Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has issued requests for qualification (RFQs) to a total of 35 companies for the Jubail 4 & 6 Independent Water Project with a total capacity of 600,000cu/m per day.

In a statement, SWPC said the desalination plant will be located 18km south of Jubail Industrial City, as well as associated infrastructure and facilities. The scope of work includes the finance, development, operation, and maintenance of the key seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination water project in Jubail Industrial City, as well as associated infrastructure and facilities.

It will be adjacent to the existing plant units (Jubail Phase 1, Jubail Phase 2, Jubail 3A and 3B), all of which are located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom.

According to SWPC, the application for pre-qualifications are open on an individual basis or as a consortium to all entities who have submitted an expression of interest, or any such entity that has not submitted an expression of interest and has obtained SWPC’s approval. It added that the deadline for submitting the RFQs has been set at 21 February 2023.

In late September 2022, Qatar’s Umm Al Houl desalination plant achieved one millions hours without accident.

Amongst the firms eyeing the project include Spanish infrastructure majors Acciona, Abengoa Agua; GS Inima; Lantania Aguas and Elecnor Group, French group Veolia, Italian group Fisia Italimpianti and Japan’s Marubeni Corporation in addition to Indian construction majors – Shapoorji Pallonji; VA Tech Wabag and Vishvaraj Environment and Chinese groups – China First Heavy Industries International and Hainan Litree Purifying Technology.

The main Saudi firms in the race are utility giant ACWA Power; Ajlan & Bros; Marafiq; Buhur for Investment; Fas Energy; Nesma; Aljomaih Energy and Water; Alsharif; Al Kawther Industries; Mowah and Saudi Pan Kingdom Company (SAPAC).

Other regional heavyweights who have expressed an interest in the project includes the Middle East unit of global energy major Engie – Kahrabel. UAE groups like UTICO and METITO, as well as the Kuwait-based Alghanim International General Trading and Contracting , as well as Egypt’s Orascom Construction, the statement concluded.

In early November 2022, ACWA Power said it had achieved the financial close for the $821mn Shuaibah 3 IWP project and, in mid December 2022, SWPC invited EOIs for Jubail 4 & 6 Independent Water Project.

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Ibrahim bin Hassan Al Hawaj, Bahrain’s Works Minister, carried out an inspection for the first phase of construction of the roads leading to the city of East Sitra, to review the latest developments of the project.

According to a Bahrain News Agency report, Al Hawaj affirmed that the ministry is working to keep pace with the Kingdom’s urban and investment development. He pointed out that the ministry is providing integrated infrastructure in a way that contributes to achieving development goals.

Furthermore, the ministry is working towards implementing the goals of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, and strategies for developing local planning, and facilitating the movement of citizens, residents and visitors to the Kingdom, the report added.

The multi-million-dollar East Sifra Town project will see the construction of a four-lane highway being built in both directions. As part of the project, a 50m-wide second sea crossing will be developed at the northern port of the city, in addition to a 55m-wide second sea crossing at the southern port.

In early January 2023, Bahrain invited developers to bid for the construction of 700 residential units and, later, Naseej announced that it had appointed CBRE to manage and lease retail for CanalView on Dilmunia Island.

The highway will be connected to Bahrain’s main road network via Shaikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Fateh Street Highway in the north, passing through Highway 1, and from there to the intersection of BAPCO Depots in the South.

According to local media reports, work on Phase One of East Sitra Town project is on track, and the development is set to become the fifth residential city in the Kingdom. It will contain 3,300 housing units, which will be constructed over three phases, at a total cost of US $685.2mn.

The megaproject has been designed to accommodate up to 20,640 people, and will include schools, kindergartens, nurseries, public parks, children’s playgrounds, amongst other facilities. Also included will be a 6.2km long beachfront, with 13km of cycling tracks, and a further 120km of pavements for pedestrians.

In late January 2023, authorities said that secondary infrastructure works began at key plots in Diyar Al Muharraq.

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Global Partners Limited, a DFSA regulated institutional fund manager specialising in alternative investments, has successfully closed Global Partners Property Fund I (CEIC) Limited, a Qualified Investor Fund based in the DIFC.

In a statement, the fund manager explained that the fund focuses on the Dubai build-to-rent housing market with two projects on the Dubai Water Canal. US $212mn was raised, with 35% coming from North America, 37% from Europe, and 27% from the UAE.

Martin Linder, Chief Executive Officer at Global Partners said, “We are delighted with the reception we have received from global investors for our inaugural fund. Institutional capital is increasingly interested in Dubai real estate, and we have created an ideal fund to cater to this demand. The fund is in line with Global Partners’ strategy to deliver institutionally owned and managed residential supply in Dubai.”

In early December 2022, Knight Frank said Dubai’s prime residences are set to lead global price rises.

H&H Development, the fund’s property development partner, will play a vital role in ensuring the fund’s success through their proven world-class execution capabilities. The fund’s two projects are upmarket developments on the Dubai Water Canal which will use H&H Development’s Eden House brand.

They will be called Eden House, The Canal, and Eden House, The Park and are perfectly located to address a market gap for affluent renters in Dubai.

Miltos Bosinis, CEO of H&H Development added: “We are excited to be part of this investment initiative which proves that Dubai has become an international financial centre that attracts global investor’s interest from all over the world.

In late December 2022, the Dubai Land Department unveiled its new strategic plan for 2023-26.

He concluded, “As a reputable institutional developer, H&H will give Global Partners all the support they need to carry out their strategy and expand their footprint in Dubai to create a bespoke portfolio of properties of the highest quality and standards.”

In late January 2023, Nasma said it was set to expand its holiday home profile.

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Developer DAMAC Properties has launched DAMAC Bay by Cavalli, a 42-storey, three-tower property that is located in Dubai Harbour.

In a statement, DAMAC said that the development has an aesthetic designed by the Cavalli brand and maintains a design scheme inspired by maritime life, with an interior that includes seashells, pearls, and zebrafish patterns.

While the towers’ exterior pays homage to ocean waves, they will be garnered with a Cavalli-inspired bridge that coils across the rooftops, the developer said. The property offers residents their choice from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom super-luxury duplexes across the development’s master plan.

Niall McLoughlin, Senior Vice President of DAMAC, applauded the launch, stating: “Our goal with DAMAC Bay was to bring the wonders of maritime bliss closer to residents than ever before. The property has been constructed in a way all residents can equally enjoy a luxurious, convenient lifestyle accented by the tranquillity of the sea.”

In mid November 2022, DAMAC Properties awarded a US $74.3mn contract for the main works of the Nice cluster at DAMAC Lagoons.

“With an innovative layout specifically designed by Cavalli, the property is assured to keep residents and guests entertained, refreshed and restored.”

The second to 32nd floors will feature luxury one-, two- and three-bedroom units allowing residents to enjoy the comfort of seafront living. The 33rd to 42nd floors will offer a range of unit sizes from three-bedroom to five-bedroom duplexes crafted with details to provide a wonderful seafront lifestyle. In addition, residents will have access to a private white sand beach, as well as a range of food and beverage outlets, and the property’s exclusive Cavalli Lounge. The three-tower property has been built to provide each unit with a beautiful seaside view, the developer explained.

The lobby serves as the property’s welcome point, detailed with high glass window. Further into the property, the towers’ podium level provides a maritime getaway in the form of an elegantly crafted water maze and snorkelling excursions. The podium is also fitted with hammocks suspended above the building’s ground-level infinity pool, offering convenient access to the Cavalli Lounge and its premier menu, the developer said.

Each of the three towers also features a rooftop infinity pool, along with floating workstations. The rooftop area is also fitted with a state-of-the-art opera pavilion that overlooks the Arabian Gulf.

In early December 2022, DAMAC launched Cavalli Couture at Safa Park in Dubai.

The crown-piece of DAMAC Bay is a water fountain located in the central tower. Synced to opera music, the enormous water fountain provides a water show to onlookers that can be enjoyed from within the towers’ vicinity or from miles away. Children residing in the development will have the opportunity to attend a Virtual Reality school with lessons laser-projected onto the property’s water fountain, the developer concluded.

In late December 2022, DAMAC launched a new high-end residential cluster.

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Nasma Luxury Stays said it is starting 2023 positively, on the back of the rising demand for short-term property rentals in the UAE.

Throughout 2022, Nasma grew its portfolio of luxe real estate across the country, ending the year with its successful expansion to Mina Al Arab in Ras Al-Khaimah (RAK), a milestone in its ongoing bid to strengthen its market foothold.

The portfolio-building is said to take place as more homeowners continue to ride the next wave of growth in the holiday home industry. Nasma noted that it will capitalise on this momentum to meet the demand arising from the influx of tourists to the UAE as a result of its reinvigorated tourism and hospitality sectors.

Dani Tabbara, COO of Al Tamimi Investments (parent of Nasma Luxury Stays) commented, “We are confident that we can exceed our performance in 2022, as we step up our efforts to expand our portfolio through mutually beneficial partnerships with property owners. Additionally, this is an opportunity for us to continue our tradition of offering global and local tourists all the luxuries associated with a five-star hotel within a comfortable, warm home environment. We are happy with our achievements in 2022, but we are even more excited this year given the consistent strong support from the UAE Government and its wise leadership.”

In late November 2022, RAK Properties said it broke ground at its Bay Residences development and, in late December 2022, Luxe Developers launched a luxury development in Ras Al Khaimah.

The holiday home market continues to be a major segment in the local property industry. A recent report showed more than 10,766 active listings in Dubai, which accounted for 2% of the total households in the emirate. The figure was the highest percentage compared to all other global hub cities. Additionally, Abu Dhabi and Dubai ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the top 10 best global places to buy a holiday home in 2021.

Nasma was founded to provide end-to-end property management solutions to luxury owners wanting to rent out their properties to vacationers for a short-term stay. To boost the value of their real estate and their profitability prospects, the company also offers other services such as interior design and property maintenance and damage repair.

Part of its unique value proposition is its attractive profit-sharing model, in which 80% of the profit goes to the property owner to ensure they enjoy better rental yields. This is on top of its 12-month revenue forecast report provided to the owners for a more effective business strategy and higher market value of the properties.

In late December 2022, Dubai Investments also broke ground on its $272m Danah Bay community project on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah.

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The Dubai Land Department issued a total of 9,047 real estate permits and 6,479 real estate licenses in 2022, a growth of 46.6% and 53% respectively from 2021, according to statistics released by the department.

The high growth in permits and licenses are said to reflect the increasing demand from real estate investors across the world, driven by Dubai’s strong growth outlook and the prospects of high returns in the local market.

The growth also reflects the Dubai Land Department’s efforts to provide high-quality services, further enhance the competitiveness of the real estate market and ensure the protection of all stakeholders.

Maintaining its exponential growth trajectory, Dubai’s real estate sector witnessed transactions worth a record $143.8bn in the past year, a 76.5% increase from 2021, the department said.

In early January 2023, CBRE said that Dubai saw a record total of residential transactions in 2022 and, Zoom Property Insights revealed the top locations for apartment and villa sales in 2022 in Dubai.

The highest number of DLD permits in 2022 were issued for online ads with 7,947 permits, followed by classified ads (180), outdoor advertisements (164), vehicle advertisements (140), billboards (138), open-day announcements (95), text messages (84), real estate promotion platforms (75), printed advertisements (50), and project launch ceremonies (38).

Permits were also issued for real estate seminars, promotional campaigns, real estate exhibitions, advertisements and newspapers, among others.

The highest number of DLD licenses were issued to brokerages buying and selling real estate (2,308), followed by real estate leasing brokerages (1,570), transaction follow-up services (1,273), administrative supervision services for real estate (491), buying and selling land and real estate (299), real estate development (161), and commercial complexes (117), the DLD pointed out.

Other key categories in which licenses were issued included jointly-owned property management services, mortgage brokers and shopping centres, among others.

In late January 2023, Samana said it was going to invest $680mn into 12 new projects in 2023.

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Spurred on by its design activities as master civil engineer on the new Polish airport – Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) – Dar Al Handasah Consultants (Dar) has opened a new office in Warsaw, Poland.

The opening ceremony was attended by Dar’s Chairman and CEO Talal Shair, Regional Director of Operations Danny Aoun, in addition to key company directors and industry experts. It was also attended by Mikołaj Wild, the CEO of CPK airport and Piotr Kasprzyk, the Director of Aviation at CPK.

A representative from the Polish national airlines LOT and the Lebanese Ambassador to Poland Reina Charbel, also attended the opening, along with senior stakeholders, officials, and subconsultants in Poland’s aviation industry.

“Even as one of the world’s leading aviation design consultants and with our experience in airports around the globe, we were captivated by the sheer vision and ambition of the new airport. And that made it an even greater honour when our company was named the master civil engineer,” said Dar’s Chairman and CEO Talal Shair.

In late January 2023, RINA said it had secured a foothold in the US infrastructure market with its acquisition of Patrick Engineering and, later in the month, Espace Real Estate said it had expanded its operations with two new Dubai offices.

He added, “We are here today to fulfil all of our promises and more, by leveraging our technical excellence and consulting capabilities to help deliver a highly-sustainable, future-fit, and resilient airport that can bolster connections in Europe and position Poland as a continental hub.”

Through its design, planning, engineering, and project management services, Dar says it serves a variety of sectors including buildings and cities, transportation and civil infrastructure, water and the environment.

“We are settling in to establish a local team of experts who can tailor our company’s considerable expertise and global credentials to support projects in Poland and Europe, to deliver even more impact and value to communities across the country,” added Aoun.

He noted that Dar was also the founding member of Dar Group, a global design, engineering, and consulting group. He concluded, “In 2022, Dar Group ranked first among international design firms in the airports market, as well as 10^th among international design firms overall, third in buildings, and sixth in transportation”.

Later in January 2023, Yas Holding launched its property development arm, Taraf.

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Eshraq Investments has announced an update to its shareholders regarding its previously announced sale agreement with Danube Properties, for the sale of two plots in Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) in Dubai.

Following the announcement of the deal on 6 October 2022, Eshraq has now said that in addition to the initial purchase price of $9.01mn, the sale and purchase agreement provided for an annual profit and an earn-out mechanism, payable to Eshraq tied to the projects’ profits.

Danube recently announced that its $150mn project, ‘Elitz’, on these plots has now been sold out and is expected to be handed over by December 2025. The project, which taps into growing demand for affordable housing in the UAE, was snapped up by investors, buyers and brokers on launch day.

In early July 2021, Eshraq said its Marina Rise project received its Building Completion Certificate and, in early September 2022, Danube appointed Naresco Contracting as the main contractor for Skyz Tower.

The successful launch of the project is said to de-risk Eshraq’s collections from this sale; and the transaction highlights the continued progress of the company’s land monetisation programme, as approved by its board of directors on 2 September 2022.

Jassim Alseddiqi, Chairman of Eshraq Investments congratulated Danube Properties on another successful project launch. He stated, “We remain committed to delivering exceptional value to Eshraq’s shareholders through reputed partnerships that support the efficient execution of our land monetisation programme. We remain confident that our actions will enhance Eshraq’s profitability and shareholder returns.”

Eshraq’s land monetisation programme is being implemented with the goal of fully monetising the company’s land bank over the next three years, through the sale or engagement of partners to develop the land bank and its subsequent sales.

In early November 2022, Eshraq said it sold Reportage Properties a 650,000sqft land plot on Al Reem Island.

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Deyaar Development has announced plans to handover the Mesk and Noor Residential Districts, representing Phase 3 and Phase 4 of its Midtown master development in Dubai. Together, they feature over 900 residential units with a mix of studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

The Mesk District handover will begin on 14 February, ahead of its scheduled handover timeline, and move-in for residents will be permitted effective mid-February. The Noor District will be delivered as per schedule by the end of June, said a statement from Deyaar. More than 95% of the units in Noor District have been already sold out, it added.

With this, the Dubai developer will complete the handover of more than 2,200 units across the four districts of the Midtown development.

In early July 2021, Deyaar launched a $272mn 70-storey tower in Business Bay.

Deyaar had earlier completed and handed over Afnan District in 2019, followed by Dania District in 2020. Over 1,100 families are currently living in the Midtown Community, the developer stated.

Located in Dubai Production City near Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Midtown is designed with community living in mind, creating a family-friendly environment replete with a wide range of amenities.

CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Qatami said, “The handover of the Mesk and Noor Residential Districts of our iconic Midtown master community is a major milestone, and we are thrilled to reinforce our commitment to deliver ahead of our scheduled timeline of handover for our projects to ensure a world-class service for our key stakeholders, investors and customers. Mortgage solutions with up to 25 years’ repayment plans are available for potential buyers in the Mesk District.”

In early January 2023, Azizi said it would deliver 11,000 units in Dubai in 2023.

An integrated, multicultural residential project, the Midtown Development consists of 24 buildings across various districts, coupled with a retail boulevard with a wide array of 50 retail options spread across an area of 63,000sqft.

The project features convenience stores, laundry outlets, pharmacies, supermarkets, multi-cuisine restaurants, cafés, leisure facilities, health clubs, sports courts, a one-kilometre jogging track, daycare facilities, and a 3,000sqft nursery.

In early January 2023, LIV Developers said it had begun construction of LIV LUX in Dubai Marina.

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Mott MacDonald has announced Rick Hopper as the Managing Director of its business in Saudi Arabia. As part of his role, Hopper will work with key public and private sector clients and partners to drive sustainable development in the Kingdom, building on the consultancy’s track record in the infrastructure, energy, transportation, and building markets.

Having worked in operational leadership and strategic business development roles at Atkins and AECOM, Hopper has a deep understanding of KSA’s vision for growth and development. He has spent the last six years based in Riyadh, the statement from Mott MacDonald explained.

Paul Hilton, Managing Director of Mott MacDonald Middle East business said, “We are delighted that Hopper is joining us at a critical time, as we relaunch our Saudi business as a standalone entity. His local market knowledge, strategic vision and strong leadership will be a major asset, as we seek opportunities to provide strategic support to key clients and help to accelerate economic, social and environmental development in KSA.”

As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building, Hopper has more than 25 years’ experience in the leadership of design and construction supervision teams, with 15 of these years spent in the Middle East and the rest spent in the USA and UK.

In late February 2022, Mott MacDonald said that senior appointments will boost its regional business and, in early November 2022, Compass appointed a new Regional Director of Project Management.

In his new role, Hopper will lead Mott MacDonald’s Saudi business as it enters an important new phase in its development as a newly formed standalone entity, headquartered in Riyadh.

Drawing on Mott MacDonald’s leadership of prestigious infrastructure and development projects worldwide and deep sector expertise, he will be positioning the business to provide key Saudi clients with strategic advice and early-stage engineering consultancy, the statement added.

One of Hopper’s priorities will be to expand the group’s diverse and inclusive team in Saudi Arabia, adding value and sustainability to major projects and the nation by creating career development opportunities for Saudi nationals at all levels.

On the appointment, Hopper remarked, “I am excited to join Mott MacDonald, a company that shares my values and ambition to help support sustainable and inclusive growth in Saudi Arabia. I look forward to creating opportunities for Saudi nationals and international advisory and sector specialists to work side by side sharing knowledge and expertise and driving sustainable development in this fast-changing market.”

In early January 2023, KEO appointed Jason Morris as MD of its Project and Construction Management Division.

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Source: ME Construction News