UAE's Dewan wins Saudi mega project deal

UAE-based Dewan Architects & Engineers has said it has been awarded a contract to work on a massive mixed use development in Saudi Arabia.

The firm will design the Al Bayt 57 development located in Al-Khobar, the latest project by developer Al Bayt which is slated for completion in 2015.

The Al Bayt 57 project will include nine 22-storey towers, with mixed use functions including a branded 5-star hotel and 1,500 luxury 2, 3, 4-bedroom and penthouse apartment units.

Grade A commercial office space, and a Galleria retail mall will also be built, a statement said.

The entire development will rest atop a two-storey podium and a basement which, along with the ground floor, can accommodate 2,500 cars and other amenities including driver-rooms, storage areas and service corridors for the mall and hotel.

Ammar Al Assam, executive director of Dewan Architects, said: "The unique design, composition, size and grandeur of Al Bayt 57 Mixed Use development will define it one of the kingdom's most iconic projects.

"We are proud of working with Al Bayt and of the design of this complex, which will marry world-class facilities with high quality-of-life, environmentally friendly living spaces, all alongside an outstanding retail address. As a whole, it will serve as a benchmark for many future developments in the region."

Dewan has offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, India and the Philippines.

Major projects undertaken by the company include the Yas Island Viceroy Hotel and Al Bateen School in Abu Dhabi, Ibn Batutta Shopping Mall and Green Community in Dubai, UAE, and Baghdad Rotana Hotel.