When the 53-storey Dual Towers of the Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH) completed its topping ceremony late last month (December 24, 2005), it had successfully registered two significant milestones.

The first being that the towers – at 260 m – have now earned the title for being the tallest landmark in the kingdom. The second is that the construction company Al Hamad was able to surmount the challenges posed by the project and complete it three months ahead of the projected schedule.
The Dual Towers forms a major part of the Financial Centre, which is at the heart of the $1.3 billion BFH development and forms the first phase of the project. “The completion of the structural works of the Dual Towers signifies a major step forward in bolstering Bahrain’s position as the premier hub of regional banking and finance,” says a spokesman.
Describing the towers as Bahrain’s new landmark, Esam Janahi, chairman, Bahrain Financial Harbour Holding Company, says: “The Dual Towers is a financial and logistical achievement that marks the result of 20 months of dedicated efforts. It ushers in a new chapter of challenge for Bahrain’s banking and finance sectors.”
Commenting on the construction of Dual Towers, Thamin Fakhoury, general manager of Al Hamad, said: “The execution process posed several challenges, both in terms of technology as well as timelines. All through the construction, the key word was precision and safety.”
“Al Hamad pooled together the best of its resources to create a structure that stands for world-class design and architectural ingenuity. The topping out ceremony marks the completion of the structure and reflects the success of the team that makes up Al Hamad,” he adds.
“The construction of the Financial Centre, which spreads over 28,989 sq m, commenced in March 2004, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2006. To date more than 54 per cent of the Financial Centre has been completed. A total of 5.2 million man-hours have been registered up to date, indicating the rapid pace at which BFH is being developed. Currently, 2,000 workers and employees are involved in the development of the Financial Centre on a daily basis,” says the spokesman.

Phase 1
The Financial Centre includes the development of the Dual Towers, Financial Mall and Harbour House.
The Financial Centre offers a combined total of 105,300 sq m office space and 15,200 sq m of retail, dining and retail space, as well as close to 3,500 parking bays dedicated to the Financial Centre for visitors, owners and tenants.
The Dual Towers will offer office space for the financial sector. The Financial Mall is a unique retail environment catering specifically to the capital and retail financial markets; while the 10-storey Harbour House provides a blend of work and leisure space offering facilities for media-based enterprises and other financial and investment supporting projects.
The first phase construction of the BFH, which spreads over 28,989 sq m, began in March 2004.
“The construction was expected to be completed in March 2007, but that the Financial Centre will now be operational in December,” says phase one project manager Issa Ramadan.
“The buildings of the first phase will be completed by June when tenants will then be able to look at how they want their offices to look like,” he said. “However, we will still have about six months of testing before tenants can move in.”
Ramadan said while the smart building technologies used may sometimes cost more as materials, they are cost-effective because they save time and allow the building to be completed earlier.

Phase II
Meanwhile, Ahmed Mansoor Al A’ali (AMA) has successfully completed work on the Phase II reclamation work and is now undertaking the revetment works.
The reclamation and revetment work for Phase II was planned in two parts. The first part comprising land reclamation was concluded last June as per the schedule. The second part consisting of rock revetment and construction of quay walls is in progress and expected to be completed by March.
The BD9.7 million phase II reclamation contract – awarded early last year (2005) – has covered nearly 199,800 sq m and is the site for the Eastern Commercial Complex component of the project.
The Bahrain International Insurance Centre (BIIC), which is part of the second phase, is also expected to be completed in December.
Other buildings that are to be constructed on this reclaimed area include the Diamond Tower, Southern Residential Complex, Harbour Row, Dhow Harbour and a hotel.

Phase III
The third and last phase of reclamation – spreading across 84,250 sq m, slated for completion by May 2006 – will include the Northern Residential Complex and the Bahrain Performance Centre, which will house the Royal Opera House.
The BD4.8 million reclamation contract was awarded to AMA mid last year.
“AMA is one of the leading Bahrain-based contracting companies specialised in reclamation and marine works, and awarding the contract to the company also signifies the corporate philosophy of BFH to support local businesses,” Janahi said.
“BFH is being developed as a national landmark and has been the centre of attention in the region as well as globally ever since the project was announced. The robust investor enthusiasm has been evident in the sale of Harbour House and the Bahrain International Insurance Centre (BIIC),” Janahi added.