Construction of the final stage of Doha’s upcoming downtown area will soon get underway, after the site’s developer announced it has awarded a contract for the project.
Phase four of the Msheireb Downtown Doha development will be overseen by a joint venture between Qatar-based Teyseer Contracting Co. and Consolidated Contractors Co. (CCC), a Greek firm.
In a statement this week week, Msheireb Properties said the last phase will include a public plaza as well as 11 buildings to be used as apartments, offices and shops.
A closer look at the construction work from phase 4 – #MsheirebDowntownDoha through our Snapchat lens (MsheirebLive) Wednesday 5 April 2017. pic.twitter.com/XQXdbkCKQk
— Msheireb Properties (@MsheirebDoha) April 3, 2017
Five-star hotels and a medical office building are also planned across a total floor area of 132,000 square meters.
Additionally, there will be six underground parking areas and a link to the Msheireb station. The largest of the network’s stations, it will serve as a hub that connects the red, gold and green lines.
Msheireb Properties, which is a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation (QF), declined to give a timeline for expected completion of the final phase of the project.
However, on its website, CCC states that it should be finished by July 2020.
The value of the contract has not been publicly disclosed.
Major projects
CCC is already involved in several high-profile public projects in Qatar.
For example, it along with local construction company Midmac is finishing up the Sidra Medical and Research Center.
It took over the project just days after QF sacked Spanish firm OHL and Contrack International in mid-2014.
And less than a year later, CCC also replaced a consortium led by OHL for construction of the main Metro stations at Msheireb and Education City.
Qatar Rail terminated the consortium’s contract last May in a letter to the London Stock Exchange.
Redevelopment
The QR20 billion (US$5.5 billion) Msheireb Downtown project has been under construction for more than seven years and is being built in stages.
However, it has already missed some deadlines.
The plan is to redevelop the old commercial area into a modern district that brings together retail, residential and commercial buildings, as well as hotels and cultural and educational entities.
The heritage quarter, which includes the Msheireb Museums and Eid Prayer Ground, is already complete and open to the public.
A new national archives is also on the corner of the site, near the falcon souq at Souq Waqif.
Meanwhile, a school, Qatar Academy Msheireb, opened its doors on the downtown site in 2015.
And last September, the Qatar Financial Center (QFC) announced it would be relocating to Msheireb as part of an effort to woo more businesses to the area.
The district will also have a multiplex movie theater, with Novo Cinemas saying it will open a branch in the under-construction Galleria Mall later this year.
The entire Downtown Doha project will include shops and a cultural forum that features two art house cinemas and a performing arts theater.
In addition to the 100 commercial and government buildings, Msheireb will have 900 houses and apartments, eventually accommodating a residential population of 2,600 people.
Thoughts?
