HUNDREDS of years ago, the people of a coastal town in eastern Qatar developed and produced a purple dye – or Urjuan – from the shells of sea snails.

Today, a 5.5 million sq m site is being prepared in that town to house an ambitious QR35 billion ($9.6 billion) integrated city development that has been designed as an icon that celebrates that tradition.
Bearing the name of the dye that is symbolic of the spirit of the city of Al Khor, Urjuan will take shape along the northern side of a tranquil bay at Al Khor, where generations of the town’s people manufactured and sold the unique dye colour, creating a flourishing industry.
Currently, Phase One grading works are nearing completion on the 5.5 million sq m site which is expected to eventually accommodate a population of about 63,000 residents and 39,000 day visitors and employees.
Urjuan is the flagship project of Barwa Al Khor, the master developer of the project, infrastructure work on which is expected to start in two months, a spokesman for the developer tells Gulf Construction.
“The masterplan, grading works and infrastructure design is being developed by the reputable Canadian consulting company Cansult Maunsell to world-class standards,” he says, adding that, “More than 80 per cent of grading work designs has already been completed while the infrastructure design is in the design stage.”
Urjuan is a modern, master-planned, eco-friendly mega development located 40 minutes from central Doha and incorporates world-class residential, commercial, leisure, sport, and waterfront projects. Development of the low-rise buildings and other structures within the expansive community project will take place in parallel with the infrastructure works, with all the construction to be regulated by the master developer. This is in line with the company’s aims to deliver the project within a specific timeframe and without any significant delays, with buildings within each precinct set to be completed almost simultaneously.
The strategic location of Urjuan and its close proximity to Ras Laffan and other prime areas around Qatar is aimed at providing residents and investors the ideal, self-sustained, urban community.
The Urjuan project will comprise 24,500 housing units, including three- and four-storey townhouses; four-storey terraced townhouses; single-storey private villas and chalets with parking; eight-storey luxury apartments; six- to eight-storey terraced apartments; four- to eight-storey mixed-use complexes; two- and three-storey mixed-use retail and commercial outlets.
The development will also include a two-storey beachfront hotel and resort; a 12-storey mixed-use facility including a business hotel and commercial and retail areas; an 18-hole golf course; three-storey civil defence office; a two-storey nursery school, kindergarten and daycare; two-storey primary and high schools; three grand, Friday and daily mosques; a visitor information centre; and three marinas, public and private beaches. Shopping malls, leisure amenities, open gardens and other tourist attractions will all form a part of the development.
The buildings are strategically positioned to offer majestic views of the marinas and Arabian Gulf that dominates the shores of the development.
“Barwa Al Khor will handle the development, management and marketing of the project and is responsible for providing a high-standard of infrastructure, work on which is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2011. The townhouses, apartments and various other components will be developed by sub-developers,” the spokesman states.

Grading works & infrastructure
Urjuan involves major earthworks for marinas, beaches, dredging operations, roads, levelling of plots and calls for the import of more than seven million cu m of fill material to complete the grading works.
“Grading works also include 4 million cu m of excavation from the existing high level ground; 76,000 cu m of engineering fill; 560 cu m of non-engineering fill; and 615,000 cu m of general fill material on all nine zones of the project,” he explains.
“Each user will have access to all the required public utilities, high-speed internet and multimedia cable facilities, which can be expected of any A+ grade development in this modern era. Grade ‘A’ civil, electrical and mechanical materials will be used for the construction of entire infrastructure works in this project,” says the spokesman.
A total of 44,000 m of roads, including major/minor roads, traffic signals, roundabouts, safety and traffic signs, will be constructed. Some 80,000 cu m of potable water will be provided to the project via water reservoirs, pumping stations and a water network.
The sewage network, which extends to the boundaries and includes lifting and pumping stations, has been designed to an estimated 50,000 cu m of sewage from the community. Initially, Urjuan will have its own sewage treatment plant (STP) to cater to the sewage treatment needs of the project. Later, it will connect to the STP of the Public Works Authority after the completion of the sewage treatment plan. A comprehensive storm water drainage system will be provided on this development to meet current international standards.
The marinas, public and private beaches, which will also serve the recreational demands of the existing Al Khor City as well as the Ras Laffan Industrial City, are in the preliminary design stage.
A total of 625,000 sq m of open landscaped area will ensure high environmental standards for the city’s inhabitants. An irrigation network (primary and secondary) will be constructed to irrigate all its landscaped areas. This will include building irrigation reservoirs and pumping stations, as required.
The occupants of Urjuan will be kept cool by comprehensive HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) services that include a district cooling system featuring state-of-the-art cooling towers of international standards.
“In this regard, Barwa Cool, a subsidiary of Barwa, has signed a contract with Suez of France, which will take over the management of the district cooling system under the supervision of Barwa Cool in particular and other utilities such as sewerage, water and solid waste management in general. The full package of this utility management system is called Khadamat,” says the spokesman.
To cater to the power supply demand of Urjuan, one primary and several distribution substations have been planned to be constructed and are under review with Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa). Sophisticated telecommunication facilities will also be provided to residents and will involve the erection of three antenna towers.
Says Ghanem bin Saad Al Saad, chairman and managing director of Barwa Real Estate: “As a developer, our commitment to our customers does not merely involve the timely completion of our projects, but also extends to ensuring that we develop within destinations the most opportunity for growth and profit for their investments. With Qatar’s emergence as one of the most prosperous countries in the world, we are confident that the Urjuan project will not only provide customers with luxurious and well-appointed residential and strategic commercial spaces, but more importantly outstanding investment opportunities.”
Commenting on the choice of the name of the project, the spokesman says: “The development has been so named, as it is a city that represents Qatar’s rapid economic progress and its endeavours to preserve cultural heritage. The name is drawn from an ancient, valuable dye-like substance from which the ‘royal purple’ colour is derived, and is native to the Al Khor area.”
He explains that the project’s location, Al Khor, depicts an old city charm that blends well with the ongoing massive developments, without compromising on identity. The unique environment of the area would be further preserved by this project of Barwa, which unites residents from various cultural backgrounds under a single community.
“Al Khor is hoped to be the upcoming hotspot for businesses and residence in Qatar. Currently the area is witnessing major construction works as a part of the Qatar 2025 plans established by the Urban Planning and Development Authority,” the spokesman points out.
He adds that land parcels will be sold in phases offering residential and commercial options and properties to customers in nine districts, each displaying unique characteristics:
• Commercial Fringe: a prime mixed-use commercial, office and retail district co-located with upmarket terraced residential accommodation ranging between three and eight storeys. Characterised by semi-public courtyards, the focus of the Commercial Fringe is bringing people on to the street by providing outdoor comfort and creating art sculpture, water play and lush landscape features. This area, which acts as Urjuan’s business centre, is located adjacent to the main road connecting Doha and Ras Laffan.
• Apartment Community: a highly-visible location with a distinctive ‘wall concept’ formed by interlinked apartment blocks to create a key landmark. The architectural configuration will create a series of partly enclosed semi-private courtyards with shaped playground and gardens for residents.
• Golf Course Community: featuring an 18-hole international standard private golf club incorporating sea-view golf villas, clubhouse facilities and adjacent neighbourhood. The club creates a highly visible central ‘green lung’ amenity for the development.
• Beach Front Community: comprising serene, high-end apartment and villa residences directly overlooking Al Khor Bay, overlooking the Old Town and harbour and connected to the existing corniche promenade.
• Neighbourhood Community: which will offer a modern, convenient lifestyle with a cluster of townhouses and terraced apartments located side by side with community amenities including private schools and neighbourhood centres, all connected to neighbourhood plazas and interconnecting green corridor.
• Town Centre Community: the commercial heart of Urjuan with hotel-cum-apartments, waterfront dining facilities and a grand mosque, surrounded by large open spaces.
• Resort Community: a high-end luxury resort lifestyle environment defined by designed walls, neighbourhood parks and boulevards. This ‘green corridor’ will provide easy access to the chalet waterfront reserves and connect public areas to the resort hotel and bay. Perpendicular to the green corridor will be a cluster of luxurious two-storey chalets facing the waterfront reserve park with direct access and stunning views of Al Khor.
• Al Khor Cove: which will include terraced apartments gracing a main ridgeline and townhouses overlooking Al Khor Bay, a corniche and promenade running parallel to the waterfront, offering attractive recreational and dining opportunities. Other attractions in this district include a seafarers heritage museum, green piazzas and courtyard with bistro and alfresco dining, a night market, art galleries and a main park with a central festival lawn, all complementing the waterfront experience.
• Residential Precinct Community: composed of three-storey townhouses and one- to five-storey terraced townhouses designed on an ‘Arabian hill village’ concept.
Barwa Al Khor was established in May 2006 to develop Al Khor as a tourism/residential destination by Barwa Real Estate Company along with Qatari Real Estate Investment Company and Kuwait-based Al Imtiaz Investment Company. Qatar Real Estate Investment Company later sold off its shares in Barwa Al Khor Company to its partners.
Barwa Real Estate Company, in joint venture with other real estate developers in the region, is also developing a number of other projects in Qatar, including: Barwa Al Doha, Barwa Financial District, Barwa City, Barwa U Street, Barwa Housing Programme, and Barwa Al Baraha.