company of the Year 2008 award at the Arabian Business Achievement Awards 2008 gala ceremony, which was held last month at Atlantis, The Palm hotel in Dubai The award was received by...

USCS makes it two in a row.
January 22, 2009... U S Chiller Services (USCS) Dubai, a leader in chiller operation, maintenance and services, was voted the MEP Specialist Contractor of the Year for the second consecutive year at the 2008 MEP Middle East Awards Gala held at the Mina Al Salam...

Expert to shed light on Dubai strata law.
January 22, 2009... A four-day course on Dubais new strata law is to be held in the city this month The course is being conducted by Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI), a leading institute for real estate education in the Middle East offering high-quality...

Simplex to build City of Arabia tower.
January 22, 2009... Simplex Infrastructures has won a main contract worth Dh168 million ($45.65 million) to build Wadi Tower, one of a series of high-rise buildings within City of Arabia, with work set to begin immediately The contract was awarded by The...

Dubai office show attracts 250 firms.
January 22, 2009... iNTERNATIONAL office designers and manufactures will converge at one of the largest and most influential industry exhibitions in the region, when the eighth annual Office Exhibition is staged in Dubai from March 3 to 5 This year, more...

800 exhibitors line up for Turkeybuild.
January 22, 2009... MORE than 800 companies from over 50 countries are expected to participate in the 32nd International Turkeybuild 2009 Istanbul Fair spread over 60,000 sq m and 10 halls, from May 6 to 10 this year The event, to be held at the Tuyap Fair...

Forum to focus on credit crisis.
January 22, 2009... THE fifth annual Middle East Project Finance Forum will be held on May 26 and 27 in Abu Dhabi to discuss the current financial turmoil that has jolted the whole world, according to Fleming Gulf, the events organiser The needs of a rising...

UPDATE.
January 22, 2009... Concrete industry set to meet THE World of Concrete 2009 exhibition will be held next month (February 3 to 6) at the Convention Centre in Las Vegas, US It is an event for construction professionals with a focus on the environment, green...

DIARY OF EVENTS.
January 22, 2009... JANUARY 10-13: Tekno 2009, machine tools, wood working, welding, moulds and dyes exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE 12-17: Bau 2009, exhibition on the construction sector, the New Munich Trade Fair Centre, Munich,...

Solving multi-party disputes.
January 22, 2009... PATRICK BOURKE and AMANDA GREENWOOD* address the advantages of multi-party arbitration and the difficulties that can arise, while providing guidance in drafting dispute resolution clauses CONSTRUCTION projects involving multi-national...

Tough trough ahead.
January 22, 2009... A wait-and-watch approach is characteristic of Bahrains construction sector, which is jittery amidst the global financial uncertainty. The year ahead will be a testing one, where cautious optimism can pay rich dividends in the long term ...

$541m in the works.
January 22, 2009... Bahrains Ministry of Works has a wide portfolio of projects under way to ease traffic congestion while improving the services offered by the country. Gulf Construction looks at some of these key projects SEVERAL projects worth a total of...

Dream of the future.
January 22, 2009... WORK on Diyar Al Muharraq, one of the biggest mixed-use residential urban developments ever undertaken by the private sector in Bahrain, has made considerable progress since its launch last June. Phase One of the land reclamation is nearly...

Bay sets the trend.
January 22, 2009... WITH infrastructure works nearing completion and the Arcapita headquarters building now well up on the horizon at Bahrain Bay, the $2.5-billion waterfront district is poised to see further developments unfold as investors begin work on their...

Raffles rising.
January 22, 2009... More than 70 per cent of the piling and foundation work on Raffles City Bahrain, the kingdoms first internationally-branded mixed-use development, has been completed and the substructure is taking shape in readiness for work to begin on the...

On way to a record friendship.
January 22, 2009... CONSTRUCTION work on the $3 billion Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge was expected to begin this month following the completion of a series of studies Said to be the worlds longest transportation link constructed over the sea, the bridge...

La isla bonita.
January 22, 2009... CONSIDERABLE headway has been made on Durrat Al Bahrain, the kingdoms largest luxury residential, commercial and tourism resort, which is taking shape as an island city over 21 sq km near the southern tip of Bahrain Weve made a lot of...

luxury holds fort.
January 22, 2009... CONSTRUCTION work is under way on Phase One of Salam Resort Bahrain, which will be Bahrains first luxury beach resort community on the main islands southwestern coast The project, which is designed to resemble an Arabian citadel, will...

More in store.
January 22, 2009... FIRST Bahrain, a regional real estate developer, has secured additional land at the Bahrain Investment Wharf (BIW) in Hidd to expand its warehouse project, in response to the increasing market demand for logistics warehousing and commercial...

MSCEB designs to transform skyline.
January 22, 2009... HAVING designed some of the landmark projects that are currently breaking ground in the heart of Manama, Mohamed Salahuddin Consulting Engineer-ing Bureau (MSCEB) is justifiably excited as it witnesses its vision translate to physical form...

BPC marks 30 years of leadership.
January 22, 2009... BAHRAIN Precast Concrete Company (BPC) marked a major milestone in its history last year: the precast manufacturer celebrated 30 years of leadership in Bahrains precast concrete industry. It was also a year that saw BPC perform well, despite...

Maison aims to please the senses.
January 22, 2009... LEADING interior designer Maison Interiors has carved a niche for itself in the residential and commercial market of the region and of Bahrain in particular Established in 1994, the company serves its clients in the Middle East through...

Moving ahead with confidence.
January 22, 2009... REYNAERS Middle East is quietly confident of riding through the recessionary pressure that is being exerted by the global economic turmoil, thanks to its spirit of innovation and trendsetting projects that have firmly established the European...

Doka provides innovative solutions.
January 22, 2009... DOKA, a leading Austria-headquartered formwork expert that has been supplying Bahrain since 2002, continues to provide the local construction sector with innovative solutions to take on the challenges of fast-track projects that demand...

VKL Holdings focuses on commercial projects.
January 22, 2009... UK Universal Property Manage-ment Company, the property management division of VKL Holdings, will be developing a BD20 million ($53 million) state-of-the-art shopping mall in Hidd as well as an exotic five-star hotel and multi-storey...

CNBM to launch batching plants.
January 22, 2009... CNBM International Engineering Company (CNBM Engineering) of China, a specialist engineering procurement and construction/engineering procurement (EPC/EP) contractor, is gearing up to launch its concrete batching and asphalt mixing plants in...

Technal gears for new challenges.
January 22, 2009... Backed by the strength of the Technal brand and a history of 30 years in the region, Bahrain-based Technal Middle East is gearing up for the challenges that the New Year brings with it in the face of the global economic crisis We will...

Abdul-Aal aims for further growth.
January 22, 2009... Abdul-Aal Group Holdings, a prominent and major multi-divisional business and venture development company, is looking ahead to a year of steady growth, despite the downturn in the market, bolstered by its five decades of experience in the...

New pelletisation plant takes shape.
January 22, 2009... Bahrain-based Foulath is building a new pelletisation plant and has plans to set up an integrated steel plant in the Hidd industrial area, in a bid to enhance its role as an iron pellet supplier and assume a new position as a provider of...

Tabreed cuts harmful emissions.
January 22, 2009... TABREED Bahrain, a world leader in district cooling, says that the large-scale use of district cooling systems in Bahrain will bring about substantial environmental benefits to the kingdom, including a significant reduction in harmful CO2...

Al Taweel builds an empire from scratch.
January 22, 2009... WHAT started out as a transportation operation with just a single taxi pick-up truck 38 years ago has grown into one of Bahrains major companies active in diverse sectors Today, the Al Taweel Group is involved in a number of large...

Osho ensures high safety standards.
January 22, 2009... SPECIALISED safety management company Osho Centre is currently working on one of Bahrains most prestigious projects, the $620 million Villamar @ the Harbour development, an exclusive world-class residential complex at the Bahrain Financial...

Zamil Steel getting bigger and bigger.
January 22, 2009... Zamil Steel continues to grow its international presence through new factories and projects worldwide As one of the worlds largest manufacturers of pre-engineered buildings (PEBs) and the Middle Easts premier supplier of steel...

Masa helps industry pick up the pace.
January 22, 2009... Naimul Hasan, entomologist, R & D at Masa Establishment for Pest Extermination Maintenance and Contracting, details what steps must be taken to ensure that industrial facilities remain free of pest infestation WITH the rapid pace of...

Innovative systems help control pollution.
January 22, 2009... EUROPE Environment, a leader in corrosive, toxic and odorous gas treatment market, is set to demonstrate innovative solutions at the Environment 2009 trade fair in Abu Dhabi, UAE, this month (January 19 to 21) The French firm engineers a...

Firetex coatings fight against fire.
January 22, 2009... Leighs Paints Firetex range of coatings is a revolutionary solution, which helps protect buildings and save lives in the event of a blaze breaking out DEMAND for fire-protective intumescent coatings in the Middle East region is expected...

Fire protection calculations go hi-tech.
January 22, 2009... Fire protection calculations for steel structures will become instantaneous, following an interesting development from industry leaders Tekla and Leighs Paints A collaboration between the two global companies has brought about a new and...

Jotun offers a single-source solution.
January 22, 2009... JOTUN, one of the worlds leading producers and suppliers of paints and coatings, is promoting its single-source solution concept to further reinforce the companys position as a one-stop shop for paints and coatings solutions Through its...

Sigma launches its crowning glory.
January 22, 2009... DAMMAM-based Sigma Paints has drawn inspiration from European crown jewels to create its latest innovative concept for interior decoration, the Sigmulto Amouage Tijan The latest addition to the paint major's high-end finish Sigmulto...

Liquid Plastics busy with high-flying job.
January 22, 2009... Liquid Plastics has been aggressively promoting the use of zero-flame, zero-heat construction materials as alternatives to high-risk roof waterproofing methods LIQUID Plastics, which has been advocating the use of alternatives to...

Rheinzink masters the Quick Step.
January 22, 2009... RHEINZINK, a German manufacturer of titanium-zinc that is marketed under the same name, has developed Quick Step, an industrial laying system that combines new design possibilities for roofing applications and simple installation techniques....

Tiger systems ease design flexibility.
January 22, 2009... TIGER Profiles and Insulation (TPI), a one-stop shop for roofing and cladding requirements, offers a range of roofing solutions for the regions construction industry Its extensive portfolio of roofing products ranges from standing seam...

Hurd aims for the perfect choice.
January 22, 2009... The US-based Hurd says its windows are handcrafted to ensure that they perfectly meet the requirements of a project CHOOSING the perfect windows and doors for a project can be a challenging task as getting the right interior and exterior...

Brakels Inova thinks beyond the box.
January 22, 2009... BRAKEL Aluminiums Inova, an aesthetic ventilation window designed specifically for use in vertical applications, won a bronze medal at The Big 5 Gaia Awards in Dubai last November The Gaia Awards recognised environment-friendly and...

Mulk in major solar energy breakthrough.
January 22, 2009... US-based American Building Technologies, a subsidiary of the UAE-based multinational group Mulk Holdings, has successfully tested an innovative solar collector panel known as Alubond Solar Collector Panel (SCP) The US-patented SCP is an...

Sirocco well-suited to Gulfs arid climate.
January 22, 2009... CDE Ireland Limited, based in Northern Ireland, has launched in the Gulf region a new sand and aggregate processing system specifically set up to tackle the problems associated with a shortage of water that is required to feed traditional...

Catnic unveils formwork metal sheet.
January 22, 2009... CATNIC, a building products specialist, has rolled out its new RIB21, an expanded metal sheet product specifically developed for use as permanent formwork to concrete Primarily used in construction joint applications and stop-ends, the...

Kone takes energy savings to new heights.
January 22, 2009... KONE will launch this year a range of energy-efficient elevators that are designed to cut energy costs by 30 per cent, compared to its current volume models Powered by the energy-efficient Kone EcoDisc hoisting machine, the next...

New mixes promise 100-year life.
January 22, 2009... GOVERNMENTS and the private sector can now build public infrastructure with 100-year durability, at lower cost and with up to a 40 per cent reduction in a projects carbon footprint, says the manufacturer of a new patented concrete mix ...

Carrier launches evergrEen solution.
January 22, 2009... CARRIER Corporation, a world leader in cutting-edge cooling technology, has launched its innovative Evergreen 19XRD chiller for district cooling plants in the Middle East, keeping in line with its legacy of creating...

PROJECT WATCH.
January 22, 2009... Bahrain Qatar Bahrain Causeway (Friendship Bridge) Owner: Qatar Government Bahrain Government Budget: $3 billion Scope: The project will involve the construction of a 40-km double-lane causeway between Qatar and Bahrain. The development will...

TENDERS.
January 22, 2009... Bahrain Tender No 452/2008/4520. Provision of consultancy services for the construction of a new workshop at Salmabad. Bid bond is BD500. Documents can be obtained from the Electricity and Water Authority, Purchasing and Supply Directorate,...