The Middle East unit of giant contractor China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has been contracted to build a $136m shopping mall in the UAE emirate of Ajman.
Called Mirkaaz and developed by Ajman Holding, the mall is billed as the first in the UAE to feature a sprawling atrium roof more than 7,900 sq m in area, built using ETFE technology to provide natural light while allowing a large, air-conditioned space inside.
Construction of the mall on a 93,000-sq-m site will start this month, with completion scheduled for the last quarter of 2019, reported UAE news agency, WAM.
Like other lesser known emirates of the UAE, Ajman has long been overshadowed by Dubai, 44km to the southwest along the Persian Gulf coast, but it has plans to develop.
"Mirkaaz is in line with the ambitious Ajman 2021 initiative, which will set unprecedented standards for Ajman’s economy," said Yahya Al Jasmi, managing director of Ajman Holding, who signed the contract with Yu Tao, president of CSCEC Middle East on 8 January.
The company believes Mirkaaz will have more than 10 million visitors in its first year.
CSCEC Middle East has worked on a number of infrastructure and building projects in the UAE, including the Viceroy Hotel, Palm Jumeirah, and in Kuwait.
image: Mirkaaz mall is billed as the first in the UAE to feature a sprawling ETFE atrium roof (Ajman Holding)
