CCSME, a subsidiary of Australia's Clifton Coney Group, has been appointed project manager on the prestigious mall development. It joins Meinhardt Singapore, which is acting as consultant for the shopping centre.

Emaar is aiming to implement the project on a fast-track schedule. It has recently invited a handful of contractors to submit bids by 4 April to build the mall and is planning to award the contract later in the month.

The mall will comprise about 450,000 square metres of retail space, as well as the world's biggest aquarium, a skating rink and parking for 15,000 cars. The opening date for about 1,000 tenancies is November 2006.

Emaar has already awarded the piling package on the 705-metre-high tower and received bids from at least six contractors on 21 March for the construction of the 3.7-metre-thick raft foundation package. About seven groups of international contractors are prequalified for the main package, which is expected to go for bid in April. In preparation for bidding commencing, prequalifiers have recently received the structural drawings for the tower package.

The prequalifiers include:

The local Al-Habtoor Engineering Enterprises, with the local/South African Murray & Roberts Contractors (Middle East)and Japan's Takenaka Corporation;

Nasa Multiplex, local/Australian, with the local Associated Construction & Investments (Ascon);

Bel Hasa Six Construct, local/Belgian, with South Korea's Samsung Corporationand the local Arab Technical Construction Company (Arabtec);

Al-Naboodah Laing O' Rourke, local/UK, with Hong Kong-based Hip Hing;

Dutco Balfour Beatty, local/UK, with Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC)and Paul Y ITC Construction Holdingsof Hong Kong;

Groconof Australia, with the local Dubai Civil Engineering (DCE); and

Taisei Corporationof Japan, with Lebanon's Arabian Construction Company (ACC)and IJMof Malaysia.

The US' Skidmore Owings & Merrill is the architectural design consultant for the tower; the project manager is Turner International, also of the US.

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