Dubai Municipality conducted 25,000 construction inspections in H1 2025, boosting safety, compliance, and green building across the emirate
Construction
Drake & Scull International
Drake and Scull reports $1.77mn net profit as H1 revenue up 57% to $21.2mn
Strong performance in wastewater and water treatment projects across key markets, including India, Tunisia, Romania, and Jordan
Riyadh
Riyadh bans most residential infrastructure work in evenings and weekend afternoons
Riyadh sets new working hours for residential infrastructure projects to cut noise and disruption
Dubai construction
Dubai construction booms with 30,000 permits issued in H1 2025 as built-up area surges past 5.5 million sqm
Residential villas and commercial towers lead a 20 per cent rise in Dubai construction permits, signalling strong investor confidence and sustainable growth
Aviation
Syria signs $4bn deal with Qatar-backed consortium to rebuild Damascus Airport as regional aviation hub with 90,000 jobs
International consortium led by Qatar’s UCC Holding to redevelop Damascus International Airport in Syria with 31m passenger capacity, new fleet, and advanced infrastructure
Anantara
Arada awards AED 618mn contract for Anantara Sharjah Residences and Resort
Preliminary enabling and foundation works have already been completed, with construction activity now progressing on site
Infrastructure
Riyadh begins mandatory enforcement of Infrastructure Projects Code
The code establishes a unified regulatory and technical framework for all infrastructure works in the Riyadh Region
Dubai
EXCLUSIVE: Dubai’s Heart of Europe to see all remaining hotels under construction by end-2025, says Kleindienst
The Heart of Europe is the first major development to gain traction on the World Islands following years of inactivity since 2008
Dubai
Emirates Flight Catering announces MASSIVE new $44mn Dubai laundry facility
The new site will increase Linencraft’s operational capacity by more than 50 per cent, allowing Emirates Flight Catering create 400 direct jobs
construction industry
Knight Frank bullish on Egypt as project pipeline valued at $565.5bn
$120bn of projects currently under construction; outlook strong, with major opportunities in chemical, power and transport sectors
Arada
UAE megaproject: Arada awards $16.3mn Masaar Central retail hub construction contract
The AED60 million contract has been awarded to Intermass, the Sharjah-based contractor already working on several residential phases at Masaar
Al Ain
Al Ain Club signs 30-year deal for community development project
The agreement centres on the redevelopment of Al Ain Club’s Al Amerah branch into a community hub
Arada
Dubai real estate: Arada awards $184.5mn contract for Armani Beach Residences at Palm Jumeirah
The conglomerate has a track record of on-time delivery, which Arada says aligns with its commitment to setting new standards for the Dubai residential market
MERED
MERED launches new summer internship for architecture, real estate graduates
MERED will provide hands-on experience in real estate development
Abu Dhabi
Mubadala begins construction of Abu Dhabi Al Maryah Waterfront enhancement project
Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island will feature a 30-metre luminous sphere and AI-Powered water features
Federal Tax Authority (FTA)
UAE tax authority issues $872mn VAT refunds to nationals building new homes
Between June 2024 and June 2025, the FTA approved more than 7,000 new applications worth AED653.1 million
Diriyah
Diriyah awards $1.53bn contract to build landmark arena and office district
New 20,000-seat Diriyah Arena and mixed-use complex mark major milestone in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation
