His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and chairman of Dubai Municipality, has approved AED1.3bn for the implementation of the first stage of the rainwater and groundwater drainage project for the Al Maktoum Airport area, the Expo 2020 area and the nearby urban complexes covering 400sqkm.

Eng Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, said that the approval of the project confirms the keenness of the government to provide all the requirements of the city of projects that serve the vision and mission of the emirate’s ambitious future to maintain its status as a global destination with all modern components of a global city.

Lootah reiterated that he and his Dubai Municipality team are keen to meet all the needs of the society in accordance with the strategic mission and vision of the Government of Dubai and to implement these projects in accordance with the finest and best international standards adopted in this field.

Read the full article on Construction Business News.

Kleindienst Group on Monday launched The Floating Venice, the world’s first underwater luxury vessel resort to be built off Dubai’s coastline.

Valued at AED2.5 billion ($680 million), The Floating Venice will be located in The World islands, 4km offshore from Dubai and will bring an authentic Venetian experience to the Middle East, the developer said in a statement.

This floating resort has a capacity of up to 3,000 guests daily, with accommodation, restaurants and recreation split over four decks, one of which is underwater.

Guests will arrive by boat, seaplane or helicopter to the main Piazza San Marco where they can check-in at the underwater lobby. Gondola’s imported from Venice will transport guests to their cabins through the winding canals, or alternatively a short stroll through canal side walkways and bridges will take them to their awaiting cabins.

Read the full article on Arabian Business.

Arada has revealed plans to award the main contract for Phase 1 of its $6.5 billion (AED24bn) Aljada megaproject in January 2018.

The developer said that it would float the main construction tender for Phase 1 of the Sharjah community in November 2017.

Construction works are due to commence in Q1 2018, and the development’s initial phase will be delivered before the end of 2019, Construction Week reports.

Spread across an area of 2.2km2, and boasting a total population of approximately 70,000 people, Aljada looks set to become Sharjah’s largest ever real estate development.

Ahmed Al Khoshaibi, CEO of Arada, told Construction Week that that the community would include a total of 800 buildings upon completion.

Read the full article on Arabian Business.

Nakheel, the Dubai-based master developer, has said that it will announce a range of projects – collectively worth more than $871 million – at Cityscape Global 2017.

In a statement, the developer said that it will launch six new residential, retail and hospitality developments at four of its communities in Dubai, including its flagship Palm Jumeirah project.

Nakheel’s current project portfolio spans more than 15,000 hectares and accommodates more than 270,000 people. It added that it has more than $13.6 billion worth of projects underway in terms of infrastructure and construction costs, while it has awarded construction contracts worth $1.90 billion so far this year, with that figure likely to exceed $3.26 billion by the end of the year.

“As the creator of the globally-famous, award-winning Palm Jumeirah and other iconic projects that have put Dubai on the global map, the Nakheel name is synonymous with current and future developments that will further enhance the city’s position as a world-leading location for living, leisure, business and tourism,” said Ali Rashid Lootah, Nakheel chairman.

Read the full article on ME Construction News.

Oman’s Tender Board approved construction, infrastructure, and property tenders worth $14.8m (OMR5.7m) during its seventh meeting of 2017.

The organisation, led by chairman Dr Rasheed bin Al Safi al-Huraibi, approved 25 tenders, worth $53.4m (OMR20.6m), at its latest meeting.

The following pages outline the Tender Board’s approvals relating to the sultanate’s construction contracting sector.

Read the full article on Construction Week Online.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai – has unveiled the blueprint for Dubai Food Park (DFP), the latest addition to Dubai Wholesale City (DWSC), according to a statement by WAM.

To be developed at a cost of $1.5 billion, it will be the first destination in the Middle East dedicated to serving the food sector.

“DFP seeks to enhance Dubai’s position as a leading regional hub for food trade, import, export and re-export of foodstuffs. Conceptualised at a time when food trade makes up 11 percent of the UAE’s GDP and the food industry is estimated to grow by 70 percent to $6.3 billion by 2030, the park will offer all categories of food wholesale services to meet the high demand of the food sector in the UAE and the wider region,” WAM said.

DFP will span over 48 million square feet within DWSC, the largest wholesale hub in the world occupying 550 million square feet that will take shape over a 10-year period at an estimated cost of $8.2 billion.

Read the full article on ME Construction News.

The first four trains that will run on the Doha Metro arrived in Qatar yesterday, in what is a landmark moment for the infrastructure project.

After a three-week journey by sea from Kobe in Japan, the new carriages were welcomed by officials into Hamad Port last night, Qatar Rail said.

This is the first batch of some 75 trains that will run on the new driverless rail network, which opens to the public in early 2020.

According to Qatar Rail, the trains will be transported to its Al Wakrah depot, reassembled and then tested to ensure safety standard.

Read the full article on Medium – Doha News.

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) hospitality market is witnessing solid growth with a total of 123,589 rooms under construction in the region, said a report.

Of this, about 95,089 rooms are under construction in the Middle East – up 14.3 per cent in year-over-year (y-o-y) comparisons, while the rest are in the African region, said STR’s July 2017 Pipeline Report.

Dubai topped the MEA list for the largest number of rooms under construction with the total put at 23,816 rooms in 18 hotels.

Three other markets reported more than 5,000 rooms under construction in the region: Makkah, Saudi Arabia (23,816 rooms in 18 projects), Doha, Qatar (8,714 rooms in 36 projects), and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (6,712 rooms in 30 projects).

Read the full article on Zawya.

Master developer Nakheel has awarded four contracts worth a collective AED430 million ($117m) for its Deira Islands project, a 15.3 sq km waterfront city under construction in Dubai.

The contracts, covering islands A and B of the four-island development, are for a sewage treatment plant, a district cooling plant, a substation and piling work for an 800-room resort.

Nakheel has so far invested nearly AED7.5 billion in infrastructure and construction contracts for Deira Islands with more due soon, according to a statement from the company.

The latest awards include a AED228.3 million contract with VWS Emirates LLC/ Butec S.A.L (Dubai Branch) under a joint venture for the design, construction and 10 years’ operation and maintenance of a sewage treatment plant.

The second is a AED100 million contract with Emirates District Cooling (Emicool) to build a district cooling plant for Nakheel’s Deira Islands Night Souk and nearby Nakheel buildings, with 10 years’ operation and maintenance.

Read the full article on ME Construction News.

Arabtec Construction has been awarded a contract worth AED628m ($171m) by DAMAC Properties to build 1,296 villas at DAMAC’s Akoya Oxygen master development in Dubai, UAE.

Situated off the Umm Suqeim Road extension Akoya Oxygen provides a tranquil environment with green surroundings in a secluded, family-friendly community.

The site is located just 15 minutes from DAMAC Hills, Akoya Oxygen will include contemporary residential properties of various sizes surrounding an 18-hole championship golf course.

The residential property will also feature an organic produce market, hydroponic café, luxury wellness centre, outdoor yoga enclave and retail outlets featuring well-known brands.

Read the full article on World Construction Network.