Bahrain-based Ithmaar Development Company (IDC) said it has signed up top design consultancy firm Dar Al Handasah Consultants (Shair and Partners) for its upcoming Dilmunia Gateway Bridge (DGB).

To be located on the west entrance, the bridge will connect Dilmunia island to the mainland, stated Mohammed Khalil Alsayed, the IDC chief executive after signing the deal with Bassam Shakhshir, director of operations (UAE, Bahrain and Oman) at Dar Al Handasah Consultants (Shair and Partners).

The DGB will be a unique structure compatible with the architectural theme of the Dilmunia Island, an ambitious 125-hectare man-made island being managed by IDC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ithmaar Bank, a Bahrain-based Islamic retail bank. Ithmaar Bank is also the investment manager of Dilmunia Development Fund.

It will blend well with the spirit of Dilmunia, and be visually prominent in its settings, differentiating Dilmunia from other projects, said a statement from IDC.

It will be designed at a high standard to be an aesthetically appealing landmark in Bahrain, it added.

The $1.6-billion Dilmunia Island is a mixed-use development built on a man-made island off the coast of Muharraq, with a unique health and wellness anchor including residences, hotels and leisure and shopping districts anchored around a health and wellness cluster.

“We are confident that the bridge design shall ensure the objectives of aesthetics, traffic and utility crossings, while maintaining the constraints of cost effectiveness and life span durability. This, we believe, will further enhance the development's identity,” remarked Alsayed.

On the deal, Shakhshir said: "We are delighted to sign the consultancy agreement; this milestone marks the commencement of our services by initiating the design process after succeeding in winning the consultancy services."

“Our target is to provide IDC with a high quality service to ensure the fulfilment of their objective by developing a futuristic landmark that will stand out to be the signature identity of Dilmunia island,” he added.

Founded in 1956, Dar Al Handasah is one of the leading consultancies specialising in engineering, architecture, planning, environment, project and construction management, and economics.

Its principal design head offices and technical support facilities are located in Beirut (Lebanon), Cairo (Egypt), London (UK), Pune (India) and Amman (Jordan) with a network of 40 permanent local branch offices throughout the Middle East, Africa, Central Eastern Europe, CIS and Asia.-TradeArabia News Service