Doha Metro

During the 20th century the city of Doha was dependent on fishing and pearl diving to drive its economy and, when Japanese cultured pearls were discovered in the 1930s, the Qatari capital plunged into poverty. However, oil and gas was later discovered and exploration began after the Second World War.

New Doha International Airport

The buildings that we see today quickly rose from the desert sands and due to the increasing number of projects such as Education City, the Pearl Qatar and the US $1.3 billion (QAR4.7 billion) Barwa City, Doha’s economy is now standing on
solid ground.

The latest developments include the Heart of Doha, a project launched last month, which aims to reduce the city’s urban sprawl; and the Doha Metro, which is currently at concept stage and is set to include an east coast link, a high speed link, a freight link and a light rail system.

The capital is also moving with the times in terms of green buildings; in the last quarter of 2008 it was announced that Dubai Towers in Doha is aiming for Leed certification – a rare find in the GCC– as most certified buildings are located in the US.

The developer behind the Heart of Doha project, Dohaland also hopes for Leed gold certification. But will Doha keep rolling out projects and maintain its rich identity or will it be dragged into the world’s economic crisis? Only time will tell.

The latest development
Heart of Doha
Value: US $5.5 billion
Status: Last month Dohaland, a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, launched the project to rebuild a 350,000m² area in the city centre. The first phase, which includes demolition of existing areas and the expansion of government buildings is already underway and will cost around US $604 million (QAR2.1 billion). This phase is due to be completed in 2012 and the entire project completion date is pencilled in for 2016.

Scope: The project will be completed in five phases and is set to include 226 buildings, a theatre, a museum, a tram system, hotels and schools.

Dubai towers - Doha
At 84 storeys Dubai Towers is set to be the tallest building in Qatar and is due for completion in early 2011. Located on the Doha corniche, which connects the West Bay business district with the south of the city, the project is the Sama Dubai flagship development in Qatar.

The West Bay district will also include The Gate development, a commercial and entertainment complex, due to be completed in the first quarter of next year. The mixed use Dubai Towers, Doha will include offices, a 235-room boutique hotel and 248 apartments.

Barwa City
Phase one of Barwa City, a development set to stretch 2.7 million m² is currently underway and due to be completed in the second quarter of 2010. The package includes the construction of 128 low-rise residential buildings, which will be carried out by contractor Bilfinger Perger.

In April, the contract to build an 8.6km shopping centre in Barwa City was awarded to German construction firm Hochtief. The Commercial Avenue project will take up almost 900,000m² of floor space. The second phase of Barwa City will involve construction of additional residential buildings, schools, a hospital and commercial complexes.

New Doha International Airport
Construction of the New Doha International Airport, which will cover a land area of 22km² started in the first quarter of 2004. Last month it was revealed that in order to meet the growing expansion plans of Qatar Airways, more than US $1 billion (QAR3.6 billion) is being invested in infrastructure improvements at Doha International Airport, while construction of the New Doha International Airport continues.

The new airport will initially be able to handle 24 million passengers annually, rising to 50 million when fully operational beyond 2015. But with the rapid growth of Qatar Airways, facilities continue to be expanded at the current airport. These include a new transit terminal to open soon, featuring eight gates and a duty free shop.  “Our expansion is growing at a remarkable pace,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said at the Arabian Travel Market last month.

“With new aircraft joining our fleet at an incredible rate of one a month for the foreseeable future, we need the airport infrastructure to be able to cope, hence the creation of a new transit terminal and more seating capacity at the Premium Terminal.”

by Sarah Blackman www.constructionweekonline.com

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