10 Qatari projects you should be involved in

, April 16th, 2009

By David Ingham and Lutfi Qaraman

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If there is one country unlikely to feel the effects of the global credit crunch, it’s Qatar. The small Gulf state sits on some of the world’s largest natural gas reserves, which has given it massive budget surpluses and average GDP of approximately US $30,000 per head, one of the world’s highest.

According to Proleads’ latest research, some key projects are behind schedule but nothing has yet been cancelled or put on hold. At the end of March 2009, it calculated that 191 major civil projects were underway worth a total of around US $82.5 billion.

Qatar is, therefore, a market that no supplier or sub-contractor can afford to ignore. Here, Construction Week profiles ten major projects in Qatar that everyone should know about.

We begin our round-up - continued on the following pages - with a look at Doha International Airport.

New Doha International Airport

Client: New Doha International Airport Steering Committee.

Estimated value: US $11 billion

Schedule: Work began in 2004 and final completion is expected in 2015

Scope: With a land area in excess 22 km² the New Doha International Airport is designed to handle 50 million passengers, 2 million tonnes of cargo, and 320,000 aircraft landings and takeoffs each year.

Over 60 million m³ of fill will be reclaimed from the sea and used to create the site, while over 6.2 million m³ of improperly disposed household waste has been removed from the site and disposed of in an engineered landfill. The runways, taxiways and aprons of the new airport require 3.7 million tonnes of high quality polymer asphalt and an additional 115,000 m³ of concrete, while 800,000 m³ of concrete will be needed for facility structures.

In order to facilitate construction of the airport, over 17 km of temporary roads are being constructed within the site. Over 100 hectares alongside the new airport have been reserved for commercial development, including a free trade zone, offices, hotels, and retail mall.

The contract for the first phase of the airport construction and the planning and design phase was awarded to Bechtel Group Inc. In May 2006, Takenaka won a major contract to build the Emiri VIP terminal. ARINC and Thales were awarded a contract for the IT, telecommunications and security systems at the airport.

Education City

Client: Qatar Foundation

Estimated value: Estimated value: US $8.24 billion

Schedule: Initial phase scheduled to be completed in 2010. Campus will continue to expand as new institutions decide to open up there.

Scope: Education City is the flagship project of Qatar Foundation. Located on the western edge of Doha, it is a campus that spreads over 1,000 hectares (equivalent to 10 million m²). The campus houses branches of world famous educational institutions in a set of futuristic buildings designed by some of the world’s greatest architects.

The master plan of the campus was devised by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, who also designed a number of the existing buildings. The project will be completed according to its original parameters in 2010. However, further land has been acquired adjacent to the campus to allow for future development and expansion.

KEO was appointed as the program and construction manager for the overall development. Contrack, a subsidiairy of Orascom Construction Industries, has won a number of contracts on the project.

Continued on page 3

Barwa Al Khor City

Client: Barwa Al Khor LLC (Imtiaz Investment and Barwa Real Estate)

Estimated value: US $8.24 billion

Schedule: Work is expected to start this year and finish in 2015.

Scope: Al Khor is a coastal city located 57 kilometres north of Doha. In recent times, it has prospered as a hub for the country’s burgeoning energy sector, attracting ExxonMobil, Shell, Dolphin Energy, Qatargas and RasGas. The city needs high quality residential facilities for the professionals relocating to the city, which has given rise to the QR 30 billion Barwa Al Khor City project.

The development will cover 5.46 million m² with a built-up area of 3.62 m². A total of 24,114 residential units are planned within the development, along with hotels, amenities, schools, office space and a golf course.

Cansult Maunsell is the project designer.

Lusail

Client: Qatari Diar

Estimated value: US $5.5 billion

Schedule: Infrastructure works are scheduled to be completed in 2011.

Scope: Lusail is an all-new coastal city under construction north of Doha. It will cover 35 km² and has a projected value of around US $5.5 billion. It is a multi-district, multiphase project with marinas, a corniche, themed residential areas, commercial districts, amenities and entertainment facilities. According to the master-developer, Qatari Diar, around 200,000 people will eventually live there. Qatari Diar is responsible for all essential infrastructure work and for selecting and supervising sub-developers within the project.

Lusail is also home to Energy City, a purpose-built business district aimed at companies involved in the hydrocarbon business.

Between August 2004 and January 2006, COWI completed planning and design activities for the marine and earthworks for Lusail Development. In February 2006, Qatari Diar entered a contract with Sinohydro for construction of the marine works. The works were completed in early 2009 with COWI performing site supervision. In 2006, COWI in co-operation with Halcrow, Hyder and David Adamson was selected to supervise all infrastructure work on the development.

Qatar-Bahrain Causeway

Client: Public Works Authority (Qatar); Ministry of Works (Bahrain)

Estimated value: US $4 billion

Schedule: Construction is now scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2009. Completion is expected in 2013.

Scope: The much talked about Qatar-Bahrain Causeway now looks set to begin construction towards the end of 2009.

The 40 km road will link the two countries over a total of 18 km of embankments and 22 km of viaducts and bridges. COWI was awarded the original project feasibility study. In November 2008, KBR was awarded a contract to provide design management, project management and construction management services.

A joint venture of Vinci Construction, Middle East Dredging Company (Medco), Hochtief Construction AG, Consolidated Contractors Company and QDVC was awarded the main construction contract in May 2008. Medco will carry out the dredging works.

Al Waab City Development

Client: Nasser Bin Khaled & Sons Holding Company; Al Waab City

Estimated value: US $3.2 billion

Schedule: Construction is underway and scheduled for completion in 2010.

Scope: Al Waab City Development in Doha covers an area of 1.25 million m². The city will include mixed-use residential units and low-rise office spaces. The heart of the city is Barahat Al Waab a 44,000 m² square that will become a central urban gathering space for tourists, guests and residents of the city. Barahat Al Waab will be anchored by a 200-room 5-star hotel.

Arabtec Construction was awarded the main construction contract in December 2006. The contract covers construction of a central plaza, an 11-storey hotel, 639 villas, 7-storey apartment buildings, 88,000 m² of retail space and 291,000 m² of parking.

The Pearl Qatar

Client: United Development Company

Estimated value: US $2.5 billion

Schedule: Reclamation work began in 2004. Construction of the entire project, including structures on the island, is targeted for 2011.

Scope: The Pearl Qatar is a 4 million m² artificial island located off the coast of Doha and connected to it by road. Once complete, the island will boast 20 kilometres of sand beaches.

The island is divided into districts: The Quartiers, Costa Malaz, Porto Arabia, Viva Bahriya, La Plage Villas, Bahri Villas, and Isola Dana. A number of hotels and marinas will be built on the island, and residential buildings will include towers, low rises and villas. The developer expects around 40,000 people to reside permanently on The Pearl. Development plots have been sold off to a number of sub-developers.

Callison is The Pearl's architect & master-planner, and Dar Al Handasah is the project & construction manager.

Parsons International Limited was awarded a contract to design The Pearl’s roads, infrastructure and landscaping. Qatar Dredging Company carried out all reclamation and revetment work.

Barwa City

Client: Barwa Real Estate

Estimated value: US $1.34 billion

Schedule: Work is underway and scheduled to finish in 2010.

Scope: Barwa City will occupy 2.7 million m² of land at Musameer, near Doha. It will house 20,000 families within a purpose-built community offering amenities, shops and public services. It will have its own district cooling system and total wireless internet coverage

Development is planned in two phases. The first phase includes the construction of around 6000 residential units that will accommodate up to 25,000 people. The second phase will involve construction of additional residential buildings, schools, a hospital and commercial complexes.

Doha Convention Centre & Tower

Client: Qatari Diar

Estimated value: US $1.2 billion

Schedule: Completion is scheduled for 2012.

Scope: The centrepiece of Doha Convention Centre & Tower is a 550 metre, 105 storey glass tower containing offices, apartments and a hotel. The tower has been designed by Chicago-based architect Murphy/Jahn with Arup providing engineering and consultancy services. The adjacent convention centre will offer 100,000m² of exhibition space and is positioned as a leading regional and international events venue.

The tower has been designed with environmental concerns in mind. Double-skinned facades with external shading and internal blinds will help keep heat out while letting light in.

The technology used in the building’s construction will also help reduce the amount of energy required for cooling. The project will be rated against the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) energy guidelines.

Barwa Al Baraha

Client: Barwa Al Baraha LLC (Qatar Aviation Company, Makhazen Company, QRI, Barwa Real Estate and others)

Estimated value: US $741 million

Schedule: A truck park opened in January 2009. Construction of built-up areas is scheduled for completion in 2011.

Scope: Barwa Al Baraha will involve the construction of living quarters and amenities for up to 53,000 overseas workers. Located in the industrial area, next to street 52, it will be built in two phases. Phase one will cost an estimated QR 500 million and the bill for phase two has been put at QR 2.2 billion.

In addition to accommodation quarters, the campus will feature sports facilities, places of worship and shops. With family visitors in mind, a motel has been incorporated into the project’s design. A massive truck parking area will accommodate a total of 4200 vehicles of various sizes.

The total area of the development is 1.9 million m², with more than half the area set aside for landscaping and recreational space. Phase one will focus on construction of the truck parking area, utilities, roads and landscaping. Phase two will focus on the construction of buildings.