Khaleej Times

UAE constructi­on sector set to boom with Dh127B projects in tender phase

- Waheed Abbas

dubai — The UAE’s constructi­on industry is poised to witness strong growth in coming years as more than $34.6 billion (Dh127 billion) worth of urban, industrial, transport, utilities and oil and gas projects are in the tender phases.

While $9.7 billion (Dh35.6 billion) worth of building projects are in tender stage in the country, says a new report.

Overall, 7,488 building projects worth $228 billion (Dh837 billion) are currently in concept, design, tender, under constructi­on, and on hold stages by June 2017, according to BNC Network’s latest figures released on Monday.

“The strong project pipeline is a reflection of the healthy constructi­on sector, despite weaker global economic growth scenario — an indication that the UAE real estate and constructi­on sectors are defying the global trend,” said Avin Gidwani, CEO of BNC Network.

Dh60 billion tenders in Dubai

Building projects include all types of commercial and residentia­l buildings but excluding those catering to education, healthcare, hospitalit­y, retail sectors.

In Dubai alone, different projects worth $16.3 billion (Dh59.8 billion) are in the tender stage; $111.1 billion in constructi­on phase; $43 billion in design stage and $38.6 billion in concept level, according to BNC Network’s figures.

“While the lower oil price might have dampened the investor appetite, developers and contractor­s are going ahead with the building projects as planned. A number of these buildings are being developed to meet the anticipate­d rush during the Expo 2020 mega exposition,” Gidwani added.

The report showed that 5,276 projects worth $99.4 billion (Dh364.79 billion) are currently under constructi­on and tendering phase in the UAE. Of the total, 7,488 projects, 1,378 buildings, worth $89.9 billion (Dh330 billion) were on hold, the report showed.

Around 1,059 building projects belong to the high-rise category rising above 15 floors with a combined value exceeding $100 billion (Dh367 billion). The number of mid-rise projects with floor levels of 4-14 storeyed buildings is 2,483 projects with a value of $66 billion (Dh242.22 billion) while the number of low-rise projects stood at 3,946 with a value of $61.9 billion (Dh227.12 billion).

“Most of these buildings are expected to be completed by October 2020 — before the World Expo 2020 as the country gears up to handle the biggest inbound tourist rush unpreceden­ted in its history,” Gidwani said.

In June, 24 building projects with a combined estimated value around $560 million (Dh2 billion) were put on hold in the UAE. While a total of 57 building projects with a combined estimated value of $2.2 billion (Dh8 billion) moved to constructi­on from other stages during the month. A total of 292 building projects with a combined estimated value of $3 billion (Dh11 billion) were completed during the month.

— waheedabba­s@khaleejtim­es.com

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