Vertical construction at $1b Al Maryah Central to start

Al Maryah Central Mall will feature the first Macy's outside the US and the first Bloomingdale's in Abu Dhabi.

Gulf Related on Monday announced that vertical construction on Al Maryah Central, a 2.3 million sqft super-regional shopping centre located at the core of Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, will commence this month.
Gulf Related has selected Brookfield Multiplex as the main contractor responsible for completion of the $1 billion development.
The $425 million construction contract designates Brookfield Multiplex to construct Gulf Related's 2.3 million sqft regional mall. When completed in March 2018, the Al Maryah Central mall will feature the first Macy's outside of the United States, the first Bloomingdale's in Abu Dhabi and 20 specialist Al Tayer stores as part of the 400-store strong retail offering.
In addition, Al Maryah Central will include 145 restaurants and cafes, a 20-screen cinema complex, a medical centre, a crèche, a health club, a public library and a food market, as well as three rooftop parks atop the mall. Subsequent phases of the development will include residential units as well as a hotel in two high-rise towers.
The development broke ground in November 2014 and the excavation of the Al Maryah Central site and foundation construction work has already been completed.
Kevin Ryan, managing director of real estate development at Gulf Related said: "Al Maryah Central is set to become the urban centre of Abu Dhabi providing an unrivalled retail, leisure and entertainment destination to serve the needs of Abu Dhabi's fast-growing community.
Marcus Truscott, managing director of Brookfield Multiplex Middle East, said: "Al Maryah Central will transform the retail landscape in Abu Dhabi and positively shift people's perceptions of urban life in the region."
Brookfield Multiplex is an international contractor whose projects in the Middle East have included Emirates Towers and The Gate at the Dubai International Financial Centre, as well asthe Eastern Mangroves complex in Abu Dhabi. It is well-known internationally for the rebuilding of London's Wembley Stadium and for building King Street Wharf in Sydney.
- business@khaleejtimes.com