Aldar completes development structure of two major new Abu Dhabi projects

• 

• 

  Aldar said that it had almost completed piling, sewerage, utility, telecommunications and lighting work at its West Yas villa development on Yas Island. Courtesy Aldar

• 

  Aldar said that it had almost completed piling, sewerage, utility, telecommunications and lighting work at its West Yas villa development on Yas Island. Courtesy Aldar

Abu Dhabi’s largest listed property company, Aldar, has completed the development structure of two major new projects in the capital.

Aldar said it has completed the development structure of the 233 apartments and eight town houses at its Al Hadeel housing development in Al Raha Beach and its Ansam project of 540 apartments on Yas Island.

Aldar said on Wednesday that mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) work and internal block work at the two projects due to complete next year was continuing.

Aldar said that it had almost completed piling, sewerage, utility, telecommunications and lighting work at its West Yas villa development on Yas Island, and a school, to be operated by Aldar Academies as part of the project, is currently in the process of being handed over.

It said that it was on the verge of announcing main contractors for its projects at Shams Meera on Reem Island, Nareel Island and Al Merief in Khalifa City after securing authority approvals. It said it was evaluating tenders for these three projects.

Aldar said it had completed backfilling work on a new central park and marina in the Shams area of Reem Island, and work on the area’s canal and streetscape was “progressing well”.

In Al Ain, Aldar said that MEP work had started and remained on schedule in its planned expansion of its Al Jimi Mall, which will add a further 65 stores, including a 10-screen cinema and a retail park, to the existing 94 outlets, bringing the total leasable area to 75,000 square metres.

Outside of the UAE, Aldar said that it was on track to deliver its long-delayed 500,000 square metre Abu Dhabi Plaza project in Astana, Kazakhstan during the first quarter of next year. That comes despite a fire that broke out at the site in February.

The developer said that progress was being made on the structural work across towers in the development and that MEP, block work, cladding and interior work were all under way across the hotel and serviced apartment blocks.

The development is planned to include the tallest building in Central Asia.

Construction work on the five-tower project – of 566 luxury flats, 107,000 sq metres of offices, a five-star hotel and serviced apartments and 50,000 sq metres of shops – was awarded to an Arabtec led joint venture in 2013. Work is scheduled to be finished by next year, in time for the economic Expo 2017, which will be held in the city.

The project was originally announced in 2007 as a strategic move for Aldar to gain a toehold in Kazakhstan. The development’s original completion date was by 2010.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter