The local United Development Company (UDC) has extended the submission date for the contract to build two 40-storey towers on its Abraj Quartier development on the Pearl Qatar real estate scheme in Doha.

The developer has set a new submission date of 5 September for the first tower and 12 September for the second tower. The original submission dates were 5 August for tower one and 13 August for tower two. The tender for the Abraj scheme comes almost two years after the project was put on hold in 2010. The Abraj towers were designed by Canada’s Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden (WZMH) Architects.

In addition to the two 40-storey towers out for tender, the Abraj Quartier development is scheduled to contain another five 36-storey towers. When complete, the seven towers will contain about 2,000 residences. The Abraj Quartier is also planned to contain 200 townhouses and the development will house up to 30,000 people when completed.

The Abraj towers are the latest of several new projects planned for the Pearl Qatar, an artificial island just off Doha that covers a total area of 4 million square metre.

The US-based Hill International was recently awarded a QR7.3m ($2m) contract to provide project management services on the Porto Arabia Towers project on the Pearl development.

The Land Investment & Real Estate Development Company, the client on the scheme, awarded Hill the contract in May. Hill will manage the construction of four of the 10 towers that will be built as part of the Porto Arabia development. Each 20-storey tower has a total built-up area of about 33,000 sq m.