Al Mahaba Causeway to cost more
The construction cost of Al Mahaba Causeway, linking Bahrain to Qatar, is expected to soar by 40 per cent due to inflation and shortage of building material.

Work on the causeway is expected to start in 2009.
Revealing the cost escalation and its impact on the project at a recent seminar, the speakers highlighted that any increase in the $3-billion-budget, 40-km causeway, which is expected to be the longest of its kind in the world, would be met because of financial benefits the project offers to both countries.
Mace to manage $450m project
First Bahrain Real Estate Development Company has appointed Mace Group to project-manage its signature $450 million development in Bahrain’s Seef district.
Mace will be responsible for managing construction planning, project schedules, operational and construction issues and procurement strategy, said a statement.
The announcement coincides with the recent appointment of an international architectural firm to masterplan the 21,000 sq m development, which will feature a hospitality complex including a Sharia’a-compliant five-star hotel and serviced apartments along with office and residential towers.
Riffa Views substation ready 
Riffa Views’ main electrical substation, which was completed last month, will soon be energised for the power supply of the first homes that will be delivered in June.
The 66 kV facility, costing BD6 million ($16 milllion), which could provide enough energy for 80 Wembley stadiums, will supply power to the entire development through a network of underground cables.
Detailed feasibility studies were carried out over a 10-month period to identify the ideal location for the substation, which has been built in accordance with the Electricity and Water Authority standards.
Fahaheel bags top award
Kuwait has bagged the top award for best architecture for its iconic Fahaheel waterfront (Al-Kout) project, developed by Tamdeen Real Estate Company.
The Al Kout – Fahaheel Water-front was selected out of 13 nominations from nine Arab countries. The award will be presented by the Award Foundation of the Arab Towns Organisation during an official ceremony that will be held in Qatar this month.
Al Kout is an iconic development coming up along the 1.6-km stretch of waterfront of Fahaheel area.
Spread over 200,000 sq m encompassing in excess of 17,000 sq m of retail and rentable area, the project offers a unique mix of traditional design and contemporary world-class architecture.
Hyundai lands Qatar order
South Korean builder Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company said last month that it had won a combined $301 million in orders to build substations and power cables in Qatar.
Hyundai said that it would construct seven substations in 30 months and lay the power cables in 23 months.
The company said it had won a combined $1.5 billion in overseas orders so far this year.
GHG plans new hotel in Bahrain
Gulf Hotels Group (GHG) is looking to build another hotel in Bahrain, chairman Farouk Almoayyed said on the sidelines of the company’s annual general meeting last month.
He said GHG had been in talks about developing a hotel on the Zallaq coast, though nothing had been firmed up and they had not approached investors.
The company expects to invest more than BD8 million ($21.2 million) this year. It plans to build a 600- bay multi-storey car park with four floors of office accommodation covering 7,000 sq m adjacent to the Gulf Hotel.
The company has also signed an agreement with Mikan to assist in the development and to subsequently manage on behalf of Mokhan, a five-star serviced apartment block in Juffair consisting of 1,002 luxury apartments, with extensive leisure and parking facilities for residents. Construction work has already commenced on this project, he noted.
Work begins on Platinum Tower
Construction work has begun on the BD25 million ($66 million) Platinum Tower in Bahrain’s Seef area and the project is expected to be completed in 24 months.
Pearl Development and Real Estate Company (PDREC) – a consortium of investors from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other GCC nations who were behind the Abraj Al Lulu, the BD95 million freehold residential development property – are building the tower.
Oman to study rail line feasibility
Oman has appointed consultants to carry out a feasibility study for a railway network in Batinah region, a report said.
Ahmad bin Abdul Nabi Macki, Minister of National Economy and deputy chairman of National Affairs and Energy Resources Council, said initially the network will connect Sohar to Birka in the north of Muscat. “The 200-km line could be later extended from Sohar to Duqum,” he said. Birka would be the hub of container traffic after the railway project is completed, he said.
Initially, the network will be used for goods and cargo and would later be used to offer passenger service as well, he added.
Voltas in cool Empower deal
Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the largest district cooling service provider in the region, has awarded Indian air-conditioning specialist Voltas, a Dh260 million ($70.8 million) contract for the construction of a cooling plant in the North District of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Under the contract, Voltas will complete civil as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, in addition to the construction of the 66,000 refrigeration ton (RT) district cooling plant.
The project is expected to be completed in 15 months.
Multiplex to build Omniyat’s Opus
Omniyat Properties, a leading property developer, has awarded the main construction contract for The Opus, its much-anticipated commercial and retail development in Dubai’s Business Bay, to Multiplex (trading in Dubai as Nasa Multiplex), one of the leading commercial construction contractors in the Middle East region.
Conceptualised as a cube with a central fluid form ‘void’, The Opus has been designed with Omniyat’s proprietary Oyster approach which provides distinctive features, such as a tranquility zone, a beach deck, a reflective pool, media zone and spa. The development will comprise three towers with three floors dedicated to retail outlets and restaurants.
Nakheel launches Emirates precinct
Nakheel, one of the leading property developers globally, has launched Emirates, the 10th and final precinct to be added to the existing nine precincts that make up the Residential District of International City.
Construction on the Emirates Precinct began earlier this year, with completion scheduled for the third quarter of 2009. Emirates will feature 856 studios and 756 one-bedroom units. In addition to the residential units, 52 units will be handed over for commercial use.
Multiforms’ facades for DHC
Multiforms, an architectural façade specialist, has been awarded the contract to design, supply and install the external façade to the Dubai Healthcare City (DHC) Hotel and Apartment Towers.
Valued at Dh75 million ($20.4 million), the contract was awarded directly by Morganti International who is the project manager for the development.
Façade works are due for completion by the end of 2009.
The scope of work includes the design, engineering, fabrication and installation of aluminium facades, unitised punched window systems, tension assembly skylights, spaceframe glazed skylights, point-fixed glazed canopies and automated retractable shading devices along with other related works.
Executive Towers near completion
Dubai Properties, a leading master real estate developer, has said that its Dh3 billion ($817.4 million) Executive Towers, which are markedly visible from Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, is nearing completion.
The towers are expected to be handed over during the fourth quarter of this year.
Work is proceeding simultaneously on all 11 buildings of the Executive Towers, which include nine residential units, the Aspect Tower, and the Business Bay Hotel. The development’s outdoor component, the Bay Avenue, is also on its way to deliver 175,000 sq ft of retail space as well as waterfront terraces.
With a two-level shopping mall, clinics, health clubs and other facilities, the Executive Towers will boast a contemporary design and architectural theme reflecting Dubai’s progressive outlook.
Al Habtoor Engineering is the main contractor for The Executive Towers, while Halcrow Engineering has been handling the Business Bay infrastructure.