The Joint Venture between Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises and Murray & Roberts of South Africa is continuing to develop the face of modern Dubai through landmark real estate projects. Ben Smalley reports on the challenges of the Joint Venture's ongoing construction of the redevelopment of the BurJuman Centre, which is poised to become a total shopping and leisure destination in the heart of the city.

The massive Dh 1.4 billion BurJuman expansion project has entered its final construction phase with the extensive retail, commercial, leisure and residential development set to bring about a dramatic transformation to the landscape of Bur Dubai.

The expansion will almost triple the retail floor space of one of Dubai's leading shopping malls from its current 300,000 square feet to 800,000 sq. ft., and also includes two residential towers, an office tower and a number of special features designed to set the new BurJuman aside from the competition, including extensive entertainment and recreational facilities, speciality restaurants, a multi-screen cineplex and a family leisure arcade.

The Dh 274million contract for the construction of the superstructure of the expansion and redevelopment project was awarded to the Joint Venture between Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises and Murray & Roberts, which has already constructed some of the most prestigious buildings in the region, including the Burj Al Arab.

As lead contractor, the Joint Venture also has responsibility for the co-ordination of the post tensioning, special steel roof features, curtain walling system, external façade cladding, façade cleaning systems, stone cladding, waterproofing, lifts and escalators.

Planned around the existing BurJuman Centre, located in the heart of Dubai's affluent residential area in Bur Dubai, the Al Ghurair Group, which owns the mall, envisages the new BurJuman as a benchmark for the retail, hospitality and entertainment industries.

Majid Saif Al Ghurair, President of the BurJuman Centre, announced during a media tour of the expansion project site on March 9 that 66 percent of construction of the retail development had been completed, with the provisional date for the opening of the new shopping mall having been set for June 17.

"When BurJuman was first launched in 1992 it pioneered the mall culture in Bur Dubai and set the trend for landmark property development in this area in line with Dubai's growing economy," he said. "As the demand grew for more world-class infrastructure, facilities and services, BurJuman launched this expansion programme to support the Dubai government's ambitious drive to further enhance the city's image as a year-round international shopping and leisure destination. Once the landmark project is completed, BurJuman will become the most significant development in the retail, leisure and entertainment industries in the Middle East."
The retail aspect of the development consists of four levels and a mezzanine floor - including the spectacular roof level, which will incorporate the cineplex and food court.

For Joint Venture project manager Stuart Hillier and his team, the project is proving to be especially challenging due to the way contracts for subcontractors have been structured, and the large number of design development changes that have taken place since they started on site in April 2002 - a process which has caused considerable delays to the construction, particularly with regard to the retail component.

"The project has gone on for longer than was envisaged simply because they have made a lot of changes in design development along the way," Mr Hillier said. "The way the contracts have been set up is that we are the lead contractor and have taken on the responsibility of co-ordination and safety for everybody, but the subcontractors don't contract to us, they contract directly to the client. So in that respect, it has been quite interesting and challenging - very different, certainly, and something that hasn't been done in this country before."

The contract structure, he said, has enabled the client time to appoint the right subcontractors for particular aspects of the project as required, while the evolving design process has given individual tenants in the shopping mall the opportunity to develop their own retail spaces as they want them.

The flexibility is helping create a unique shopping mall, but has also proved taxing for the construction team, which has had to accommodate design development even after sections had been completed.

"Having initially cast the concrete, we have actually had to go back and move kitchens, increase air conditioning capacities, and we have had areas where we had the complete floor space cast and people have decided they want two levels of shop, one above the other, and we have had to go back and cut through slabs and create lift shafts," Mr Hillier explained. "That has made our life difficult in terms of having to accommodate all these design developments, but the end result will make it all worthwhile.

"It is very much a unique shopping centre - there is nothing constant about it at all - each and every level is different, the layouts are completely different and it's not direct and linear, it's far more shaped. The client is selling it as an upmarket shopping centre and it certainly will be. The quality of finish and design is very intense. The majority of the handrails, for example, are stainless steel. They have taken a lot of time to create an upmarket environment.

"Another unique experience for future shoppers is that the malls are very wide and spacious. There is a definite feeling of space and openness with double and triple volume areas where you can look from the third floor down to ground. There are also glass areas in the roof so you have a lot of natural light coming through."

Currently, BurJuman has over 190 stores and cafes. With the expansion, the number will increase to approximately 300, including the flagship store of SAKS Fifth Avenue in the Middle East which will anchor the re-developed BurJuman and occupy a massive 80,000 square feet. Other world-class brands that will set up shop include Hugo Boss, Fendi, Alfred Dunhill, Christian Dior, Chanel, Prada, Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolex, Omega, Tag Heur, BCBG, Loewe, Burberry, Etro, Hermes and Tommy Hilfiger among others.

"Around 40 per cent of the tenants are inside fitting out already," Mr Hillier said, adding that, once the go-ahead is given, his team will remove the partition wall separating the new and old BurJumans and the two sections will be linked and ready for the grand opening.

Eisa Adam Ibrahim, General Manager of BurJuman, said: "The sheer quality of infrastructure and the additional range of facilities and services that will be introduced as part of the expansion, together with the arrival of more international anchor and premium brands, will set new standards of quality and excellence in the regional shopping industry. This expansion project will re-define BurJuman's luxury offering and transform it into a total destination that will give families from around the world a truly unique and rewarding experience."

The entire project maintains the core elements of Arabic heritage and tradition while introducing the latest international architectural concepts, and the four courts of the mall will bear themes associated with nature - Earth, Water, Fire and Air.

"Natural light, extensive landscaping - both indoor and outdoor - and a number of water features will enhance the luxurious appeal, while four basement levels of car parking for up to 3,200 cars, specialty restaurants and other amenities will strongly support the overall offer," Mr Ibrahim said.

As well as the retail aspect, the project also includes the two residential towers and an office tower, which have proved more straight forward for the construction team.

"Going through the retail section there were 18 concrete pours in each section and each one of those was different on all four levels," Mr Hillier said. "So we went through a fairly laborious process there, but once we got onto the standard apartment and office floors it was nice to hit our cycles. The turnaround time in the structure once we hit the standard floors was quite exciting for everybody - just to prove to ourselves that we were able to reach the targets we had set out to achieve, which we weren't able to do in the retail aspect because of the ongoing design development. We expect to complete the topping out on the concrete structures of the three tower blocks in the first week in May,"

The 26-storey commercial office block will feature state-of-the-art offices, a hi-tech business centre, a 20,000 sq ft conference hall, Internet facilities, cafes, a fully equipped gymnasium and other sports facilities once complete.

"On top of the office tower is a 27 metre high steel structure and we are looking at getting that completed by the end of September," Mr Hillier said, explaining the construction schedule. "The external cladding of the building, which is also part of our original scope of works, is progressing, although there have been some design development there as well - going for new glass systems and so on - but we now have all the design approvals, testing has been done and procurement is well on the way, so we are hoping to have the vast majority of that out of the way by the end of June, with some of the more intricate items finishing in July/early August."

On the residential side, there will be 163 furnished and semi furnished condominiums, in addition to a block of fully furnished luxury apartments, with the Joint Venture having just been awarded the finishing package for the apartments.

"We also have the site works and road access to build," Mr Hillier said. "The design is now finished and we are now negotiating the road works with Dubai Municipality, which is going to be broken into three phases. It includes road works in front of and behind the existing BurJuman, but the main objective at this stage is to get the section in front of the new development completed by June 17 so it can be utilised when the expanded shopping centre opens."

Mr Hillier, who joined the Joint Venture in May 2002 after working for Murray & Roberts in South Africa for nine years, paid tribute to the dedication and spirit of the construction team, which, he said, has added to the enjoyment of his first project in Dubai.

"The team on this particular project has been unbelievable," he said. "By no means has it been an easy project and there have been a lot of frustrations along the way, but the guys have stuck together and given incredible support to one another and there has been a willingness and desire to work the extended hours that have been required - up to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week at times. There has been work done, undone and then re-done, and yet there is still a smile and a desire to make it work.
"I arrived here two months after the job started and have done some fairly big jobs in South Africa before, but nothing in comparison to this. But with the guys around and the support from both sides of the Joint Venture, it has been a lot easier than I thought it was going to be."

The BurJuman expansion work is being designed and supervised by over forty renowned specialists and consultants who have successfully created global retail and corporate landmarks including Bluewater Mall in Kent in the United Kingdom, which is Europe's largest retail and leisure development, the AIG Europe headquarters in London and Sydney's famous Darling Park. Kohn Pederson Fox Associates are the Architects and Lead Consultants, while Eric Kuhne and Associates are the Retail Architects for the project.

Subcontractors on the project include BBR (post tensioning design and installation), Mero (special roof features/glazing/curtain walling to podium and office tower), Alico (external cladding carrier system to podium/curtain walling to office tower/apartments) and Melco (lifts and escalators).