ASTANA – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and New Technologies Asset Issekeshev on Jan. 29 held a meeting on the Abu Dhabi Plaza project, which is implemented under the agreement of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The meeting discussed the work plan for 2014 for the construction of the project to be completed by the end of 2016 in time for Astana’s hosting of EXPO 2017.
The Abu Dhabi Plaza multifunctional complex, which is set to become the tallest building in Central Asia, is fully funded by investors from the UAE to the tune of $1.6 billion. It is a matrix of buildings with a retail and leisure area and a hotel cluster at the base that rises to form a series of office and residential towers, creating a new landmark on Astana’s skyline. So far a deep foundation area of 858 auger piles have been set and construction and installation of reinforced concrete structures has been completed.
Construction on the next residential, office, retail and hotel towers is also set to begin any day. The foundation of a separate tower is already under construction.. Temporary frost protection housing has been set up to allow work to continue during winter.
Issekeshev has offered to investors to hold a conference in February to present the project and to invite local potential suppliers of goods and services.
“We need to involve in the construction of Abu Dhabi Plaza local companies to the maximum,” Issekeshev said.
“The head of state in his state-of-the-nation address underlined that we need to support business in Kazakhstan. Besides, the development of the domestic construction industry is one of the State Programme of Industrial and Innovative Development (SPAIID) priorities. The policy of increasing local content is an effective tool to support our entrepreneurs. We must take all measures to implement the President’s instructions,” he concluded.
To date, this is the first complex in Kazakhstan being built on the principles of advanced energy technology and environmental considerations. It is the most complex of all such facilities in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and it’s the first multifunctional complex to combine business, housing and entertainment.
According to the Chairman of the Board of Aldar Properties Abubaker Seddiq Al Khoori, in 2014, construction of the complex will employ about 7,000 people who will work in two shifts. Currently, up to 1,000 workers are employed at the construction site.
Arabtech Holding PJSC (ARTC) has won the tender for construction of the 88-storey Abu Dhabi Plaza complex in Astana, Bloomberg reported in June 2013.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and New Technologies, the agreement was signed by Albert Rau, First Vice Minister of Industry and New Technologies, and Sergei Khoroshun, Vice Akim (Mayor) of Astana, and Roger Goundry, Country Director – Kazakhstan, Aldar Properties PJSC, Abu Dhabi.
