Burj Dubai now the tallest
Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building being developed by Emaar Properties, has now surpassed the height of the world’s tallest free-standing structure, CN Tower in Toronto.

At 555.3 m, Burj Dubai has now also scaled 150 liveable levels, the largest number of storeys for any building in the world, the company said.
The tower already holds the distinction of being taller than Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which at 508 m has held the tallest-building-in-the-world title since it opened in 2004. Burj Dubai now surpasses the 31-year-old record of CN Tower, which at 553.33 m has been the world’s tallest free-standing structure on land since 1976.
More than 320,800 cu m of reinforced concrete and 63,300 tonnes of reinforcing steel have been used in the tower’s construction so far.
More than 5,000 consultants and skilled construction workers are employed on site, and the world’s fastest high-capacity construction hoists, with a speed of up to 2 m/sec (120 m/min), move men and materials.
FM market to touch $816bn by 2032
The facilities management market in the GCC region is expected to soar to Dh3 trillion ($816 billion) within the next 25 years, according to the latest research from Middle East Strategy Advisors (Mesa).
The UAE will account for Dh2.5 trillion, Saudi Arabia will follow at Dh352 billion and Qatar will be a close third at Dh337 billion, the researchers said.
Facilities management is an emerging market in the Middle East that has seen rapid growth as a result of the tremendous boom of the construction and the real estate industries.
Veolia in $805m desal plant deal
Veolia Water has won a contract worth $805 million to build a new desalination plant in Fujairah, UAE, the French company said.
The plant will be located in Qidfa and will produce 590,000 cu m of water a day.
Veolia’s $805 million share of the contract will be paid in stages up to the plant’s entry into service in 2010, a spokeswoman said.
Deyaar plans $544m mega venture
Deyaar has announced plans to develop a Dh2 billion ($544.7 million) mega residential project — its largest development to date — in the International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) in Dubai.
Construction is expected to commence in the current year.
The project will be developed on a massive stretch of 40 plots that were recently acquired by Deyaar in a prominent location at IMPZ.
Deyaar chief executive officer Zack Shahin said: “The initiative is in line with Deyaar’s strategy to bolster its portfolio and widen its basket of residential offerings in order to cater to the surging demand from end users and investors.
“The project at IMPZ will be a landmark project, not only for Deyaar, but also within the real estate landscape in the region.”
Deyaar’s development at IMPZ will be sold in phases over the next few months. The project will be spread over 827,785 sq ft of land with a built-up area of 2.6 million sq ft.
DCA to award Concourse 3 contract
Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is likely to award the contract for the Dubai International Airport’s Concourse 3 soon, a report said.
The contract is likely to be awarded to South Africa’s Murray & Roberts, says the report.
It, however, quoted Khalifa Al Zafein, director of engineering and projects, as saying the DCA has not selected a winning bidder yet and that negotiations were ongoing. The overall value of the contract was also unknown and depended on which bid was selected, he added.
Part of a $4.1 billion plan to upgrade and enlarge Dubai Airport, Concourse 3 will be a dedicated facility for Emirates airline with 27 contact gates, including 12 for the new Airbus A380.
Murray & Roberts, in a joint venture with Dubai’s Al Habtoor Group and Takenaka of Japan, is currently building Concourse 2, Terminal 3 and a car-park at Dubai Airport, in a deal also valued at $1 billion.
Work completed on $9m car-park
Dubai Municipality has completed the works on a multi-storey car-park in Al Sabkha area, Dubai, at a cost of Dh34 million ($9.25 million).
The car-park is expected to solve the problem of a  shortage of parking lots in this part of the busy central business district (CBD) of Deira.
Abdullah Ahmed Al Najjar, deputy director of General Projects Department at the municipality, said the new facility includes a total of 445 parking spaces, 13 shops and 15 stores.
The three-storey parking complex has an area of 20,000 sq m.
Palm Jebel Ali ground work complete
Property developer Nakheel says it has completed more than half of the ground improvement works at The Palm Jebel Ali.
The company is currently using a technique known as vibrocompaction, where specially-designed vibrating probes increase the bearing capacity of the soil, making it ready for construction. The work aims to ensure that no land subsidence can take place in the future.
Currently, 18 vibroprobes are being used at the site, each weighing approximately 2,600 kg and capable of up to 1,800 revolutions per minute, resulting in a force of 30 to 50 tonnes, Nakheel said.
“The process ensures that the reclaimed land mass of The Palm Jebel Ali is strong enough to build buildings of significant height,” said Marwan Al Qamzi, managing director, The Palm Jebel Ali.
Describing the process, Al Qamzi said the long, hollow probes go through the entire depth of reclamation until they penetrate the seabed’s hard layers at average depths of 15 m. The combined action of vibration and the jetting of water rearrange loose sand grains into a compact state. Sand is then added from the ground surface to fill the space created by the vibrator and to ensure that any soft layers on the sea bed are densified.
Emicool plans two new plants
Emirates District Cooling Company (Emicool) plans to construct two new district cooling plants in Dubai Investments Park (DIP). The move aims to supply up to 125,000 tons of refrigeration (TR) for five mixed-use projects in the park.
The company, a joint venture between M’Sharie and Union Properties, will construct the Emicool District Cooling Plant 6, called the Ritaj District Cooling Plant, with a 50,000 TR capacity; while the Emicool District Cooling Plant 3 will have a full capacity of 75,000 TR.
The plants will provide chilled water to various projects in DIP, including 10,000 TR for Ritaj residential compound; 3,500 TR for Dunes Village; 10,000 TR for Dubai Lagoon; 6,500 TR for offices and showrooms and 15,000 TR for labour accommodation.
UAE to consume 66m tonnes of steel
The UAE, the GCC’s second biggest user of rebar after Saudi Arabia, will use between 44 and 66 million tonnes of steel reinforcement products in 15 years.
The UAE uses 3.8 million tonnes of rebar a year compared with Saudi Arabia’s five million, Expo Centre Sharjah said, quoting Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting statistics.
Rebar accounts for the major portion of steel imported into the region because of the ongoing construction boom. The product is commonly used to reinforce concrete and building structures.
“I believe the present boom in the construction sector will continue for the next seven or eight years. This is sure to trigger rebar production in the country,” DA Chandekar, a steel industry analyst, said.
A slowdown is expected in the UAE rebar demand in 2009, while consumption will pick up in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman.
SIC site work complete
Snasco, a Saudi and UAE-owned real estate company, has announced the completion of levelling works at Sharjah Investment Centre (SIC) within a record time of six months. The centre, located at the Emirates Road near Sharjah International Airport and Al Humariya port, covers an area of 32 million sq ft.
Arabuilco, SIC grading works contractor, began work one month after the project’s launch.
In addition, Snasco had assigned Cansult Company, as the project’s consultant, Clifton Coney Company as the project manager and quantity surveyor.
Amana to construct RAK plant
Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings has been awarded a contract by Al Rajhi Investments to construct a multipurpose industrial facility in Ras Al Khaimah for the manufacture of aluminium, steel and glass.
The 50,000 sq m fast-track project will be built on 90,000 sq m of land, requiring over 1,000 tonnes of steel. The construction mandate includes a factory, offices and worker accommodation for Cladtech International — part of Al Rajhi Investments.
Construction of the project is scheduled to commence by the end of next month and is expected to be ready by August 2008. 
GDS in Palm Jumeirah contracts
Gulf Dynamic Switchgear (GDS) has won a Dh7.1 million ($1.93 million) contract to design and supply low voltage switchgear panels to the Anantara Palm Jumeirah and Tiara Residence on The Palm Jumeirah.
GDS will also supervise the installation, testing and commissioning of the low-voltage switchgear panels for the high-profile projects, which will comprise themed buildings, residential offerings and a hotel resort.
DM set to open two new projects
Dubai Municipality will open two new projects, built at a cost of Dh203 million ($55.26 million).
The projects are the Dh95 million annex of Used Cars Complex (Auto Market) at Ras Al Khor, and the Dh108 million Cold Stores project at the Dubai Central Vegetable and Fruits Market in Al Awir.
Works of these projects are almost complete and once the finishing touches are over, showrooms and stores would be handed over to the tenants, said Essa Al Maidour, assistant director general of Dubai Municipality for General Projects Affairs.
The annex of the Auto Market includes eight steel-structured complexes consisting of 74 showrooms with areas range from 360 sq m to 630 sq m. The total area of the complexes would be 130,000 sq m.
Dubai plans 12 pedestrian crossings
Dubai will construct 12 pedestrian crossings in various locations in the emirate at a cost of Dh58 million ($15.8 million) to be completed within 600 days.
These crossings will be constructed at Al Mankhool Road opposite Al Ain Center, Khalid bin Al Waleed Road between Saqr and Al Saaeediya intersection, Salahudeen Al Ayoobi Road between Fish roundabout and Al Muraqabat intersection, Baniyas Road between ships wharfage and Sheraton intersection, Damascus Road between Al Nahda and Baghdad Road, Damascus Road between Aleppo and Bagdad Roads, Abu Bakr Al Siddiqq Road near Hamrain Center, Al Rasheed Road near Hamriya Suq, Zabeel Road near the Central Post Office, Al Hadeeqa Road near Safa Park, and Al Rebat Road behind the Al Rashidiya area.
Upgrade for Qanat Al Qashba
A series of landscape enhancements is being carried out in Sharjah’s Qanat Al Qasba aimed at improving the location to attract more visitors. The modifications, started this month, add new features to the footbridge. The bridge will now have a passageway allowing visitors easy access on both canal banks and in between allowing them to enjoy the restaurants and the Eye of the Emirates.
“The footbridge will be designed in Baroque and Neoclassicism which are well known in the French and Italian history of art,” said Marwan Al Sarkal, CEO of Qanat Al Qasba Development Authority.