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Construction

Construction news, real estate, property, and infrastructure news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis on the construction market.

Construction overview

Construction news

Sharjah developer

Sharjah developer hires banks to debut dollar sukuk

Arada Developments, the largest developer in the United Arab Emirate of Sharjah, has hired banks to arrange a debut sale of US dollar-denominated Islamic bonds, sukuk. The deal could be the first dollar bond sale out of the Gulf since late March, when the Sharjah government raised $750 million, also with sharia-compliant sukuk. The region […]

London has long been an attractive area for Middle Eastern investors but they are now turning their sights away from the city centre

Lure of London homes is hard to resist for Arab buyers

International appetite for London’s property market has picked up with Arab buyers expected to play a key role in its post-Covid recovery. The pandemic impacted every sector of the UK economy, with house-buying in England’s capital no exception. As global investment retrenched, the market became increasingly dependent on domestic buyers and resident non-doms for new […]

The project's scope has expanded from its inception, adding a further $30 billion to the originally estimated $20 billion cost

Diriyah Gate: The kingdom’s cultural heart

Roughly 20 minutes’ drive north-west of Riyadh’s city centre lies the historic town of Diriyah. The original home of the House of Saud and the capital of the First Saudi State, it is here that the country’s new cultural capital is beginning to take shape. Overseeing its transformation is the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), […]

The Red Sea Project will will host 50 resorts providing up to 8,000 hotel rooms and beach villas

The Red Sea Project: Showcasing natural abundance

One of the most ambitious and environmentally responsible tourism developments in the world is beginning to take shape on the north-west coast of Saudi Arabia. Spread across 28,000 square kilometres and including an archipelago of more than 90 islands, The Red Sea Project will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy and is committed to […]

Inside NEOM: Saudi’s $500bn smart megacity

Arguably the most ambitious project taking shape in the kingdom is NEOM, a vast region in the northwest of the country that is slowly being transformed into a vision of the future. At the heart of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s drive to diversify the country’s economy, it is being built at an estimated cost […]

Artist's impression of the planned cliff-top football stadium in Qiddiya, Saudi Arabia's entertainment and sports complex south-west of Riyadh

Qiddiya: A sports and arts revolution

Marketed as the kingdom’s capital of entertainment, sports and the arts, Qiddiya is beginning to take shape 45 minutes’ drive south-west of Riyadh. First announced in 2017 as part of Vision 2030, Qiddiya has a dual economic and social purpose – to contribute to the advancement of Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification and to open up […]

Qiddiya is an entertainment megaproject to be established in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia: A kingdom in transformation

Four giga-projects symbolise Saudi’s transformation and economic diversification from oil to technology and tourism – but global problems could delay progress In December last year the neighbourhood of Al-Balad in Jeddah played host to the first edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival. Held only three years after Saudi Arabia allowed cinemas to reopen […]

New-builds rebound as Dubai eyes 1m homes by 2030

Residential real estate project launches in Dubai increased significantly in early 2022, underpinned by renewed positive market sentiment following years of slowdown. After the impact of Covid-19 and dampened market conditions, recent quarters have seen a sharp up-tick in new project launches with Q1 2022 volumes surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to new data. Prathyusha Gurrapu, […]

Dubai real estate bonanza fuelled by Expo 2020 success

Dubai’s real estate market felt the full impact of Expo 2020’s success in April, with deals soaring to record levels. After the conclusion of Expo 2020 Dubai, 6,983 real estate sales transactions worth AED 18.2 billion ($4.9 billion) were recorded in April – the highest figure for the month since 2009. Secondary market sales transactions, […]

Why Dubai property prices are surging at seven-year highs

Property prices in Dubai are rising at their fastest rate for seven years, according to new data released on Wednesday. Prices in Dubai’s residential market continue to expand, with prime residential prices, encompassing the Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills and Jumeirah Bay Island, surging by 58.9 percent over the last 12 months, said real estate consultancy […]

Non-oil industries saw strong growth but it is slowing. Picture: Creative Commons

Growth in Saudi non-oil private sector still robust in April

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector continued to see robust growth in April, albeit at a slower pace than in March as fears over inflation began to weigh on demand, a survey showed on Monday. The headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the whole economy fell to 55.7 in April […]

Expo 2020 Dubai

Costs at three-year high in UAE non-oil sector

Energy and material costs are at their highest levels for more than three years in the United Arab Emirates non-oil sector, forcing businesses to increase their prices, according to the latest S&P Global UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) released on Monday. “The burden of rising input prices continued to be felt across the UAE non-oil […]

Landscape, Outdoors, Nature

Abu Dhabi sees £2.5bn of property deals in Q1

The volume of real estate transactions in the UAE capital reached AED11.3 billion (£2.5 billion) across 3,304 deals in the first quarter of 2022, official figures reveal. Yas Island, the Abu Dhabi neighbourhood that houses the Formula 1 racing track and several other leisure and entertainment destinations alongside upmarket residential complexes, recorded the largest amount […]

Person, Human, Microphone

Oman’s wealth fund splits assets into two portfolios

The Oman Investment Authority has split its assets into local and foreign portfolios, the state news agency said on Sunday. Abdulsalam al-Murshidi, head of the Omani Investment Authority, said the “Generation Portfolio”, which consists of foreign assets and some local assets in various instruments including public and private markets, in addition to realestate, aims at […]