Mubadala invites firms to prequalify for stadium deal

25 November 2009

New sports ground will be built at Abu Dhabi’s Capital City District

Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Development Company has invited companies to prequalify for the contract to build a major new football stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Construction contractors expect Mubadala to issue the tender documents before the end of 2010.

The football stadium is part of the new Capital District development next to Khalifa City, between Mussafah and Abu Dhabi International airport on the mainland.

The project involves building a 65,000-seat stadium with a moveable roof that will provide shade inside the stadium when closed and outside it when open.

Mubadala held talks with German contractor Ed Zueblin in 2008 to design and build the stadium. The discussions failed to lead to a contract award, although Zueblin did complete piling and enabling works (MEED 13:11:09).

UK firms Mott MacDonald and Arup are the project manager and engineering consultant respectively. Davis Langdon, also of the UK, is the cost consultant.

The UAE is promoting itself as a venue for major sporting events. Abu Dhabi will host football’s Fifa Club World Cup in December, and in early November, the emirate hosted its first Formula 1 race.

In June, Mubadala denied rumours that it planned to build an Olympic-standard sports stadium at its Mina Zayed Waterfront development in Abu Dhabi city.

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