Arabtec Construction has won a contract worth AED1.7bn ($462m) from the UAE federal government to build villas for UAE nationals in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Fujairah.The scope of the contract will include the construction of 1,100 villas on a 215-hectare plot, including 300 five-room villas, 700 four-room villas, and 100 villas for widows or small families.The project will have a total built-up area of 430,000 sq m. Construction work is expected to commence immediately and will be completed in about two-and-a-half years.Arabtec Holding acting CEO Saeed Mohamed Al Mehairbi said: “We are proud that the Ministry of Presidential Affairs has chosen Arabtec to execute this project of national importance.”
Brookfield Multiplex has been selected as the main contractor for Dubai-based real estate developer Omniyat’s One at Palm Jumeirah project in Dubai.The AED2bn project ($544.5m) project will include the construction of a 107,795 sq m building, comprising 23 floors.The building, located at the first plot on the trunk of Palm Jumeirah, will include 90 luxury apartments designed by Tokyo-based interior designer Super Potato. The apartments will incorporate high quality materials, finishes, joinery, kitchens, walk-in closets and bathrooms.The project will be divided vertically into three cores, with each core offering access to a maximum of two apartments per floor.The base of One at Palm Jumeirah will feature three swimming pools, a private yacht club, spas, gym, library, private cinema as well as landscaped areas designed by Vladimir Djurovic.The LEED Silver project is expected to be completed within two years.
Toshiba has announced plans to build a new semiconductor fabrication facility in Japan’s Mie prefecture.The new Fab 2 building will be built on land adjacent to the Yokkaichi Operations memory production complex in Mie prefecture. It will be used for expanded production of the company’s proprietary 3D flash memory product brand Bics Flash.Production requires needs a new clean room with dedicated equipment for the 3D process. The new facility will initially offer this space following its completion in the first half of fiscal 2016.The construction and equipment investment for the project is estimated to cost about JPY360bn ($3.2bn). The investment will take place from fiscal 2016 to fiscal 2018. Final decisions on the construction timeline and facility investment will be made in fiscal 2016, with production due to start in 2018.
Fife College has secured the option to buy land for the construction of a new college campus on the Shepherd Offshore site on Dunlin Drive, Dunfermline, Scotland.The project, which forms part of a broader plan announced to improve College estates across Fife, is estimated to cost about £90m ($130.1m).Principal Hugh Logan said: “Our students’ needs are paramount when making decisions about our new campus. The new state-of-the-art college will be built around the requirements of our students, from location and accessibility to the layout, design and resources required.”Scottish government’s NPD Programme will provide £70m of the project funding, while the remaining amount will be procured from Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and college resources.SFC has already given the go-ahead to an outline business case for the use of the site for the college build. A full business case for the college project is expected to be considered later in 2016. “Transport links will also be an important factor and we will work with Fife Council and partners to ensure the new campus benefits from excellent transport links,” Logan added.
Birmingham City Council has revealed details of the £500m Birmingham Smithfield redevelopment project.Spanning 14 hectares, the development will include over 300,000 sq m of commercial floor space, as well as 2,000 new homes in a mix of two-, three- and four-bed apartments.The project will also feature new squares, parks and gardens, retail markets, leisure facilities, cafes, independent shops, restaurants and hotels, buildings for cultural events, and pedestrian boulevards. It is expected to create 3,000 jobs in the region.Birmingham City Council chief executive Mark Rogers said: “Birmingham Smithfield will have a transformational impact that capitalises on the area’s unique heritage and focus for markets.“It will radically enhance the city’s retail, visitor and residential offer, as well as unlocking the growth potential of a much wider area.”
Developer Ballymore has received funding from British property investor M&G Real Estate for the construction of the £200m Three Snowhill development in Birmingham, UK.The office development, which will cover an area of 420,000 sq ft, is due to be the largest ever speculative city centre office project built outside London.The property will feature 385,000 sq ft of office space, 35,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, accommodating nearly 4,000 workers.BAM Construction was appointed as preferred contractor for the project in June 2015. The project is expected to be completed at the end of 2018.Ballymore CEO Sean Mulryan said: “Ballymore is delighted to announce a start on the third and final phase of our Snowhill scheme. “Working with the city, our funding partner, M&G Real Estate, and our main contractor, BAM, we will deliver a landmark building and the final element of what is one of the largest and most prestigious commercial developments in central Birmingham.”
A joint venture (JV) of Bouygues Travaux Publics and Cimolai has signed a construction contract with the Garden Bridge Trust to deliver the Garden Bridge project in London. The JV’s scope of the work will include the completion of the detailed design, construction and planting the trees and shrubbery for the project, which is estimated to cost £175m. In April 2015, the JV won the contract for preconstruction services.The project has been designed by Flint and Neil and Moxon Architects. Arup, Heatherwick Studio and Dan Pearson Studios will offer advice to the trust on the bridge design and construction.Construction work on the project is expected to start in mid-2016 and will be completed in late 2018.Garden Bridge Trust chairman Lord Mervyn Davies said: “The Garden Bridge is a reality. We are on course with our fundraising targets, we are meeting the requirements of our planning conditions.“We have huge public support for the project and we look forward to working with Bouygues TP and Cimolai and all our partners to make this a special place to be enjoyed by Londoners and visitors in the heart of the city for years to come.”
Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) construction division has secured contracts with a combined value of INR16.72bn ($248.3m) across various businesses.The company’s building and factories business has won contracts worth INR9.67bn ($143.6m). These include an EPC contract for a multi-storied residential project in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The scope of the contract, awarded by UP Avas Vikas Parisad, will include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and finishes. The business has also secured a turnkey contract from a Mumbai developer to build a multi-storied residential building and retail space. The scope of the work will include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing as well as finishes.L&T’s power transmission and distribution business has won contracts valued at INR5.8bn ($86.1m) in the international markets. These include an EPC contract in Ethiopia for construction of a 400/230/15 kV substation, as well as three 230/15 kV substations at various locations. The project, awarded by Ethiopian Electric Power, has secured financing from the French Development Agency.The business has also received another EPC contract in South East Asia to build a high-voltage substation.In addition, L&T Construction’s Water & Effluent Treatment Business has secured order worth INR1.25bn ($18.6m).
Ground has been broken on the first phase of the £400m Kirkstall Forge mixed-use project in Leeds, UK.Located on 57 acres, the development will include 1,050 new homes, 300,000 sq ft of office space, as well as 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space. Wates will serve as the project’s principal contractor. Phase one of the project will involve the creation of a Grade A office building, covering an area of 110,000 sq ft. The seven-storey building is expected to be ready for occupation in the third quarter of 2017.With the ground breaking, Zenith, a leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing business, has signed a pre-let agreement to occupy a new flagship headquarter office building at the development. Under the deal, the company will occupy over 45,000 sq ft net over the three upper stories that include a roof level meeting room suite.In addition, developer CEG has announced plans to relocate its northern office to the new development. The developer will occupy nearly 10,000 sq ft on the ground floor, with the remaining ground floor and three remaining floors of 18,500 sq ft each to be made available to the market.CEG director Jon Kenny said: “Kirkstall Forge is unique, it will deliver fresh, sustainable new ways of living and working amongst acres of green space in a wooded riverside setting. With schools, contemporary housing, restaurants, cafés and light-filled offices, it will provide the vibrancy of city life as well as the tranquillity of the outdoors.“Ultimately, this will not only be an ambitious and innovative development for Leeds, but will establish a new benchmark for office developments across the rest of the UK.”
Implenia has secured a contract valued at over CHF100m ($101.2m) to construct a new landmark for North Zurich, Switzerland.The company has won the total contractor mandate by making use of digital 4D Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the tender phase. The scope of the contract, awarded by SBB Immobilien, will include the construction of the Andreasturm building. The 80m high building, located next to the railway station in Oerlikon, Zurich, has been designed by architects Gigon/Guyer.The development will include about 20,000 sq m of office space, ample room for shops, cafés and restaurants, and a direct link to the platforms and station underpass. It will also be energy efficient, and will comply with the DGNB Platinum label standards adapted by the Swiss Sustainable Building Council. Construction work on the project is expected to commence in April 2016.
Plans have been unveiled for a casino and deluxe destination resort in East Taunton, Massachusetts.The project, dubbed First Light, is estimated to cost $500m. Work will be carried out in phases, with phase one involving construction of the casino, restaurants, entertainment and retail offerings. This phase is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.Plans for other phases will include the construction of three hotels, a parking garage, as well as a water park.The project is being financially backed by the Genting Group of Malaysia. It is also anticipated to create at least 1,000 construction jobs, and about 2,600 permanent jobs.The project is expected to break ground by April, subject to state approval.
Tutor Perini has won contracts from Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group for the construction of 15 Hudson Yards (Tower D) and The Shops & Restaurants (Retail Complex) at Hudson Yards in New York.The construction value managed by Tutor Perini for the two projects is worth about $1.2bn.The 70-storey, 960,000 sq ft 15 Hudson Yards building will be the first residential building at Hudson Yards. Expected to open in 2018, the building will feature 391 for-sale and rental residences, along with other amenities including an Equinox Fitness Club, and social and entertaining venues.The seven-storey Retail Complex will cover 1m sq ft area. The property, expected to open in 2018, will be home to The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards.Tutor Perini Building Group executive vice president and CEO Craig Shaw said: “We are proud to be working with Related and Oxford on the Hudson Yards development, the largest privately funded development project in US history, and we are pleased to continue our work on the newest Hudson Yards buildings currently under construction.”
Town Centre Securities (TCS) and GMI Construction Holdings have formed a joint venture company known as Belgravia Living Group to deliver a residential project in Piccadilly Basin, Manchester.Phase one of the residential project, which has already received planning approval, will include the construction of the 90,000 sq ft Burlington House building. Designed by architect Simpson Haugh, Burlington House will feature 91 apartments.The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has approved a £9.741m loan from the Greater Manchester Housing Fund to support the first phase on Tariff Street. Preparatory site work is expected to begin in April 2016, with an 18-month development programme expected to commence in June 2016.Overall, the project will deliver 900 homes over the next six years. The development of all phases of the project is expected to entail an investment of nearly £300m.GMI Construction Holdings group managing director Jarrod Best said: “We are delighted to have joined forces with TCS to deliver what will be a high quality residential scheme to suit discerning owners and occupiers within the key Manchester M1 postcode.”
Arabtec Construction, a subsidiary of UAE-based construction group Arabtec Holding, has won a contract to build an AED1.1bn ($300m) residential project in central Dubai, UAE.The project will involve the construction of two 50-storey towers featuring residential apartments. It will have a built-up area of over 227,000 sq m. Construction on the residential apartments is due to commence immediately, with completion expected within two-and-a-half years.Arabtec has not yet disclosed the name of the project’s client.Arabtec Holding acting CEO Saeed Mohamed Al Mehairbi said: "We are delighted to have been chosen to execute this important project adding further to the strong momentum in which we have begun 2016."
AGC Asahi Glass (AGC), a manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, has unveiled plans to invest around JPY18bn ($158.1m) in its consolidated subsidiary, AGC Glass Brazil, to build a second float glass production plant in Brazil’s southeast region. The new facility is expected to boost AGC’s glass production capacity in the country to 2.4 times the existing capacity. Work on the plant is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2018.The company said in a statement: “With a relatively young population of approximately 200m people and abundant natural resources, Brazil is expected to maintain its economic growth from a medium and long-term perspective. The demand for architectural glass and automotive glass is also projected to grow. “In such a business environment, AGC will enhance its production capacity in Brazil to 530,000 tonnes per year, up 310,000 tonnes from the current 220,000 tonnes a year.” AGC Glass Brazil was set up in 2011 and became operational in 2013. The company manufactures and supplies float glass for architectural and automotive uses, mirrors, fabricated glass products for architectural use, as well as laminated/tempered automotive glass.
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has broken ground on a project to expand its passenger tyre manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina.
Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has secured planning consent for transformation of the former Royal Mail sorting office at Copperas Hill in Liverpool, UK into a new £100m building for the university.
Construction has started on the five-star Park Hyatt hotel at Auckland's waterfront in New Zealand.
Developer CLS Holdings has confirmed plans to begin enabling works on phase one of its Vauxhall Square project in London in 2017.
Work on the £150m redevelopment of the Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, London is set to commence in early 2016 after receiving planning consent from Enfield Council.