Best of Bahrain

While Bahrain’s construction industry has experienced an inevitable slowdown, a handful of large-scale, high-profile projects are moving ahead - preventing confidence levels from dipping too dramatically.

One such project is a $4.7 billion expansion of Bahrain International Airport, which will include two new terminals, new aprons, separate piers, a people mover system, car parking, road works and related infrastructure. There will also be an adjacent ‘airport city’ with hotels, conference centres, and retail and recreational facilities.

The design contract for the two new terminals is due to go to tender in the first quarter of 2010. The first phase of the expansion will increase the airport’s annual passenger capacity from seven million people to 12 million.

Durrat al Bahrain, which includes 20km² of reclaimed islands at the southern tip of Bahrain, is also moving forward, with Atkins having recently been selected to undertake the architecture and infrastructure design of the third phase of the project.

Atkins will design and document the infrastructure works, landscaping and architectural engineering of villas and facility buildings for four of the 13 islands. Construction work is expected to commence this year.

The $2.5 billion Bahrain Bay mega-project is also proceeding, albeit slower than planned. The project is located off the north eastern coast of Manama and will consist of more than 40 buildings and towers designed by leading architecture firms. Two of the anchor developments, Four Seasons Hotel and Raffles City Bahrain, have both suffered significant delays, but the third anchor development, the $150 million headquarters for Arcapita Bank, is expected to be finished by the end of 2010.

Meanwhile, Dubai developer Ishraq recently announced that it had broken ground at the site of the 22-storey Holiday Inn Express hotel in Manama. The 279-room hotel is due to open its doors in the third quarter of 2011 and marks the Holiday Inn Express brand’s first GCC venture outside of Dubai.

“We are very excited about our entry into Bahrain and the opportunities its hospitality sector holds,” said Sami Al Ansari, CEO, Ishraq Gulf Real Estate.

Dubai-headquartered Purity, a supplier of leading Italian brands, reiterated the growing attraction of the Bahraini market. “Bahrain has some interesting developments at present and it seems to be growing at a great pace,” noted Laurence Dehlen, sales manager, Purity.

“There is also a lot of design work taking place there for projects in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, since it is strategically located between these two larger countries. We have noticed that many of the design firms present in Dubai have been opening up offices in Bahrain over the past few months, and there seems to be great yearning for design and knowledge about luxury brands in this small kingdom,” he said.

In response, Purity will spend the next three months refurbishing its gallery in Bahrain, in order to offer a larger space that features all of the brands currently offered in Dubai.

According to Afaf Ebrahim, director of Bahrain-based Inoui Designs, the standard of interior design in the kingdom is particularly high. “There is great competition in the Bahraini market when it comes to design. Most designers are equipped with great talent and the latest technologies and techniques, which result in unique and mature design solutions. To enter the Bahraini market you need to be aware of certain challenges, and of the nature of the market, in order to compete with these extremely talented companies.”