Abu Dhabi: a falcon's view

Hill International Ceo Irvin Richter.
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Many contractors have shifted focus to Abu Dhabi, as the flow of construction work in the UAE capital has progressed with confidence. CW looks at the prospects across the emirate as it goes public with its development plans.

Speaking to Construction Week at the launch of the Nation Towers project in Abu Dhabi ealier this month, Arabtec CEO Riad Kamal said:“Construction is a cyclical activity, a supply and demand equation.We are going through a cycle where the activity has declined, but I’m hoping we will come out of that by the end of this year – there’s certainly more work in Abu Dhabi.”

A telling comment from the boss of the UAE’s largest construction conglomerate. Abu Dhabi has fared better than most GCC states in the face of the construction slowdown. A controlled approach to development has paved the way for the flow of construction contracts to continue unabated.

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This was most clearly expressed by the approach of the Government of Abu Dhabi at Cityscape in April. A raft of public sector projects were announced, which will bring with them much needed work for GCC contractors.

Further, the emirate has repeatedly indicated its commitment to sustainable development, which itself spells construction opportunities. The Abu Dhabi surface transport master plan, a vital facet of the push towards sustainability, is set to be rolled out over the next two decades.

And the ongoing Masdar City project, which former UK prime minister Tony Blair called a “clarion call of progress” at February’s Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, is a further sign of the government’s sustainability commitment, and its will to maintain its place in the global energy pecking-order.

The emirate is already blessed with a generous helping of natural resources, in the forms of oil and natural gas, with the substantial income from each being ploughed back into development projects in order to diversify the economy of the emirate, which spells further work for the construction industry.

With Abu Dhabi looking to secure its place on the international stage of sustainable development, CW looks at each of the emirate’s three regions.

Abu Dhabi City
The Capital City District was announced at this year’s Cityscape Abu Dhabi, billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to create a modern Arab city. Work is scheduled to start on the 49km² site on the edge of Abu Dhabi City in 2012 which, once completed, will serve as the government and economic centre of the UAE.

Close to Abu Dhabi International Airport and Mohammed bin Zayed City, it will be a sustainable, mixed-use city for 370,000 residents, along with federal government buildings, universities, hospitals and embassies.
 

The Al Faleh project was also announced at Cityscape Abu Dhabi. It will include 5000 new homes for middle-income
UAE families, worth US $2.6 billion (AED9.4 billion).