A joint venture of the local Emaar Properties and Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has appointed the construction arm of the Dubai-listed Arabtec Holding as the main contractor for work on a mall development in Dubai.

The AED363m ($98.8m) mall in the Dubai South area will have 83,000 square metres of built-up area over three levels, according to a statement from Arabtec Holding on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM).

The Emaar/DWTC joint venture is planning to build more than 15,000 homes on a 7-square-kilometre plot of land in the Dubai South area. The development will also include a mall, hotels and other facilities.

In early July, Arabtec was awarded the contract to build and operate the UAE Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site.

The pavilion is expected to cover up to 15,000 sq m, and will include numerous exhibition areas, an auditorium, food and beverage outlets and VIP lounges. It will face Al-Wasl Plaza, which lies at the centre of the 2 million-sq-m exhibition zone.

Masdar is the development manager for the project.