Australian contractor Brookfield Multiplex has been appointed main contractor on the $1bn Al Maryah Central mall on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi.
Developer Gulf Related calls the scheme "an iconic, super-regional shopping destination" that, when complete in 2018, will have the first international Macy’s department store, and Abu Dhabi’s first Bloomingdale’s.
The $425m construction contract sees Brookfield Multiplex building 2.3 million square feet of retail space designed by US architecture firm, Elkus Manfredi.
It will have more than 400 shops, 145 restaurants and cafés, and a 20-screen cinema complex, as well as a medical center, crèche, public library and rooftop parks.
Subsequent phases will include residential units as well as a hotel in two high rise towers.
Marcus Truscott, Managing Director of Brookfield Multiplex Middle East, said it "will transform the retail landscape in Abu Dhabi and positively shift people’s perceptions of urban life in the region."
Excavation and foundation construction for the structure is already complete.
