The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Social Development plans to award the main construction contract for the Northwestern University (NU-Q) building by the end of July.

The project is moving forward on a very strict timeline that will see bids submitted in June followed by the contract award in July and construction starting promptly in August, said Jassim Telefat, senior technical manager at the Qatar Foundation.

Design of the building is complete and has been pre-approved for Gold certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines.

Northwestern University established itself in Education City in 2008, but ever since its students have attended classes at an extra building on the campus of Texas A&M University. The NU-Q building is scheduled to finish in late 2012 with its first class graduating in the 2013 academic year.

Also at the estimated $6bn Education City, the local Midmac Contracting Company is set to complete this year the estimated $154m School of Foreign Service for Georgetown University. 

UAE/Australia-based Al-Habtoor Leighton Group is planning to finish in 2011 the estimated $407m Al-Shaqab Equestrian Academy.

A joint venture of US-based Contrack International and Spain’s Obrascon Huarte Lain is scheduled to complete in 2012 the estimated $2bn Sidra Medical Care & Research Centre, which will serve as a teaching hospital for the Weill Cornell Medical School (MEED 12:11:07).

The local office of Kuwait’s KEO International Consultants is the project manager for Education City.