Hill wins work on projects in Morocco and Saudi Arabia

05 April 2016

US firms will manage construction of schemes in Rabat and Riyadh

US-based Hill International has won two contracts to provide construction services on real estate and tourism development projects in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

In Saudi Arabia, Hill has been awarded a deal by the local Dur Hospitality to provide services during the construction of the Diplomatic Quarter Marriott Hotel in Riyadh.

 Diplomatic Quarter Marriott Hotel in Riyadh

Diplomatic Quarter Marriott Hotel in Riyadh

Diplomatic Quarter Marriott Hotel in Riyadh

Hill says its two-year contact has an estimated value of about $2.7m.

The Diplomatic Quarter Marriott Hotel will be a five-star hotel with 80 hotel rooms and 140 residential apartments. The hotel will feature a conference centre, ballroom and a 220-space parking garage. The 39,000-square-metre scheme is also expected to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.

In Morocco, Hill has secured a contract from an affiliate of Wessal Capital to provide project management services in connection with phase one of the Wessal Bouregreg development in Rabat.

The $900m mixed-use development will feature a 4,200 residential units, a 5,000-sq-m shopping mall, 104,600 sq m of commercial office space, public parks, plazas and a waterfront promenade.

 Al-Houara Coastal Resort

Al-Houara Coastal Resort

Al-Houara Coastal Resort

The contract is the latest to be secured by Hill in Morocco. In December 2015, Hill was awarded a contract by Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company Morocco to provide quantity surveying and cost management consultancy services on the Al-Houara Coastal Resort. The resort is being built on a 947,000-sq-m site on the Atlantic coast at Tangier, with a built-up area of about 270,000 sq m.

The development includes a mixed-use golf and beach resort including a 300-key hotel, a 150-key resort and spa, apartments, beach- and golf-view villas, a club house, an 18-hole golf course, and various entertainment amenities.

In 2012, Hill won a contract to provide project controls services for the construction of the $590m Casablanca Marina in Casablanca.

Major construction programmes keep firms busy in 2016

David Richter

David Richter

David Richter

It is not all doom and gloom for the construction sector in 2016. Although lower oil prices have slowed the market, the outlook for firms working on long-term projects remains positive.

US-based project management firm Hill International is managing major construction programmes across the region, and although there are less opportunities for new work in 2016, there are still significant volumes of work to complete on existing projects.

“Clearly there is a slowing of the market with respect to new projects moving forward and new work coming out for firms like us,” says David Richter, president and CEO of Hill International. “It is clearly related to the price of oil and as a result you have public and private sector clients reviewing capital spending in the short term.”

The good news for firms like Hill, which were able to secure contracts before oil prices began to dip in mid-2014, is that unlike 2009, when ongoing projects were cancelled, construction on existing schemes is continuing. Read More

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