The first phase of the QR20bn Msheireb Downtown Doha will be completed within the year, says Mohammed Masoud J Al Marri, Chief Officer for Design and Delivery at Msheireb Properties.
 
The 31-hectare project aimed at creating innovative, sustainable, eco-friendly and inspiring living space based on the Qatari heritage is being implemented in six phases namely Phases 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3 and 4.
 
“Phase 1A is nearing completion and we are now working on the commissioning for all of Phase 1A,” Al Marri told the local media during a site tour yesterday to reveal latest developments on the multi-million dollar project.
 
Infrastructure works for Phase 1A are expected to be completed next month, main building works by September this year, and the heritage quarter by year end.
 
Phase 1A includes Diwan Amiri Quarter comprising Diwan Annex, Amiri Guard and National Archive; heritage buildings; mosque; amenities and infrastructure including district cooling plant, substations and service corridors.
 
“For Phase 1B we are looking at construction completed by the end of 2014 but the handover would be in the first quarter of 2015, the same with Phase 1C,” said Al Marri.
 
Phase 1B and C feature offices, townhouses, apartments, amenities, a hotel, civil buildings, a school, cultural centre and a mosque.
 
Phase 2, which is mainly composed of retail, offices, apartments, cinemas, department store and a hotel, is slated to be finished by the second quarter of 2015.
 
“We have already awarded the contract for Phase 3 and it would be completed by last quarter of 2015,” he said. Phase 3 comprises retail, offices, apartments, day care centre and hotel.
 
Due to changes in the schedule resulting from the integration of metro station in the project, deadline for Phase 4 is not yet finalised.
 
“Deadline for Phase 4 was supposed to be 2016 but that was before we knew that there was going to be a metro station in our development. So with the introduction of the metro station, we had to redesign Phase 4 and work together with Qatar Rail as a team to integrate the Metro station in a building in Phase 4,” explained Al Marri, adding: “Once Qatar Rail workshops and scenarios are completed we can identify the completion date.”
 
He stressed the project is still within the QR20bn allocated for the entire development.
 
Commercial and governmental offices occupy the largest space of 280,000sqm (36.9 percent), followed by residences 222,000sqm (29.2 percent), hotels 117,000sqm (15.4 percent), retail 94,000sqm (12.3 percent), community and cultural areas, school, mosque, museum 47,000sqm (6.3 percent). Parks and open spaces will cover an area of more than 120,000sqm.
 
Among the other features of the project are 11,700 basement parking spaces, two five-star hotels namely Mandarin Oriental and MGallery and two four-star ones, and residential areas comprising apartments and 28 townhouses.
 
Source: http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/234862-msheireb-unveils-downtown-progress.html