ADPC awards $130m contract
ABU Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has awarded a Dh484.6-million ($130-million) infrastructure works contract to Consolidated Contracting Engineering & Procurement (CCC) for its Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone (KPIZ) project.
This is the fifth major package awarded over the last year for its flagship project.

The agreement involves the construction, fit-out, testing and commissioning of the civil and structural works for Industrial Zone Area ‘A’ primary Infrastructure (North), the first of the three construction packages that will provide the facilities for an industrial centre catering for a wide range of heavy, medium and light industries.

Construction of the works will begin immediately and is scheduled to end in July 2012.

Bawabat Phase One complete
CONSTRUCTION work on Phase One of Bawabat Al Sharq, the Dh3-billion ($816.79 million) world-class mixed-use development, have been fully completed, Baniyas Investment and Development Company (BID) has announced.

BID, the investment arm of Baniyas Sports Club, said the villas and apartments of Phase One were delivered by contractor Target Engineering Construction Company in September as previously scheduled. BID aims at handing over the 56 luxurious three-, four- and five-bedroom villas as well as the 164 modern apartments to their owners by the end of December this year, once the infrastructure works are completed by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City. Bawabat Al Sharq offers a mix of modern residential, retail, entertainment and sporting facilities.

Phase One of Bawabat Al Sharq has been completely sold out.

Esmeralda village almost complete
THE fourth village out of five that make up Phase One of Dubai’s Victory Heights is nearing 100 per cent handover, putting the luxury golfing residential project on target for full completion by the end of the year, the developer has announced. Esmeralda Village is made up of 198 luxury villas of which 152 are now occupied, joining the villages of Oliva, Estella and Carmen in reaching full handover, with the final village of Novelia set for completion by the end of this year.  

Masdar City pushed back
ABU Dhabi’s Masdar City project, the world’s only zero-carbon residential-cum-industrial cluster, has been pushed back due to the financial crisis. The $22-billion project, which was to be completed in 2016, has been extended until between 2020 and 2025, as the first phase will be completed in 2015. Part of the project plan is to attract technologists, visionaries, consultants and investors for the solar and wind power sectors.

UAE gears for freight rail tender
UNION Railway is inviting companies to register to tender for the first phase of the UAE’s first freight rail network.
Contracts for a 265-km section of the railway are expected to be awarded next year, with work beginning in 2013. The project, which will span the entire length of the country, will require 1.5 million tonnes of hard rock, 50,000 tonnes of standard grade rail and 5,000 tonnes of heat-treated rail.

The first phase of track will be located in the Al Gharbia western region and connect the Shah and Habshan oilfields with Ruwais port.

Sharjah airport to build runway
SHARJAH International Airport will soon start construction of a new Category III runway to handle increasing passenger traffic.

The runway, to be built at a cost of Dh500 million ($136 million), will be 4,000-m long and will be located 250 m away from the existing runway, which will be renovated after the new one becomes operational in 18 to 24 months.

Carton is Lytag sales manager
LEADING lightweight aggregate supplier Lytag has appointed Matthew Carton as specification sales manager (GCC), a newly created role.

Matthew, who has extensive experience working with the construction, design and engineering sectors in both the UK and the Middle East, joined Lytag’s new Sharjah office in September. He will engage with existing and potential users of Lytag LWA throughout the GCC, as well as provide technical support to readymix, screed and precast producers.

Lafarge launches ‘Shield’
LAFARGE Emirates Cement has launched a new brand of sulphate-resistant Portland cement (SRPC) called Shield. Sulphate-resistant Portland cement is suitable for areas where concentrated sulphate abounds in soil, groundwater or seawater, said a spokesman for the company, previously known as Emirates Cement Company.

Burj becomes ‘global icon’
IN a surprise move, the US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) bestowed a new ‘Global Icon’ award on Dubai’s Burj Khalifa at its annual “Best Tall Buildings Awards Ceremony” held in Chicago last month. The award recognises tall buildings that make a profound impact, not only on the local/regional context, but on the genre of tall buildings globally. Innovative in planning, design and execution, the building must have influenced and re-shaped the field of tall building architecture, engineering, and urban planning. It is intended that the award will only be conferred on an occasional basis, when merited by an exceptional project – perhaps every 10 or 15 years.