Rebuilding a new Musheireb By Maheerah Gamieldien Starts DOHALAND marked a significant milestone in the Musheireb project on 25 April 2010

when it awarded a construction contract worth QR1.56 billion to a joint venture comprising Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (HDEC) and the local Hamad bin Khalid holdings or HBK Contracting Company. Eng. Issa M. Al Mohannadi, CEO of DOHALAND said, An important element of DOHALANDs success story is our partners. Chosen specifically to fit into the DOHALAND ethos of preserving our national heritage while promoting sustainable living for future generations, we are delighted to welcome the consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd and HBK Contracting Co WLL as the contractors on Phase 1A of the Musheireb project. The commitment and experience shown by the consortium in their previous work was a consideration in their selection and we are sure that their contribution to the Musheireb development will be a perfect match with the vision and mission of DOHALAND and its stakeholders. HDEC is the leader in the Korean construction industry and HBK has been operating in Qatar since 1970. While most people associate the name Hyundai with a car brand, this construction and engineering services company, established in 1947, comes from a parent group of companies that includes the worlds fourth largest automaker, the worlds largest shipbuilder and also an elevator manufacturer. HDEC has obtained 13 orders in 6 different countries including the recent award of U$ 2 billion power plant project and U$ 980 million fertilizer project in Qatar, accumulating to a total of U$ 5.1 billion for the year 2008. HDECs experience in the Middle East region started with the Shuaiba Harbor Expansion Project in Kuwait in 1977. Ever since then, HDEC has carried out 54 successful projects, worth about U$ 4 billion in the contract value during its 61 years as a company. Present at the signing of the contract was a delegation from Korea including the President and CEO of HDEC , Mr Joong Kyum Kim and the Korean Ambassador to Qatar, Ambassador Chang See-Jeong. Representing HBK holdings was the HBK chairman and managing director Sheikh Ali bin Hamad al-Thani and representatives from Bauer and CAT International. Upon the contract being awarded, Mr Joong Kyum Kim, President and CEO of Hyundai E&C said, We are honored that Hyundai has been chosen to join the DOHALAND team of esteemed partners. Working together on Musheireb reinforces our position as a leading contributor to the future of Qatar and its regeneration. We share many of the DOHALAND core values and look forward to commencing work shortly on the Musheireb project.

HBK holdings has been successfully audited in line with ISO 90001:2008, 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 standards respectively and certified by TUV Nord certification body in respect of its quality, environmental, health and safety management systems. They have completed a number of high profile projects in Qatar, particularly for Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Ministry of Interior, Kahramaa, QNOC, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Foundation, Hamad Medical Group, Mesaieed Industrial City Projects, Al Zareera, Al Aqaria. They currently hold contracts with Aayan Real Estate, QIIB Head Quarter Building, Abu Dhabi Investment House, and DOHALAND. The other two contractors on Phase 1A of the Musheireb project, the first of five phases, are Bauer International Qatar and CAT International. Their contracts were signed in 2009 and brings the total construction award for this phase to QR 2.2 billion. The key consultancy service agreements that have been concluded by DOHALAND include: Time Qatar, a joint venture between Turner and DOHALAND, provides project and construction management services; Rider Levett Bucknall is the executive cost consultant, ARUP, AECOM, and Allies and Morrison will handle master plan design regulations and site planning approvals, ARUP will also be in charge of infrastructure, while Urbis will provide retail expert advice, Burns McDonnell as Executive Architect for Phase 1A. Musheireb is Dohalands first project and the brief will transform the 35-hectare site in the old centre of the capital city. The project is now moving beyond master planning and into project realization stage, with the award of the contract to HDEC and HBK consortium for the construction of the buildings in Phase 1A. According to the plan Phase 1 of the Musheireb project will be completed by 2012. The project has been divided into 5 phases and the entire project is scheduled for completion by 2016. The Diwan Amiri Quarter is part of Phase 1-A and it includes the Diwan Annex, Amiri Guard and the National Archive, and also a heritage quarter comprising the Eid Prayer Ground and four heritage houses. Jilmoud House and Company House are two of the most historical and important buildings in Musheireb that Dohaland has retained as part of the renewed landscape. The mosques within Musheireb will be within 300m of a walking zone and the public space will be generously supplied with the traditional plazas, squares and courtyards. Essentially Musheireb will comprise a Diwan Quarter, a Heritage Quarter (adjacent to Souq Waqif), Retail Quarter, Residential and mixed-use and Office Quarter. The infrastructure component of Phase 1-A includes the central cooling plant, utilities and waste provision, and basement service roads while Phase 1-B covers the construction of a multi-purpose cultural forum, a luxury hotel and serviced apartments, offices, a shopping street, townhouses, a primary school and a mosque. To reinforce the connection with the existing Souq Waqif, Phase 2 will include a retail mall, hotels, offices, apartments and shops.

The Phase 1-A first construction contract for enabling works was awarded to Bauer International Qatar LLC in 2009. As part of Phase 1A, the cluster of three civic buildings was designed by Allies and Morrison (Design Architect) and Burns McDonnell (Executive Architect). Construction work on the QR20 billion Musheireb, the signature project of DOHALAND was initiated on January 13th, 2010, by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned. HH Sheikha Mozah revived an age-old Qatari tradition by leaving her royal handprint on the cornerstone of the project, due to be completed by 2016. The Kahrabaa area, which was once the hub of community living and continues to be a place where many people still shop in their favourite souqs, was chosen as the very first area in Doha to be revitalized after it was realized that it had completely lost its historic importance. Although very popular and well-known it was starting to look like every other inner city in the Middle East region. As HH Sheikha Mozah says, the aim is to give rise to a, homeland that confidently embraces modernization and proudly observes tradition. Ends. Words: 1101