Msheireb appoints contractor for Phase 2 of Downtown Doha

Msheireb Properties, Qatar’s leading sustainable real estate developer, has appointed a consortium of Arabtec Construction UAE and Arabtec Construction Company Qatar as the main contractor for Phase 2 of Msheireb Downtown Doha, the QR20bn regeneration of the historical commercial centre of the Qatari capital. The QR2.3bn contract involves the construction of a built-up area of approximately 370,000sqm comprising 10 buildings between two and 19 storeys high as well as 4-5 basement levels. “The pace of construction at Msheireb Downtown Doha continues to accelerate and the involvement of Arabtec further asserts our commitment to the highest standards of quality, reliability and sustainability,” said Mohamed al-Marri, chief officer for design and delivery at Msheireb Properties. The portfolio of Arabtec includes office towers, hotels, residences and villa projects, universities and airports in the Gulf and countries outside the region. The mixed-use Msheireb Downtown Doha Phase 2 will have an estimated 99 residential units, 3,102 parking spaces, as well as commercial, retail, hotel, hospitality and community-based facilities. The MGallery hotel will be the first in the GCC region and its design will be inspired by Qatari heritage. The phase also includes a purpose-built mall covering around 42,000sqm over four levels. The mall will account for almost 45% of the total retail space within the Msheireb Downtown Doha project. Besides 100 stores, the destination will include an anchor supermarket chain, a food court catering to more than 500 diners, a cinema and a major department store. Described as the world’s first sustainable regeneration of a downtown area in a modern city, Msheireb Downtown Doha combines traditional local building practices and design influences with the latest technologies in energy efficiency and environmental management. Inspired by an original architectural language devised by leading architects, academics, designers and engineering consultants from Qatar and abroad, it will be the world’s largest sustainable community on completion, with at least 100 buildings certified as LEED Gold. The buildings will be targeting as minimum a Gold certificate for sustainability based on the US Green Building Council’s LEED rating system. Msheireb Downtown Doha broke ground in early 2010 and its development will be completed in five phases. The QR1.55bn construction contract for the Phase 1A of the project was awarded to a consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company and HBK Contracting Company. Carillion was appointed in March to complete building works on Phase 1B. Brookfield Multiplex Medgulf, a consortium of Brookfield Multiplex and Medgulf, was recently appointed as the main building contractor for the construction of the substructure and superstructure works involved in Phase 1C of the Msheireb project. Msheireb Properties also announced last week that it had awarded the contract for the construction of raft foundations of Phase 3 of Msheireb Downtown Doha to HBK Contracting Company.