Dubai World Trade Centre has awarded UAE-based Al-Futtaim Carillion an AED375m ($102m) contract to build the first phase of the Dubai Trade Centre District (DTCD).  

The initial phase of the 146,000-square-metre development, which is being built between the current Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and Emirates Towers, includes an eight-storey office building and a 588-room hotel.

Work is scheduled to begin next month with a scheduled completion date of third 2015. An operator for the hotel will also be announced in the coming weeks.

The local Alec had been awarded $910m deal to build the development in May 2008, but construction work on the project stalled in December 2008 amid the global financial downturn.

The overall development involves building:

• Seven towers with 242,000 sq m of offices
• A 35,000 sq m four-star hotel
• A 22,000 sq m three-star hotel
• 20,000 sq m of retail space
• A four-level, 110,000 sq m basement.

The UK’s Mace International is the cost manager. Hopkins Architects, also of the UK, is the consultant, and another UK-based firm, WSP, is the structural, mechanical and electrical engineer.