NATIONAL Projects and Construction (NPC), one of the leading Abu Dhabi-based construction companies, says its projects on Marina Square – the first development to be launched on Reem Island – are on course for completion by the year-end.

Master-developed by Tamouh Investments, Marina Square is a mixed-use project comprising 14 residential/commercial towers, a shopping arcade, eight cineplexes, branded retail outlets, restaurants, a marina, a five-star hotel facing the marina, private beach access and sports facilities.
Divided into four zones – A, B, C and D – the development also features a host of community facilities that will cater to the residents’ commercial, medical, spiritual and leisure needs with fully-equipped clinics, mosques, parks, day-care centres and convenient outlet supermarkets. The project, being developed at the cost of more than Dh6 billion ($1.63 billion), covers a total of 70 acres and offers a built-up space of more than 1.3 million sq m.
NPC is constructing four towers in Zone A and three in Zone D of Marina Square.
Zone A
Zone A is a mixed-use district, consisting of residential apartments, commercial spaces and recreational areas, says a spokesman for NPC.
The Dh600 million ($163.5 million) turnkey design-and-build contract was awarded to a joint venture between NPC and Beijing Construction Engineering Group in December 2006 and is scheduled for completion before the year-end.
“We have completed all the concrete structures and the finishes inside the buildings are currently on,” says the spokesman. “The works related to external facade are almost 85 per cent complete. In regards to landscaping, the works are expected to start shortly.”
Elaborating on the project, he says: “Offering a built-up area of 168,000 sq m, the project consists of four buildings and an associated podium with a huge green area including a swimming pool and water features. A link bridge will connect the building A1 with the rooftop of the podium at level four to provide direct access to the green area, play area and swimming pool.”
Building A1, comprising a basement, ground plus 44 typical floors, three service floors and a roof level, is served by four passenger lifts each with capacity of 1,050 kg and a speed of 4 mps. Building A2, encompassing a basement, ground plus 32 typical floors, two service floors and a roof level, is served by 10 lifts each with capacity of 1,350 kg and speed of 4 mps. Each building has a service lift with capacity of 1,200 kg and speed of 3.0 mps.
The remaining two buildings – A3a and A3b – each comprises a basement, ground plus 10 typical floors and roof and is served by one passenger lift and one service lift with a capacity of 1,050/1,200 kg and speed of 1.5 mps. All the lifts are from Toshiba. The car-park and podium comprises a basement, ground plus four typical floors.
Commenting on the challenges faced during the execution of the project, he says: “With the development being a design-and-build project, we had to come up with all the designs on time with necessary approvals to maintain the continuity of site works. For this, we had in-house design consultants to prepare the entire design on time to meet the site requirements as per programme.
“This apart, one of the main difficulties faced was the lack of sufficient logistic and storage areas as neighbouring projects and the surrounding infrastructure works were ongoing parallel to our project. The concept architectural plans for the project were developed by the client and the detailed designing based on the concept was carried out by us,” he continues. “We have finalised the full layout and necessary access to it in coordination with the road networks for the island.”
The reinforced concrete superstructure sits on a pile foundation, while the building is dressed in a unitised curtain-wall system with glass and aluminium composite cladding. Flooring comprises a combination of granite, marble and homogenous tiles with emulsion paint used for walls and ceilings.
Architectural Planning Group is the consultant on the project.
Zone D
Zone D, also a design-and-build contract, comprises three high-rise towers – two of them (D1 and D2) featuring 52 floors including a six-level podium with five levels for car parking and one level for public services such as business centres, function halls and a swimming pool. Each tower has 43 residential floors and three service and utility floors with a helipad on the roof (to be installed later).  The two towers are served by five passenger lifts and one service lift.
The third tower, D3, is a 22-storey building comprising a two-floor podium – with one level for a car-park and health club and the other accommodating a swimming pool and landscaping – and 19 typical residential floors plus two service and utility floors. Three passenger lifts and one service lift from Toshiba serve the building. NPC was awarded the project valued at Dh750 million (­­$204 million) in May 2007.
“The buildings are now in the finishing stages with architectural, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) and landscaping works in progress. The project was scheduled for completion by September-end but the client is now aiming for a year-end completion,” says the spokesman.
The three buildings sit on a pile foundation, while the superstructure comprises concrete core and shear walls and post-tension slabs. The finishes include curtain-walls and aluminium composite cladding for facades, homogeneous tiles and marble tiles for internal flooring and wet areas, gypsum board suspended ceilings while all partitions are block walls (cement block and AAC block).
Architectural and Planning Group is the architect and consultant on the project.
Zones B and C
China National Overseas Engineering Corporation (Covec) is executing Zone B comprising two residential towers while Dutch Foundation Company and Zelan Contracting Company are the main contractors for Zone C consisting of five commercial and residential towers.