UAE-based contractor Drake and Scull said it has won a Dh224-million ($61 million) project to deliver mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works for a hotel complex and expansion of a prominent retail mall in Dubai, UAE.

Drake and Scull said its engineering unit has started work on the site and will oversee the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of complete MEP works with a scheduled handover by 2018.

The project involves the development of an extension to a prominent retail destination in Dubai whose expanded premises will include a new high-rise hotel tower and a low-rise podium that includes a hypermarket, cinemas, and additional retail space, all with a total built-up area of 192,000 sq m, it stated.

Ahmad Al Naser, the managing director of Drake & Scull Engineering (DSE), said: "The hotel complex and mall expansion project award is the latest major retail development contract which sustains the momentum of our project wins demonstrated by securing prominent deals across the GCC region this year."

"The hotel complex and mall expansion is a welcome addition to iconic projects we are delivering in  the UAE which includes the Habtoor City, the Jewel of the Creek and the Louvre Museum to name a few," he noted.

The project win, he stated, also reflects the company's position in the engineering sector as the preferred partner for large-scale retail malls which is enhanced by its previous work on prestigious retail developments like Abu Dhabi’s Central Market and the Sahara Mall expansion.

DSE is currently involved in the development of prominent retail projects like the Souk Al Kuwait, Souk Al Kabeer and Mall of Qatar as well as the expansion of the Mall of the Emirates across the GCC. "We are confident about our prospects of securing more high-profile projects for the rest of the year," he added.-TradeArabia News Service