The Gulf region’s highest-quality projects were announced at the 2018 MEED Projects Awards in association with Mashreq.

The UAE won eight trophies, dominating the only annual awards programme recognising the region’s completed projects. Oman had five winning projects, followed by Kuwait with four and Saudi Arabia with two.

“This year’s GCC project award winners are an inspiration to project stakeholders globally," says Becky Crayman, programme director at MEED. "The main themes that have shone through in the winning projects have included success in sustainability, and health and safety. MEED congratulates all the GCC winners and their projects teams.”

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, owned by the Department of Culture & Tourism and nominated by Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, received the highest honour by winning the MEED Quality Project of the Year, in association with Mashreq. It was a double celebration for the team behind the project as it also won the GCC Leisure & Tourism Project of the Year award.

Bait al-Batterjee Medical Company’s Saudi German Hospital won GCC Healthcare Project of the Year, entered by IHCC, while Steel Wood Industries received the GCC Industrial Project of the Year trophy.

Meanwhile, the MEED Editor’s Award for Innovation was given to Dubai Opera (owned by Emaar and entered by Consolidated Contractors Company).

Other winners from the UAE include Al-Aryam phase 1 Reem/Mira Community, by Emaar Properties (nominated by Parsons), which was picked as GCC Residential Project of the Year; and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company’s Neighbourhood One Residences Phase 1 (entered by Multiplex), which won GCC Sustainable Project of the Year, in association with Al-Sahel Contracting.

Shuaa Energy-1, jointly owned by Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, Acwa Power and TSK, and entered by Acwa Power and ILF Consultancy Engineers, was recognised as GCC Power Project of the Year.

“Recognising quality projects is not just about winning an award, but a means by which we ensure project excellence is kept at very high standards across all projects, either completed or even those in the pipeline, because of their invariable socio-economic and environmental impact on the region," says Mohammad Khader al-Shouli, senior vice president at Mashreq Bank, headline sponsor of the awards. "This year’s winners must be congratulated for their commitment to quality and their projects’ contributions to society.”

Two other UAE-based projects were given Highly Commended certificates, including Adnoc’s Shah project and Atkins’ Al-Seef project in the GCC Oil & Gas Project of the Year and the GCC Retail Project of the Year categories, respectively.

The winners of the 2018 MEED Projects Awards, in association with Mashreq, were honoured at a ceremony held at the Westin Mina Seyahi Resort and Marina in Dubai, which was attended by the project industry’s top stakeholders. The reception was sponsored by ASGC.