Finishing touches are being put to the $200 million Phase One of the City Centre project, which is scheduled for opening next month. The prestigious development comprises a shopping mall, leisure, entertainment areas and parking areas over an approximate floor area of 290,000 sq m.

The project is Phase One of a mixed-use development including retail, entertainment, office, hotel and residential components. It occupies a 117,000 sq m site close to the Qatar Exhibition Centre, the Doha Sheraton Hotel and the Diplomatic area in the New District of Doha.

Construction work on Phase 2 is expected to start during the second half of this year. This phase comprises a 30-storey office/residential tower (expected to be the country's tallest building), 14 -storey office tower building, 17-storey apartment building, 240-room hotel and parking for 650 cars. The approximate floor area of this phase is 108,000 sq m. The concept design was prepared by local firm Diwan Architects and Canadian consultant Norr.

The client is Shaikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani.

Gettco Contracting, the main contractor responsible for the construction, completion and maintenance of the project, started work on the first phase in June 1998.

''For the successful handing over of this huge development, the project has been divided into four loops and almost 98 per cent of the works is completed, says Kamel Al Ajla, contracts manager with Gettco Contracting. ''The soft opening of the project was carried out in October 2000 with the inauguration of 18,000 sq m hypermarket in Loop-2 area.''

He continues: ''The project is considered the biggest of its kind in the Middle East consisting of shopping mall, leisure, entertainment areas plus parking areas for more than 3,000 cars. It also features an ice rink within a Winter wonderland, water-park, department stores, traditional Gulf-style area, 14-screen (cinema), family entertainment and food-courts.''

The development is a trendsetter in Qatar, according to Al Ajla.

''The concept of shopping malls accommodating a host of facilities under one roof is virtually new to Qatar. After the commencement of this project, a number of other such projects are now shaping up in the country.

''Gettco, being certified by ISO 9002 for its quality system in civil construction, is following high standard procedures set by international specifications and requirements,'' he says.

Commenting about the environmental and architectural issues of the project, he says: 'The products used in the construction are environmentally safe. The aesthetics of the project has been given high importance, with the development being provided specially-designed curtain-walls and screens, handrails, domes, column claddings and wave-like tents. Most of the materials - except for certain building materials such as sand, cement, reinforced steel, blockwork etc - were imported from other countries.''

Al Ajla continues: ''Key factors that were taken into account in the selection of suppliers were the quality of materials and the proven commitment of suppliers/manufacturers to adhere to the scheduled delivery dates.''

Established in 1969, Gettco Contracting has made a significant contribution to the development of Qatar's infrastructure over the last three decades. The company is a civil and general contractor classified as Grade A by the Central Tenders Committee of Qatar's Ministry of Finance, Economy and Commerce. The certification body of TUV Management has issued the firm with the ISO 9002 quality system certification for civil works construction.

The firm specialises in industrial and commercial buildings; shopping malls; office buildings; residential developments; road works; and hard and soft landscaping works.