Saudi Arabia’s El-Seif Engineering Contracting has been selected for the estimated AED2bn ($572m) contract to build the 100-plus-storey Entisar tower in Dubai for local property developer Meydan Group.

Meydan first released details of the project in 2012. The project involves building a 100-plus-storey tower that will include serviced apartments, shops, swimming pools and garden areas. It will be built on Sheikh Zayed Road, next to the existing Fairmont hotel.

The other bidders for the contract were:

• Al-Shafar General Contracting (local)
• Arabian Construction Company (ACC) (local)
• Arabtec Construction (local)
• China State Construction Engineering Corporation(China)
• TAV (Turkey)

The architect for the tower is US-based Ae7.

El-Seif has also been awarded an estimated AED2.2bn contract by Meydan for the construction of 2,200 villas at the Meydan Heights Residential Development at Mohammad bin Rashid City.

The contract includes all associated roads, infrastructure, utilities, and soft and hard landscaping works within the designated plot boundary of the project.

Meydan Group is also developing Mohammed bin Rashid City – District One with its joint venture partner India’s Sobha Group. The project includes 1,500 villas and a 350,000-square-metre water park. The villas will be delivered in four phases. It will be built alongside Al-Khail Road, next to the Meydan Racecourse.

Meydan is developing other projects in Dubai. In late 2013, the emirate’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) signed an agreement with Meydan and Meraas Holding for the two local developers to build real estate projects on either side of the Dubai Water Canal project.

One of the projects is the Canal Gate Tower, which will be built on the banks of the canal on Sheikh Zayed Road. The tower is a mixed-use development that comprises more than 3.5 million square feet (sq ft). It will consist of 468 apartments, 470 serviced apartments and 617 hotel rooms, as well as more than 400,000 sq ft of retail space and 735,000 sq ft of commercial office space.

Another planned scheme is a shopping mall that will straddle the canal with an enclosed multi-level retail bridge containing shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.