Work has started on phase I of a state-of-the-art world trade and expo centre in a newly-developed area of Sharjah, UAE, adjacent to the Al Khan lagoon.

Phase I of the construction comprises two column-free exhibition halls, together offering 8,000 sq m of indoor space as well as 14,000 sq m of open-air sites.

The complex will offer facilities for advertising, banking, car rental, catering, check-in for flights, general exhibition management and technical services, forwarding agents and customs clearance, goods transfer and storage, hostess services, interpreters, a kindergarten, a press centre, a radio studio, telephone, telefax and mobile phone rentals, TV, radio and video communications, a post office, miscellaneous office services, and a photo studio.

The premises will include a state-of-the-art conference centre and VIP and exhibitor meeting rooms, spanning a total area of 1,224 sq m, as well as other facilities.

The new centre incorporates environment-friendly features including decentralised air-conditioning systems for the halls, energy-saving measures like the optimal use of sunlight for lighting the exhibition halls, a network of standard recycling stations, as well as wastewater treatment plants, and the planting of over 500 trees, 4,000 bushes and extensive grass in the grounds.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by the first quarter of next year. This will be followed by the second and third phases, as and when required. Upon completion of the third phase, the total area of the halls will stand at 24,000 sq m.