Bahrain achieved major success when seven of its highest quality projects were named national winners at the Meed Quality Awards for Projects, in association with Mashreq, said a report.

Bahrain’s national winners, whose combined project value is estimated at over $787 million, include the Bahrain Four Seasons project (entered by Six Construct) as Leisure & Tourism Project of the Year; Ministry of Youth & Sports Affairs’ Demolishing and Re-Build of Hala Club project as Small Project of the Year; Muharraq Sewage Treatment Plant and Sewer Conveyance System project (entered by Arcadis) as Power and Water Project of the Year; and Tatweer Petroleum’s Light Oil Steam Flood project as Oil & Gas Project of the Year, sponsored by Parsons.

Bahrain Property Mushakara Trust’s Danaat Al Madina Project (entered by Eskan Properties Company) scooped a trio of national trophies in the following categories – Sustainable Project of the Year, sponsored by Besix; Residential Project of the Year and Mixed Use Project of the Year, said a statement from Meed.

A total of 50 projects from Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE apart from Bahrain earned the distinction of being the highest quality projects at the country level in this year’s edition of the Meed Quality Awards for Projects.

The national winners from Kuwait, whose combined project value exceeds $524 million, include Central Bank of Kuwait’s New Headquarters Building Project Package 2 (entered by China State Construction Engineering Corporation) and Public Authority for Minor Affairs’ project (entered by Pace) as Building Projects of the Year; as well as Alargan International Real Estate Company’s Argan Business Park as Sustainable Project of the Year, sponsored by Besix; Ministry of Health’s Hisham A. Alsager Cardiac Centre Project (entered by AGi Architects) as Social, Culture & Heritage Project of the Year and Wall House Project (entered by AGi Architects) as Residential Project of the Year.

With a collective project value of $350 million, national winners from Oman include the Muttawar Omani Company’s Lamar Bausher Muttawar Residential Development Project (nominated by Larsen & Toubro) as Residential Project of the Year; Public Authority of Electricity and Water Sultanate of Oman’s Construction of Emergency Water Storage Reservoirs Project as Power and Water Project of the Year; Al Taher Group Company’s Oman Avenues Mall-Stage 2 Project (entered by SAM Engineering) as Retail Project of the Year; Lycee Francaise De Mascate’s Construction of New French School, Muscat Project (nominated by 23 Degrees North and SAM Engineering) as Social, Culture & Heritage Project of the Year; and Muscat Municipality’s Design & Construction of Underpasses and Flyovers Darsait Al Wadi Al Kabir Road (entered by Larsen & Toubro) as Transport Project of the Year.

National winners in Qatar, which boast a consolidated project value exceeding $1.5 billion, were Al Rayyan Hospitality’s Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara Project (entered by UrbaCon Trading & Contracting) as Leisure & Tourism Project of the Year; Ashghal–Public Works Authority’s Doha South Sewage Treatment Works Phase II Expansion Project (entered by Galfar Al Misnad and Larsen & Toubro) as Power and Water Project of the Year; Private Engineering Office’s Grand Mosque Project (entered by Contraco) as Social, Culture & Heritage Project of the Year; Gulf Drilling International’s Warehouse Project as Industrial Project of the Year; Consolidated Contractors Company’s Lusail Sports Arena Project (entered by Astad Project Management) as Sustainable Project of the Year, sponsored by Besix; and Dolphin Energy’s Export Gas compression upgrade Project (entered by Al Malki Trading & Contracting) as Small Project of the Year.

Also joining the national winners’ list in Qatar were Qatar Foundation’s Construction of Main Works for Male and Female Student Housing for Qatar Foundation Project (entered by Joannou & Paraskevaides) as Residential Project of the Year; as well as its Headquarters Project as Building Project of the Year.

Meanwhile, a collaborative project from the New Doha International Airport Steering Committee, Hamad International Airport and Civil Aviation Authority – the Hamad International Airport Passenger Terminal Complex–Retail, Food & Beverage Fit-out Construction Project (entered by Parsons) – was named Qatar’s Retail Project of the Year, said the statement from Meed.

In Saudi Arabia, the winning projects, valued at over $23 billion, include The Municipality of the Governorate of Jeddah’s The Kingdom Flag Pole, Jeddah Project (entered by SAK Consultant) as Leisure & Tourism Project of the Year; Maaden Gold and Base Metals Co.’s Ad'Duwieh Gold Project Electrical Distribution and E House Project (entered by Schneider Electric) as Innovation Project of the Year; Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co.’s Upgrade of Refinery Substations Project-Phase 1 (entered by Schneider Electric) as Small Project of the Year; Saudi Aramco’s King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre Project (entered by Drake & Scull) as Sustainable Project of the Year, sponsored by Besix; Elkhereiji Group’s Head Office Building Project (entered by SAK Consultant) Saudi Arabia as Mixed Use Project of the Year; Saudi Electric Company’s Rabigh 2 Power Project (4x700MW) Project as Power & Water Project of the Year; Burj Rafal Real Estate Development Co.’s Boulevard Project as Retail Project of the Year; and Omarana’s Waha Office Building Project as Building Project of the Year.

Saudi Aramco and Sinopec JV scooped the national award for Oil & Gas Project of the Year, sponsored by Parsons, with the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company Ltd. Refinery Project (nominated by Yasfer); while the Rehabilitation, Expansion and Development of the Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport Project owned by GACA, represented by Tibah Airports Development Company and entered by TAV Construction, won Saudi Arabia’s Airport Project of the Year.

The UAE’s national winners, with a combined value of over $10 billion, include Dubai Airports Aviation Corporation’s Dubai International Airport Concourse D & Associated Projects (jointly entered by Alec and the Dubai Airports Aviation Corporation) as Airport Project of the Year; Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s Thermal Energy Storage Turbine Inlet Air Cooling (Testiac) project as Innovation Project of the Year; Shah Sulphur Station and Pipelines Project (entered by Consolidated Contracting Engineering and Procurement SAL- Offshore) as Oil & Gas Project of the Year, sponsored by Parsons; Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company’s the Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Programme Deep Sewerage Tunnel Project (entered by CH2M) as Power and Water Project of the Year; Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects’ CMT-SP281A Dubai International Airport Cargo Mega Terminal Upgrade & Expansion Project (entered by Bin Touq Fire and Safety) as Small Project of the Year; Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company’s Irena Headquarters Project (entered by Woods Bagot, Brookfield Multiplex and Parsons) as Sustainable Project of the Year, sponsored by Besix; and Zoo & Aquarium Public Institution in Al Ain’s Wildlife Park & Resort–World Deserts Project (entered by Hilal Bil Badi & Partners Contracting Company) as Social, Culture & Heritage Project of the Year.

A project owned by Talex, a joint venture between Senaat, the industrial arm of Abu Dhabi Government; and Gulf Extrusions of Dubai’s Al Gurair Group – the Taweelah Aluminum Extrusion Plant Project (entered by Aecom) - was named Industrial Project of the Year in the UAE.

Two projects shared the UAE’s Transport Project of the Year award - Etihad Rail Project (entered by Saipem SpA and Parsons); and Roads & Transport Authority’s Dubai Creek Crossing, Seventh Crossing Project (entered by Aecom and Parsons).

Meanwhile, Emirates Pearl Development’s Regent Emirates Pearl Hotel Project (entered by DeSimone Consulting Engineers) won as the UAE’s Mixed Use Project of the Year; while Al Hilal Bank’s Al Maryah Tower Project (entered by DeSimone Consulting Engineers) was named the UAE’s Building Project of the Year.

Al Hamra Development scooped two national awards, with the Bayti Project for the Residential Project of the Year category and the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah Project as the UAE’s Leisure & Tourism Project of the Year.

John Iossifidis, the executive VP at Group Head of Corporate & Investment Banking at Mashreq, which is the headline sponsor of the awards, said: "The Gulf region’s construction industry is projected to exhibit sustainable growth prospects in the next few years. This industry experienced enormous investments from the public and private enterprises during the past few years and there are optimistic signs that this will continue."

"We congratulate all the winners for delivering and contributing towards the growth and sustainability of the industry," he added.

According to Meed, the national winners will now compete at the regional level for the honour of being named the highest quality projects in various categories in the GCC.

“The projects were evaluated by an esteemed judging panel against criteria that included not only engineering and construction excellence; but also sustainability and innovation,” remarked Richard Thompson, the editorial director at Meed.

“They are a testament to the quality of projects being built throughout the Gulf and Meed is honoured to be able to recognise these achievements to highlight their contribution towards the future development of the projects industry in the region,” said Thompson.

The list of winners as per various categories include:

*Leisure & Tourism Project of the Year
•Bahrain Four Seasons Project – Bahrain
•Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara Project – Qatar
•The Kingdom Flag Pole, Jeddah Project – Saudi Arabia
•Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah Project – UAE

*Sustainable Project of the Year, sponsored by Besix
•Danaat Al Madina Project – Bahrain
•Argan Business Park - Kuwait
•Lusail Sports Arena Project – Qatar
•King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre Project – Saudi Arabia
•Irena Headquarters Project - UAE

*Transport Project of the Year
•Design & Construction of Underpass and Flyovers Darsait-Al Wadi Al Kabir Road Project – Oman
•Etihad Rail Stage 1 – Shah‐Habshan‐Ruwais Railway Project – UAE
•Dubai Creek Crossing, Seventh Crossing (Bur Dubai Side) Project - UAE

*Social, Culture & Heritage Project of the Year
•Hisham A. Alsager Cardiac Centre Project - Kuwait
•Construction of New French School, Muscat Project – Oman
•Private Engineering Office’s Grand Mosque Project – Qatar
•Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort–World Deserts Project – UAE

*Innovation Project of the Year
•Ad'Duwieh Gold Project Electrical Distribution and E House Project – Saudi Arabia
•Thermal Energy Storage Turbine Inlet Air Cooling (Testiac) Project - UAE

*Small Project of the Year
•Demolishing and Re-Built of Hala Club Project - Bahrain
•Export Gas compression upgrade Project – Qatar
•Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical's Upgrade of Refinery Substations Project (Phase 1) – Saudi Arabia
•CMT-SP281A Dubai International Airport Cargo Mega Terminal Upgrade & Expansion Project - UAE

*Industrial Project of the Year
•Gulf Drilling International’s Warehouse Project – Qatar
•Taweelah Aluminum Extrusion Plant for Talex Project - UAE

*Building Project of the Year
•Central Bank of Kuwait New Headquarters Building Project Package 2 - Kuwait
•Qatar Foundation Headquarters Project – Qatar
•Waha Office Building Project – Saudi Arabia
•Al Maryah Tower Project - UAE
•Public Authority for Minor Affairs (PAMA) – Kuwait

*Power and Water Project of the Year
•Muharraq Sewage Treatment Plant and Sewer Conveyance System Project – Bahrain
•Construction of Emergency Water Storage Reservoirs Project – Oman
•Doha South Sewage Treatment Works Phase II Expansion Project – Qatar
•Rabigh 2 Power Project (4x700MW) Project – Saudi Arabia
•The Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Programme (STEP) Deep Sewerage Tunnel Project - UAE

*Oil & Gas Project of the Year, sponsored by Parsons
•Light Oil Steam Flood Project – Bahrain
•Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company Ltd. Refinery Project – Saudi Arabia
•Shah Sulphur Station and Pipelines Project - UAE

*Retail Project of the Year
•Oman Avenues Mall Stage 2 Project – Oman
•Hamad International Airport Passenger Terminal Complex–Retail, F&B Fit-out Project – Qatar
•Burj Rafal Boulevard Project – Saudi Arabia

*Mixed Use Project of the Year
•Danaat Al Madina Project – Bahrain
•Elkhereiji Group Head Office Building Project – Saudi Arabia
•Regent Emirates Pearl Hotel Project – UAE

*Airport Project of the Year
•Rehabilitation, Expansion of the Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport Project – Saudi Arabia
•Dubai International Airport Concourse D & Associated Projects - UAE

*Residential Project of the Year
•Danaat Al Madina Project – Bahrain
•Wall House Project - Kuwait
•Lamar Bausher Muttawar Residential Development Project – Oman
•Construction of Male and Female Student Housing for Qatar Foundation Project – Qatar
•Bayti Project – UAE

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on May 25 thus marking the culmination of the Meed Construction Leadership Summit, a high-level gathering of the Gulf’s construction leaders, which seeks to promote open dialogue between stakeholders to explore the strategic direction of the region’s construction industry.-TradeArabia News Service