The project on Sowwah island involves the design and construction of a 360-bed hospital and 324-room clinic, with a total built-up area of up to 500,000 square metres. It will include parking for more than 3,000 cars, and is scheduled to open in 2011 (MEED 18:3:08).

Several other contractors were approached earlier this year, including the local Al-Habtoor Engineering Enterprises, Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC), Saudi-based El-Seif Engineering Contracting Establishment, Oger Abu Dhabi, Australia’s Multiplex, and South Korea’s Samsung Corporation.

The consultant is the UK’s Driver Consult. Local developer Aldar Properties is managing the construction on behalf of the government-controlled Mubadala Development Company.

Aldar worked on the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre on Abu Dhabi island for Mubadala, which was completed in 2006.

Oger Abu Dhabi is also working on the construction of the Sowwah Square district on Sowwah island, which involves building more than 570,000 sq m of office and retail space, including the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

John Buck International, a joint venture of Mubadala and Chicago-based The John Buck Company, is developing Sowwah island.