Twin towers ready for handover
Two towers within Al Khor Towers freehold development in Ajman are to be handed over by next month, and all their flats have been sold out.

Al Khor Towers is a project of Ajman’s government-owned Real Estate Investment Establishment (REIE), and comprises a total of nine 16-storey apartment buildings located in the Al Khor area.
The ‘A3’ and ‘B4’ twins offer a total of 133 two- and three-bedroom apartments, with only a total of four apartments, ranging in size from 1,518 to 2,366 sq ft, on each floor. The units incorporate two balconies and a maid’s room with a bathroom, and chilled water central air-conditioning and fresh air system.

Interiors firm HQ goes for Leed gold
Summertown Interiors has applied for Leed gold certification for its new eco-friendly headquarters and showroom in the Jebel Free Zone in Dubai.
The new facilities are the first in the UAE’s interior design and fit-out world to be eligible for the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leed (leadership in environmental design) gold certification, according to the interior design and turnkey fitout contractor.
Summertown aimed to create a corporate space that encourages a certain level of energy and water conservation and efficiency, while also incorporating specific material selection that lends itself to a healthier outdoor/indoor environmental quality.

Danube opens new facilities
Danube Building Materials has inaugurated two new state-of-the-art facilities in Ajman and Al Quoz, which were built at a cost of Dh55 million ($14.97 million).
The Dh30-million ($8.16 million) facility in Ajman will have a total area of 58,000 sq ft and carry Danube’s most popular products, including wood, steel, aluminium, glass, and flooring. With investments amounting to over $93 billion already channelled into the Ajman real estate market in the past two years, Danube has identified the potential of the emirate to become one of the UAE’s construction hotspots. Amidst the strong efforts of the Dubai Municipality towards developing Al Quoz as a world-class industrial destination, Danube made a decision to invest in the new Dh25 million ($6.8 million) factory in the area, spanning a total of 30,000 sq ft.

York ACs chosen for four towers
Hi-Tech Electro Mechanical Contracting Establishment has won a Dh13.6 million (3.7 million) contract to supply and install 890 York air-conditioning units within four towers being built by Dubai developer Memon Investments. The towers – Champions Tower I, II and IV, and the Cambridge Business Centre – are collectively valued at Dh715 million ($194 million). The units will be supplied by Gulf Sail General Trading Group, York’s distributor in the UAE. Under the contract, Hi-Tech will supply and install York’s Affinity series which are designed for long-life, quiet operation, and energy efficiency.

Ground broken on two projects
Memon Investments has broken ground on two new freehold projects – Champions Tower IV (CT IV) and Frankfurt Sports Tower I (FST I) – which are together worth Dh788 million ($214 million).
The foundation works on the projects, located in Dubai Sports City, will be undertaken by Stromek Emirates Foundation (SEF), under contracts worth a total of $1.07 million.
The 20-storey CT IV will offer 114 studios, 113 one-bedroom and 19 two-bedroom apartments, while FST I will comprise 140 studio, 56 one-bedroom and 28 two-bedroom apartments.

Fences go up at Dubai World Central
The installation of fences and gates around Dubai World Central (DWC) – a 140-sq-km development centred around what is to become the world’s largest airport, the DWC Al Maktoum International Airport – has been completed. A total of around 30,000 tonnes of steel and wires were used throughout the entire area, stretching across a total of 80 km at a cost of Dh26 million ($7.07 million).

UAE architect among Top 100
Dewan Architects & Engineers of the UAE has been ranked the 52nd largest firm globally by Building Design magazine in its January 2009 issue, which annually publishes the World Architecture Top 100.
The data for the rankings was gathered by UK communications agency Camargue, on behalf of the magazine. The ranking reconfirms the firm’s standing as one of the pioneering and leading firms in the UAE and the region, says its founder, chairman and managing director Mohamed Al Assam.

Damac reports good safety record
Damac Properties recorded an impressive safety performance for 2008 across its major construction sites in Dubai  and has outlined its continued commitment to work with contractors to improve further in 2009.
During 2008 a total of nearly 18 million man hours were worked across Damac’s main sites in Dubai. There were no fatalities on site and just seven lost time injuries (LTIs) occurring in the year. This puts the frequency rate of incidents per one million man hours at a low of rate 0.4 per cent, the company said.
Out of the sample 12 construction sites monitored, nine recorded no LTIs at all and at six sites no medial treatment was needed during the entire year.

Remraam makes progress
Sixty per cent of the infrastructure works for the Remraam residential community in Dubailand has been completed, while excavation works for foundations of 71 per cent of the buildings have also been finished, according to the project’s developer Mizin.
Being built over an area of the 23.5 million sq ft, Remraam is Mizin’s fourth development within Dubailand. Pouring of concrete into the foundations is in progress to create substructures. Concurrently, superstructure work has begun on buildings in several phases.

Rihan reaches milestone
Work on Rihan Heights – the first phase of Capitala’s $5-6 billion flagship Arzanah development in Abu Dhabi – reached a construction milestone ahead of schedule last month when the concrete pours were completed for the lift pits at its tower.
Within Rihan Heights, there are five towers with more than 850 apartments and 14 villas being built on the site’s perimeter. Homes in Rihan Heights will be gradually handed over to their owners starting in the first quarter of 2011 following completion of the $500-million construction contract being carried out by a joint venture of Malaysia’s Sunway Construction of Malaysia, and Abu Dhabi’s Silver Coast Construction & Boring Establishment.

23 Marina on target
Construction of 23 Marina, one of the tallest residential buildings in the UAE, has not been affected by the global credit crunch and the project is due for completion later this year, according to its developer Hircon International.
The 380-m mega-structure will have 57 swimming pools, a world record for the number of swimming pools in a single building.
23 Marina is located at the entrance of the Dubai Marina, near the Dubai Media and Internet cities. It offers complete views of the Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and Sheikh Zayed Road.

Unibeton opts for iCrete
American clean technology leader and the world’s premiere concrete technology company iCrete and Unibeton Ready Mix, one of the largest concrete producers in the Gulf, have entered into a licensing agreement under which the Abu Dhabi-headquartered Unibeton will use the iCrete system throughout all of its 22 plants in the region. The iCrete system optimises concrete design and production for quality and durability and can substantially reduce a project’s cement requirements and its carbon footprint.

Architect relocates to new office
Grec Architects has relocated to new open-plan 12,000-sq-ft headquarters in Chicago, US. The company, which has a branch office in the UAE, is currently busy with the design of an 800,000 sq-ft hotel and office complex located in Dubai.
Grec Architects is also the design architect and lead consultant for the 148-room Abu Dhabi Golf Club Resort Hotel, which will be run by Westin. Designed in a modernistic, wellness style, the hotel will feature stunning minimalist interiors forged from natural stone, petrified and reclaimed wood and dotted with cooling water features. It will deliver dramatic views of Abu Dhabi’s Championship National Course.

Abu Dhabi real estate ‘good buy’
As demand still outstrips supply in Abu Dhabi, now is the best time for buying properties in the emirate, says MD Real Estate (MDRE), a specialist in commercial and residential sales and acquisitions.
Amanda Clarke, director of marketing and business development, said: “We see current market conditions offering a fantastic investment opportunity, especially in the longer term.
“There are an increasing number of properties available at below-market value and rental yields globally – New York at 4.5 per cent, London and Shanghai at 5 per cent – compared to between 13 and 17 per cent in Abu Dhabi. The emirate is not dependent on international funding and city planning strategies will ensure that the physical development of Abu Dhabi responds in a sustainable manner to the city’s current and future needs.”

Power for industrial city
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has supplied Dubai Industrial City with the first of three 132 kVA substations that are currently under construction to meet the growing demand for energy from its various manufacturing units. The total investment on the three substations has exceeded Dh400 million ($108.7 million). This is in line with Dewa’s plan to supply Dubai Industrial City with power by building a series of 132 kVA substations along with four substations each with a capacity of 400 kVA.